All posts filed under Landscape

Forest Fire Smoke, Hope British Columbia 2018

Forest fire smoke hangs low over downtown Hope British Columbia in August 2018. For the second summer in a row heavy forest fires in the province have spread haze over BC, blocking sunlight and causing health issues for some residents. There is concern that recent hot dry summers will continue and with them so will the forest fires.

Castle Inn, Cache Creek, British Columbia 2017

A long time eye catcher as the highway splits at Cache Creek, this old motel appeared to be undergoing renovations when photographed last year.  Eight months or so later on a more recent road trip and there appears to have been little accomplished on the renovation front. Hopefully the Castle Inn will eventually  be restored to it’s former 50’s road side architectural glory.

Hair salon and Murphy beds, Langford, British Columbia 2017

Architecture, of course, like everything works in cycles of fashion. The A-frame entrance to suburban housing, at least in British Columbia, was common enough in the 60’s and 70’s. It’s perhaps rarer to see this vernacular architecture at use in commercial buildings from that era, certainly with the use of the double A-frame on the structure, which you can’t see in this image(the A is …

Box House, Bevan Avenue at Third Street, Sidney British Columbia 2017

A great example of why it’s important to photograph a unique, even if insignificant on a larger scale, piece of architecture when you have the opportunity. This small square box of a house was bulldozed less than two weeks after I took this image. The house was very basic but unlike anything else on the street. I’m sure it’ll be replaced by a larger box, …

Resto Lafleur, Dorval, Quebec 2017

Travelling a bit further afield than usual. I was in Montreal in June for work and spent two nights at a hotel near the airport in the suburb (city?) of Dorval. The hotel was located in the middle of an industrial district which was deserted sit was the weekend. I’d gone for a walk in the evening looking for a someplace other than the hotel …

Scooter and KFC, Langford, British Columbia 2017

Commercial signage in very different mediums. A real scooter on a roof promotes a scooter shop below (at left, not actually visible) while a fake oversize bucket of chicken promotes a KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) franchise outlet. The tub company makes do with just a sign. In the background a new condo or apartment building rises in the background.

Bus stop shelter and new house, Victoria British Columbia 2017

The house in the background was just recently completed, built in a current ‘modern’ square style somewhat at architectural odds with the other older homes on the same street. I find it somewhat ironic that the ‘old’ bus stop shelter in front, mirrors the new build. That square style of bus shelter, which offered riders a largely enclosed (to the elements) structure but with windows …

Taber Music School, Saanich British Columbia 2017

  This low building has seen several different commercial lives but currently houses a music school, readily apparent not only from the sign but but by the musical note decor painted on the outside. It looks though it may have been a garage at one point.

Wood Carvings, Chemainus, British Columbia 2017

  It was just starting to rain as I came past these wooden carvings along the highway in Chemainus. The large, almost life size Sasquatch (assuming we know what life size is for a Sasquatch) was certainly an attention grabber. Birds, whimsical bears, and more stood along the roadside distracting passing motorists as the carver worked in the tent behind and chatted with those who …

Firewood lot, Duncan, British Columbia 2017

A wet haul up and over the Malahat.  The Malahat Drive, a short section of highway, is dreaded by local drivers despite many recent safety upgrades. I think it’s reputation is a bit much for a 20 kilometre section of highway but it certainly has more than it’s fair share of accidents. The bigger problem I think is that an accident usually shuts down the …

British Columbia Documentary Photography #2

I recently read an interview with a local archives manager. He talked about the work and purpose of the archives and about acquiring material for the facility. He is  always on the lookout for unique local photographs showing the community’s history but he made a a comment that I thought every documentary photographer should consider. He said that it was easy to find/receive images of …

Robin Hood Motel, Victoria British Columbia 2016

There’s something about old signage. The Robin Hood Motel on Gorge Road seems a throwback to the 60s anyhow but it’s obvious in both the retro style and content the sign has not been changed in a long time. Despite the changeable sign below advertising wifi, the main sign still touts that they offer COLOUR television. The motel is one of the last of its …

Giant Bathtub Parade Float, Victoria, British Columbia 2016

The annual Victoria Day Parade is a big deal in Victoria. It’s three hours long and  starts from from Mayfair Mall and moves all the way down Douglas Street through the downtown. It’s not  entirely unexpected, since parades are full of odd sights, to see a giant bathtub representing Nanaimo (famed for its annual bathtub race) coming down the street. It is however much stranger …