Landscape Photography

I decided to take a break from the causeway and its summer bustle and rode out to the Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site. While the above photo doesn't look a lot different from my usual photos of this landmark, it was an attempt to put into practice some hints and tips on landscape photography I've lately been picking up (mostly from YouTube tutorials). Well, at least I've got the horizon fairly level in this shot.

Esquimalt Lagoon

The Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site is directly adjacent to the Esquimalt Lagoon Nature Sanctuary. The above photo was taken from Fort Rodd Hill looking towards the lagoon. The stream in the foreground is the tidal flow into and out of the lagoon.

The Postcard

I'm not a very adventurous photographer - usually what I strive to achieve is picturesque rather than striking or unique and this shot is a good example of what satisfies me.

Pink Fawn Lily

Here's another unusual spring wildflower from my recent visit to the Garry Oak Learning Meadow at Fort Rodd Hill. It is a Pink Fawn Lily (Erythronium revolutum) It's a little bit unusual for being a double but what makes this outstanding for me is that it is pink, whereas the Fawn Lilies I have seen in this area (in and around Victoria) are all the white variety. The pink variety is apparently more common further north on Vancouver Island, though nowhere very common.

Fort Rodd Hill

When the weather is fine one of the local landmarks I like to visit is Fort Rodd Hill. It's a location that actually has two National Heritage Sites, the military fortifications and Fisgard Lighthoue. Above is the lighthouse, from the most classical perspective. I like to go out to Fort Rodd Hill in the spring especially since they have developed the Garry Oak Learning Meadow where they are propagating many of the indigenous plant species specific to that ecosystem. We'll have a look at a few of their specimens later in the week but I wanted to start out with the Fisgard Lighthouse because it is so photogenic.

Esquimalt Lagoon

Yesterday's photo of the lighthouse was taken from the eastern end of Esquimalt Lagoon looking eastward. From the same spot here is the view looking west down the length of the lagoon.

Lens Distortion

Last year around this time I was exploring the way lenses distort reality. All lenses distort reality to some extent. (This, in my opinion, puts paid to the purist argument about the truth of images taken directly from the camera without further processing as against images that have been altered or enhanced after being downloaded from the camera.) Notice in the top photo how the Hatley Castle's walls appear to slope inward. This was caused by using an ultra-wide angle lens at its widest setting (10mm) in order to get the whole building inside the frame. The problem I was trying to deal with had to do with how to correct this lens distortion. The solution I found is below. Sometime later I returned to Hatley Castle and took a whole series of shots (10) with a 50mm lens. 50mm lenses are generally agreed to produce photos that are most like what our eyes see. These were then stitched together and straightened using software called Hugin. It produces enormous panoramas (the original of the shot below is over 10,000 pixels wide). The end result (below) is certainly much closer to what we see. The next challenge is to photograph the Legislative Assembly Buildings using the same technique. Stay tuned!

Esquimalt Lagoon

The old-growth forest pictured yesterday is situated on rising land above and slightly to the west of Esquimalt Lagoon and provided the above view of the lagoon. I like this view because it shows clearly the long narrow spit that separates the lagoon from the ocean. The Fisgard Lighthouse is also visible in this photo very close to the center. Though our weather continues quite warm, autumn colors are clearly beginning to seep into the palette.

Old-Growth Forest

We are lucky in Victoria to have some old-growth forest right on our doorstep, on the grounds of Royal Road University. Old-growth forest has been defined as that in which trees are older than 250 years and some of those in the photo above are probably twice that age. To walk among these forest giants is a humbling and refreshing experience.

Marsh Hawk (Circus cyaneus)

While strolling on the forest trails near Hatley Castle on the weekend I left a part of my camera tripod there. I returned yesterday but was unable to find the missing piece. However, since I was out there near Esquimalt Lagoon I decided to see if I could locate a couple of Belted Kingfishers I saw flying past earlier in the week. No luck on the Kingfishers but as I rounded a corner on the road behind the lagoon I spied a large bird on the ground whose photos make today's post. This is a female Marsh Hawk (Circus cyaneus), also known as the Northern Harrier. Though they are not uncommon, as is the case with so many of our local birds I had not seen one before. The bird has a number of distinguishing characteristics, two of which are visible in the photo to the left: Its wing tips look like they have been dipped in black ink and it has a clearly defined white rump.

