Seattle

Ambrosia

Hover Fly

Basically the Arthropod version of a hummingbird, these little flies busily hover from one flower to the next, often stopping perfectly still except for their frantically buzzing wings in mid air. I didn't realize they were out this late in the year but that probably has something to do with not being in Alberta any more, a realization that hasn't quite set in yet in the "what's still alive outside" part of my brain. This was taken in down town Victoria where, again to my surprise, there are still flowers blooming everywhere. If you get the chance to watch one of these, take a minute to appreciate their spectacular aerial tenure, and don't let there wasp-like appearance deter you from getting nice and close, they couldn't hurt a fly.

Tofino

Fall

Fall is finally here and Nanaimo has never looked so beautiful. A couple days of nice weather and a few cancelled classes resulted in enough time to get out and rip around on my bike. I'm trying to enjoy the outdoors as much as I can before the rain sets in for good, hopefully not anytime soon. The railroad tracks through town are a quick easy way to get around on a bike, and there is some really cool places you end up passing through. Can't wait for more leaves to turn, so I can get out and start getting in the Halloween spirit.

Snail Hunting Success

Sorry

Totally reminds me of when you come home to find the family dog skulking around with that guilty look on their face. I wonder what this little dude is guilty of, he looks pretty obviously embarrassed.

Nanaimo Life

The Enchanted Forest

I couldn't be happier with how this one turned out. The trees ended up framing the picture really well and I have decided that a Coleman kerosene lamp is my new favorite light source for photography. This  really is a product of the situation in which it was taken, its pretty hard not to end up with some interesting pictures on a lamp lit forest walk at night.

Rainforest Fun

This was taken in the rain forest outside Seyward, British Columbia. The area here is really beautiful and lush, despite heavy logging pressure, with huge cedar and hemlock trees forming a dense canopy over a soft spongy forest floor. Obviously this makes a great place to run around and take some pictures too. This photo is one of a couple I took with a little longer exposure to blur my image, emphasizing the movement while still capturing the quiet stillness of the scenery around me. To anyone thinking of coming to the Island I highly recommend spending some time in this region, it truly is the great outdoors.

Starry Eyed

My Dad found this little jumping spider in the vase full of flowers on our dining room table. His actual size is only about 4mm long, so focusing on his little face was a little bit challenging. Its starting to be evident that I REALLY need a macro lens. I just can't get close enough with my 18-55mm. Nonetheless this turned out to be a pretty cool shot, who said spiders weren't cute?

Dragonfly

This dude was warming up in the flower pot my mom has in the front yard, so I seized the opportunity for a wicked picture and close up look at one of the coolest arthropods in the air today. If you can find of these warming up in the morning hours they are pretty easy to coax onto your finger to get a good look at those compound eyes. I wonder what a kaleidoscope looks like through these eyes?

Cicada

My Dad tracked this huge unsightly winged creature down on a fishing trip Canada Day weekend. They are the bugs that make that high pitched ringing sound that I always associate with those scorching, sunny, summer days. Easily one of my favorite Insects of all time, this is a Cicada of the Okanagana spp. These things are seriously nuts, their larva live underground for 13-17 YEARS. So while my friends and I were growing up happily above ground, this guy was 3 feet underground drinking the juices out of a tree root.

Self Reflection

I took this on my new Samsung NX100W that I got for my 21st birthday. This little guy was under a rock in my back yard, and was fortunate enough to be the star of his own photo shoot. I'm guessing this is the first time he has seen his own reflection. I wonder, is he impressed?