2. Pacific Rim National Park

Pacific Rim 2

Read More
Not a bad way to live
67 / 94

Not a bad way to live

Houseboat life in the Deadman Islets near Tofino, British Columbia with Meares Island in the left background.

houseboatmotor launchesbalconyDeadman IsletslifestyleMeares IslandTofinoBritish Columbia

  • Setting sun
  • Adventure starts here
  • Tofino-Water-Taxi-2,-Tofino,-British-Colulmbia
  • Tofino-Water-Taxi-3,-Tofino,-British-Colulmbia
  • Tofino-Water-Taxi-1,-Tofino,-British-Colulmbia
  • Opitsaht-village,-Tla-o-qui-aht-First-Nations,-Meares-Island,-Tofino,-British-Columbia
  • Not a bad way to live
  • Life-style-choices,-Deadman-Islets,-Tofino,-British-Columbia
  • House-boat-life,-Deadman-Islets,-Tofino,-British-Columbia
  • HIker-on-the-Meares-Island-boardwallk,-Tofino,-British-Columbia
  • Boardwalk
  • Meares-Island-boardwallk,-Tofino,-British-Columbia
  • Along-the-Meares-Island-boardwalk,-Tofino,-British-Columbia
  • North-temperate-rainforest-along-the-Meares-Island-boardwalk,-Tofino,-British-Columbia
  • Meares Island Big Tree trail: biodiversity (the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem)<br /> <br /> Meares Island on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, has some of the largest and oldest trees on the planet. The western red cedars (Thuja plicata) are from 1000-1500 years old, and up to 60 feet in diameter and over 200 ft (60 m) tall. It was the site of an anti-logging protest in 1984 by the Nuu-chah-nulth aborignal people who claim it as ancestral land, supported by many environmentalists, some of who went to jail for the cause. In the end the court ruled against logging and the old growth temperate rain forest remains intact. <br /> <br /> A wooden board walk was constructed to give access to the largest trees and this young man who was hiking the Big Trees trail kindly agreed to be photographed if I would give him a copy of the photo (promise kept).<br /> <br /> It's a wonderful place to photograph but very challenging to capture due to low light, the enormous height and girth of the trees, and the dense vegetation. I used a tripod, a wide angle lens (12 mm to 24 mm), and low ISO to try to capture the details. This is a formula that only works when there is little or no wind, and an overcast day to avoid blowing highlights. I was lucky to have both.<br /> <br /> Other photos from the Ucleulet/Tofino area can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/0lzthQ">http://goo.gl/0lzthQ</a><br /> <br /> 19/06/15 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • One of the Meares Island big western red cedars, around 200 ft tall. Actually two trees growing from a single base (best larger..no pun intended)
  • Hanging Garden tree with lens flare (best larger)<br /> <br /> This ancient giant is festooned with ferns and other growth giving it the nickname Hanging Garden tree. It is a Western Red Cedar, estimated to be 1000-1500 years old, with a circumference of 20 ft. It is one of the famous old trees on Meares Island, off the west coast of Vancouver Island, now a protected site.<br /> <br /> Photographing the huge trees and the lush environment of the north temperate rainforest is an interesting challenge. The trees are up to several hundred feet high and the only sight lines to the top are when you are standing ony a few feet from the base of the tree; this means using a very wide angle lens. There is very little light penetrating to the forest floor, requiring a long exposure, and to get good depth of field and good resolution I used a high aperture (f20), and a low ISO. I was shooting with a tripod, but long exposures in the woods required almost no breeze otherwise the smaller branches, leaves, ferns, etc. become blurred. This makes shooting HDR difficult, and although I was bracketing, often the HDR merge shots showed the blur. Since I was shooting RAW files, I often just choose the best average exposure and took care of the highlights and shadows in Adobe Camera Raw. Because the trees are so tall, I was shooting almost straight up and often into the sun, which gave very contrasty light. Hence the lens flare in this image, which I rather like for the enchanted feeling it gives to this ancient scene. I'm still not completely happy that I am capturing the full impact of these big trees with a still photo...maybe it requires video.<br /> <br /> These shots are especially apt right now since we are in a record drought here on the West Coast, and the trees start to suffer from lack of rain. It's hard to maintain a rain forest without rain, and the forests are tinder dry. We now have many forest fires, some out of control and threatening towns. The air is full of smoke from the fires everywhere in the province and, unusual for us, we have air quality advisories.<br /> <br /> Other photos from Meares Island, showing the lush growth and the big trees can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/FSUlNr">http://goo.gl/FSUlNr</a><br /> <br /> 10/07/15 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Hanging Garden tree closer up, Meares Islalnd, Tofino, British Columbia (best larger)
  • Back view of the Hanging Garden tree, Western red cedar, Meares Island, Tofino, British Columbia (best larger)
  • North temprate rain forest near the Hanging Garden tree, with the remains of another giant tree, Meares Island, Tofino, British Columbia (best larger)

  • James Clarke (jamri)

    on March 28, 2016

    Very nice.
    BTW My aunty used to live on Salt Spring Island.

  • johnchapmanphotographer

    on March 28, 2016

    Hi Terry, SUPERB.

  • jimholmquist

    on March 28, 2016

    Terrific shot! It looks like it would be a fun way to live at least part of the year.

  • God's Child

    on March 28, 2016

    Not my preferred "way of life" except for maybe a weekend escape!

    Happy Resurrection Sunday (aka "Easter Day")!
    3/27/2016

  • Gene Hyder

    on March 27, 2016

    Super shot.

  • Rick Willis

    on March 27, 2016

    I agree with your Title...

  • TinaMarie Gardner

    on March 27, 2016

    ditto Linda

  • Amy Spencer

    on March 27, 2016

    This is so neat! Great shot!

  • Lgood

    on March 27, 2016

    Yes, a very nice way to live.

  • Franks-Focus

    on March 27, 2016

    Looks like it could be a very relaxing lifestyle.

  • Photo Sharing
  • About SmugMug
  • Browse Photos
  • Prints & Gifts
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Owner Log In
© 2021 SmugMug, Inc.