Orchid Invader - Epipactis helleborine

While on my walk in the woods near Royal Roads University last week I noticed this little flowering plant. The flowers are very small, about the size of your little fingernail. When I stooped to look at it more closely I realized it was probably another of our local orchids and it is, although it is an invader from Europe, apparently arriving on this continent in 1879. This is Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine). Lewis J. Clark (Wildflowers of British Columbia), who rises to poetry in his descriptions of almost anything that comes out of the ground in this province, describes Helleborine as "...an invasive, almost weedy plant." But though it's quite modest in comparison with its more colorful and larger relatives, I was pleased to add another local wild orchid to my collection.

Purple Martin (Progne subis)

Sometimes it seems like ecological disaster is inevitable and within a generation or two life on this planet will be very unpleasant. So it's nice to see that some of our changes are working and it is possible to reverse some damage. I was pleased to mention a few weeks ago the recovery of the Osprey population whose numbers were declining until DDT was banned. The local population of today's featured bird, the Purple Martin (Progne subis), was also in decline and they had almost disappeared from this area thirty years ago. This was thought to be due to competition for suitable nest sites from invasive species such as European Starlings, and because of the removal by humans of favored natural nesting sites such as dead trees. The resurgence in their population is due to the provision of nesting boxes such as pictured to the right. These have been designed to be especially attractive to Purple Martins and less attractive to competing species. The wire netting over the top and sides at the front of the nest is to prevent seagulls from snacking on the fledglings when they take their first peeks out the doorway. Above on the left is a male Purple Martin with a female of the species on the right. This colony of Purple Martins resides on the north shore of Esquimalt Lagoon below Royal Roads University and Hatley Castle. There is an article about them HERE.

Hatley Castle 3 - The Italian Garden

Hatley Park National Historic Site consists of the castle and the adjacent gardens. Directly beside the house is the Italian Garden, pictured above and below. It's a very formal garden with trees in tubs and immaculately trimmed and squared hedges, lawns and beds of flowers.

---

Click here to see what the castle looks like from across the lagoon, in the autumn.

Hatley Castle

This magnificent edifice, Hatley Castle, lies on the rising ground overlooking Esquimalt Lagoon. As well as being an intriguing building in itself it is set amongst some splendid gardens - an Italian Garden, a Bog Garden, a Japanese Garden and a Rose Garden. Since I'm looking at Landscape photography lately I thought it would be fitting to examine some formal landscaping such as is found in classical gardens. We'll have a look at some of the gardens later in the week. Hatley Castle has an interesting history - it was built by James Dunsmuir, a son of the man who built Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria's other castle, and because it is so photogenic it has been used in numerous films and television shows such as X-Men and Smallville. In its day job it now is a part of Royal Roads University. Wikipedia has a good short article on the Hatley Park National Historic Site.

Hatley Castle

Yesterday's photo of the doorbell was taken at the main entrance to Hatley Castle, a photo of which was posted HERE last year. The view above is from the gardens on the other side of the castle that faces the ocean. Hatley Castle was designed by Samuel MacLure. The Dunsmuir family lived in it from 1908 to 1937. I have yet to visit the interior of the castle and intend to go back another day. I always get sidetracked by the splendid gardens. There is the Italian Garden, the Rose Garden, the Bog Garden, and an extensive Japanese Garden, all immaculately cared for and blooming in rampant profusion - we'll have flower photos here for the next few days. Click HERE to visit the Hatley Castle website.

Castle Doorbell

In the spring we had a look at some of the rooms at Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria. It was built by pioneer coal baron Robert Dunsmuir. One of his sons later became premier of this province and built Hatley Castle in nearby Colwood. I spent the morning today out at Hatley Castle and its gardens. To the right is a photo of the doorbell to the castle. It makes me think that one of the pleasures of being rich must be that even the details of your surroundings can be unique pieces of art and that something as mundane as a doorbell can be a thing of beauty. I'll post more photos of this castle and its gardens over the next few days.

Fisgard Lighthouse 2

Here's a shot from the other side of the lighthouse pictured yesterday, looking towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This coastline is so lovely it is sometimes difficult to remember that it is a dangerous coastline for sailors. Picturesque installations like the Fisgard Lighthouse were erected in response to the many wrecks and disasters that befell ships in this area. While the Fisgard Lighthouse has not had a resident keeper since 1929, the automated light still guides sailors safely into Esquimalt Harbour.