Off the Radar

Off the radar as far as blog posts and photos! Well, there are some extenuating circumstances... For one thing, I'm starting to shoot video (again, but it's not my main strength) because the constantly changing sea demands the ability see things in motion as well as still images. When I shot video before, I used Micro 4/3 cameras and now I use the Sony NEX, so much experimenting has been taking up my shooting time. And then there's the damned relatives... :)

This past weekend, my sister and brother-in-law visited from the Nanaimo area. We welcomed them with open arms, not the least because they delivered 8 Kgs of Costco Starbucks Espresso Blend, which is a staple for us. Hosting people here is going to be so much fun because there's literally so much to see and share as we learn more and more.

This weekend, with our guests, we visited South Beach and Wick beach again, and then the north section of the WPT. Here are some photos:

After our guests departed, we took a day to build up energy again and then I walked down to Big Beach by myself with just my iPhone. One of the exercises I pose for myself is to use a different camera or a specific lens, or just choose a specific subject to shoot. Using the iPhone with Hipstamatic is a liberating yet somewhat frustrating experience. There is some degree of control over what you want to have in focus, but the "lens" has the last word.

This afternoon, Marcelle and I wandered down to Big Beach again, and this time, I took my Panasonic LX5, a point-and-shoot that writes RAW files. It's a super little camera for doing macro work.

The incredible weather we've been having is about to change, and we are expecting rain for the next few days (and beyond). The lovely wispy clouds this afternoon provided a wonderful foreground layer under a dark black-and-white processed sky.

Tomorrow, we're off to "Port" as Port Alberni is familiarly known here, to do some shopping at Walmart. Ghastly thought, isn't it, but it's the closest big-box store we have and shopping at the local Co-Op is a liberating experience (where they cheerfully liberate double funds from your account). I'll try to stop at Kennedy Lake which we have yet to do, let alone explore there. Even with fog, I've seen a couple of extraordinarily surreal scenes driving past.

For now, here's a picture for us to remember this incredible weather by.

Keep Calm and Chive On!