Home This Winter
December 2022 until February 2023, we lived tucked inside a log home in Sunnybrae, a small community 20km outside of Salmon Arm, in BC's Shuswap region. Over those two months, we felt a connection to the area, people and the nature (mostly the nature). It's also a very convenient location about half way between Alberta and the coast.
We made the move "permanent" in July, 2023.
For this first instalment of Images & Narratives with Adam (😜), I wanted to share our new home land with anyone who cares to see it. I hope you enjoy the photos and short commentary below. Please consider subscribing to the mailing list where you will receive somewhat infrequent emails, with new stories and pictures.
Environmental Portraits of Pines
The fog and lack of wind provides a tranquil, ethereal stillness, while the motion of the falling snow adds contrasting movement to these peaceful scenes.
Throughout the winter, we often have a blanket of fog during the morning hours here in the Shuswap. When it’s snowing at the same time, it's an ideal atmosphere for winter photography and I had to get out!
These photos were created up the hill from my house, a very short walk from the front door. Yvonne and little Finster came too. I’m a landscape photographer but when given the opportunity to have people or animals in a photograph, I do welcome it. Especially family photos like this to look back on years in the future.
Camera Corner
These four photos above are handheld using a 70-200mm f/4 lens. With higher ISO and a semi-fast shutter, I wanted to capture the slightest bit of movement/blur to the falling snowflakes, while still getting the trees as sharp as I could. Would have been nice to have a tripod and slow the shutter speed down a bit more, but tripods are annoying to carry when you just want to go for a walk up the road with the family.
Eagles
Above are a couple of eagle-eye views of the area. These are drone photos, flown straight up from our house.
Speaking of eagles, we have a few that visit the tree across the street from us. In my home office, I keep a 200 - 500mm lens attached to my camera for opportunities like this. They often choose the same tree, I guess it has the best vantage point for the empty lot below, and therefore, a tasty snack? I haven’t seen them hunt from here though. The usual scenario is that one eagle will sit in the tree for around 20 minutes until another eagle comes into sight from the east (where the lake is). The “tree eagle” will then take off just as the “lake eagle” approaches, joining together in flight, towards the hills to the west. Hopefully sometime in the near future, I'll have the privilege of photographing them both in flight together.
Vibrant Colour and Texture
The first few photos shared here are pretty mono-tone. There isn't much colour in them at all due to the heavy snowfall, thick grey clouds, and muted subjects. There is colour here in the Shuswap during winter too! Here are two examples. The photo above is shot straight down, looking at a plant amongst some rocks and algae, right at the edge of the lake. The sun was setting and the sky started to light up, creating a wonderful glow on the scene.
The second photo (to the right) was created straight after the one above. I basically tilted my camera upwards towards the lake, shuffled my feet a bit to compose it, and captured this. Almost immediately after this photo was taken, the light disappeared, the sky went a blue-grey colour and it was time to make the very short trip back up the hill towards home.
Winter Photography Tip:
With a DSLR, be careful bringing your camera inside right after being out in the cold for a while. It will fog up almost instantly. This can create moisture on your sensor, mirror and lenses, potentially damaging your gear. If you are using a camera bag, leave the camera zipped up in the bag for at least an hour or so (depending on how cold it was) once you get home. This will trap the cold air in bag and allow it to slowly warm up. For the handheld shots, I had the camera on a Rapid Strap so I came inside, opened a window and left the camera on the window ledge with the cold air blowing on it. I slowly moved the camera away from the window.
I’m not sure if this is as big of a deal with a mirrorless system, but it’s a habit I got into and for the very small inconvenience, I would rather be safe. With the camera on the window ledge, I was still able to remove the memory card without any problems, in order to import the photos as soon as I got home.
Thank You!!
I'm incredibly grateful for you! Thank you for taking the time to read and view this first instalment of Images & Narratives. Please send me a message with any constructive feedback, and/or share with your friends if you enjoyed it. This method for sharing work so much more effective than social media because I can customize it however I, or you, would like! I want this to resonate with you so to do that, I need to hear from you. Please click below and send me a message, let me know what you think. Until next time, take care and I hope this has inspired you to slow down, get outside, and appreciate what is right outside your door.