Don Denton » Island

Working On Projects

Don Denton — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:57:10 +0000

It’s always interesting when working on a project how certain themes or subjects start to repeat themselves, often threaten to become a project in themselves. Boats have begun to show up in many of my island photos, it makes sense as we have such easy access to water but until you start looking you don’t realize how many people do have boats and how they store them in unusual places and how often they’ll have several, just sitting in the yard year after year the way people in other locales store old automobiles.

I was out this morning to Goldstream Park to work on another project dealing with spawning salmon. This male chum was still alive but barely, still breathing while lying on his side partly out of the water.

On Conscientious

Don Denton — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:19:04 +0000

It was more than a pleasant surprise today during my daily check of photo sites to click on Joerg Colberg’s Conscientious site and see one of my photos from the Salt Water &Rain project.

It was especially heartening as this is one of the first projects where I’ve moved away (or at least I feel like I have) from my newspaper photojournalism background.

The project is based on the idea that despite increasing globalization and commodification of culture we are all, no matter where we live, still strongly shaped and given identity by our landscape and weather. Those two factors work to keep us distinct. Living on the western edge, actually off the western edge, of Canada on islands, surrounded by the ocean and often, certainly in the fall and winter months, living in the rain and fog does affect how you live.

These photographs are an attempt to look at and understand that effect.

New Year’s Eve Road Trip

Don Denton — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:21:50 +0000

A leisurely drive out to Jordan River on New Year’s Eve day. Some snow but mainly low dark clouds and rain. Beautiful west coast weather, if you like that sort of thing, and I do.

Sooke gas station

Coopers Cove

Trees in logged area near Jordan River

Sunken boat in Sooke at government docks

Highway at Jordan River from the site of Shakies, the surfer cafe now closed. You can however, now get a great cup of coffee just at the other end of town at the small cafe right on the curve as you head towards Sombrio.