Landscape Photography Fail

I don't take anywhere near as many photos as I did a few years ago. Then I would routinely come home with 2 or 3 hundred shots. Now I think I work a little harder to get it right before I click the shutter. However, I still have some shots that just don't do it for me. I thought it might be interesting for you to see a shot that doesn't do it for me. There's two things that don't work in this photo - one is the sky - there are some lovely wispy clouds but they are all focused/aimed at the horizon, not the lighthouse. Secondly, the main leading lines that do focus on the lighthouse are the road lines on the ground. The only trouble with these is that the road is not a very interesting object in itself - it's a little cracked and junky looking. I'd prefer a dirt track with some grass and dandelions, etc. I'll be interested in any comments on this photo, especially in comparison with yesterday's photo (taken the same afternoon).

Garry Oak Learning Meadow

A few years ago Fort Rodd Hill was little more than a preserved coastal defense site. But in the last few years new features have been added that make it more interesting, educational and relevant. One of my favorite new features is the Garry Oak Learning Meadow, a garden area stocked with a wide variety of plants that are a part of the Garry Oak Ecosystem. Above we are looking at the entrance to the meadow through its attractive new gate. The learning meadow is well worth a visit quite aside from the other attractions of the park and there is usually a helpful Parks Canada person there to describe how and why the meadow was developed.

Fisgard Lighthouse

Under blue skies and bright sunshine I went out today to Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site. I was pleased to discover that in celebration of Canada's 150th Birthday this year, all National Historic Sites have waived their admission fees. The entrance fee to Fort Rodd Hill has always been quite modest but the feeling that I could come back again, often, subtly changed the tenor of my visit, so that I was able to concentrate on one part of the site and reserve the rest for further visits. Above is a slightly different view of the Fisgard Lighthouse viewed from Fort Rodd Hill.

Buy Mushrooms in the Store

Here are more BIG mushrooms from the forest on the Royal Road University grounds. If you're not a mushroom fancier you will not find much of interest on this blog at this time of year. For me, mushrooms are not FOOD, they are much more akin to the glorious wildflowers of spring. I really do wish that people would stop "harvesting" them or simply "vandalizing" them. People who would never dream of cutting down a tree in a public park seem to think nothing of collecting a cluster of mushrooms in the same place. Support your local mushroom farmer - buy your mushrooms in the supermarket and leave the wild ones alone so that everyone can enjoy their beauty and variety.

On the Periphery

This little shack is like most of it's kind; tucked away behind a strip mall, in a vacant lot. It's original purpose has been long ago forgotten and time, blackberries and graffiti artists have their way with it. - Fern