The Everything Photo

I have a bad photography habit that I am trying to curb - I usually try to get everything into one shot, as in the photo above. Note the nifty period lamp and the hanging flower baskets, the Legislative Assembly Buildings, the Inner Harbour Lower Causeway, The Inner Harbour crowded with the boats of the currently running Classic Boat Show. And those are just the main items - there's other things there to distract your attention too. I suspect this habit harks back to the days of film when taking photos was an expensive activity and one naturally strove to get as much into each photo as possible. I've made rules for myself such as there should only be a single subject for each photo, and I try to follow them. But still when I come home from a day's photography I always find at least a few of the "everything" photo. It's a hard habit to break.

Fisherman's Wharf 1

People go to Fisherman's Wharf here for many reasons. For me one of the main reasons is the bright colors and often whimsical shapes of the float homes that are moored there. But there's lots of other bright colors too such as these bright yellow seats on a sightseeing boat moored there and the striking red leaves on the miniature maple in the floating micro-garden on the right. Over the next few days we'll take a look at some other good reasons for visiting Fisherman's Wharf.

Victoria Harbour Ferries Water Ballet

Here is something that manages to be cute and a little bit magnificent at the same time. Every Sunday morning during the summer season our little harbour ferries perform this dance. I've been meaning to take some video of this event for a couple of years and I finally managed to do it yesterday. The video below is the entire 10 minute performance. Enjoy!

From Songhees Point 4

Here's a last photo from Songhees Point earlier this week. I can't resist the rain-washed air and late afternoon sun combination. Here we are looking directly across the harbour to the Royal BC Museum, the Legislative Assembly Buildings and the Robert Bateman Centre. The little Harbour Taxi in the foreground will continue to operate until mid-October and then will close down until next May.

Harbour Ferry Taxi

If you look on the right hand side of yesterday's photo you will see a several of these small ferries of different colors. They are all operated by Victoria Harbour Ferry but the different colors offer different services. Some operate like buses on fixed routes and schedules. Others offer tours of the Harbour or Gorge. The yellow and black ones such as pictured above operate like taxis, circulating around the harbour and picking up and carrying passengers wherever they want to go. Since most of the City of Victoria is close to the water these are very handy ways of moving around to see the sights and many tourists take advantage of them.

Signs of Spring II

Here's another sign that we are approaching spring - the appearance of the little Harbour Ferries that trundle around the Inner Harbour and the Gorge, providing both transportation and sightseeing. This one was spotted yesterday cruising in front of the houseboats at West Bay Marina. This ferry service does not operate during the winter months. The first ferries began to run on February 28. During the summer the little ferries perform a "Water Ballet" in the Inner Harbour at 10:30 every Sunday Morning. Check it out in the video below (not my video).

Canoe Brewpub Marina

Photographs for the last two days were taken from the Canoe Brewpub Marina, just north of the Johnson Street Bridge. Today's photo is of some of the boats that are moored at the marina, including some of the little harbour ferries that are mothballed during the winter season.

Ferry Stop

This is the Songhees Point Ferry Stop for the little harbour ferries that chug around during the daytime. They stop at various points up and down the Gorge and along the Inner and Outer Harbour as far as West Bay Marina but they don't run after dark or during the winter season. I just noticed the interesting and strange black bands across the top of the photo above. They are some kind of technological artifact I suspect. Hmmm....

Two Ships

If you like things that float on the water Victoria is a good place to live since pretty well every type of watercraft can be seen most days if you're near the shore. Here's two extremes I saw recently. Above is one of the many cruise ships that stop here regularly, the Silver Shadow. And below is one of those instantly recognizable little Harbour Ferries.

Smokey Sunset

I mentioned a few days ago that our atmosphere here has been very polluted lately with smoke from the many forest fires burning on the mainland. While the smoke had abated somewhat by the time I took this photo there was still enough left in the air to provide this nice red sunset over the Inner Harbor. That's one of the little harbor ferries making a late trip on the right.

Fisherman's Wharf II

I mentioned yesterday that fisherman's Wharf has a number of shops and eateries. Above is Barb's Fish and Chips - one of the more popular, though everything I've tried on the wharf has been tasty. The kids to the right are obviously enjoying their ice cream cones while waiting to get aboard the nearby Harbor Ferry. Fisherman's Wharf is one of the scheduled stops for these cute little ferries that will carry you anywhere you like to go in the harbor or up the Gorge.

Further Up The Gorge

I've mentioned before that the Gorge is an arm of the ocean that winds its way through much of Victoria and adjacent communities. I've posted many pictures of the Inner Harbor, the first part of the Gorge. And a couple of weeks ago I posted some photos of Rock Bay, the next part of the Gorge, lying between the Johnson Street Bridge and the Bay Street (or Point Ellice) Bridge. This posting is about the next portion of the Gorge as it moves inland. The photo below was taken from Point Ellice looking down the gorge towards the Bay Street Bridge. The Rock Bay photo posted earlier was taken from the opposite shore just on the other side of the bridge.The sloping walkway here is where one catches the Harbor Ferry, just visible in the distance. This photo is just on the edge of my neighborhood since I live about three blocks from the far end of the bridge and shop at the tan colored shopping center on the far right. The photo below is the view to the right of the photo above and looks up the Gorge towards the Selkirk Trestle - restored for the Galloping Goose trail, not for vehicles except bicycles.

Harbour Ferry

I thought I might as well continue with this transportation theme. These little boats that look like children's toys are a very handy way of getting around the Inner Harbour. Behind the ferry on the left are some houseboats moored at Fisherman's Wharf, where one can feed friendly harbour seals, buy fresh seafood directly from fishing boats, or eat some excellent fish and chips.