Category: Uncategorized

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Albas BC – The Shuswap’s Most Powerful Waterfall is part of 23 Shuswap marine parks and it’s official name is Shuswap Lake Marine Provincial Park – Albas Falls Site. All locations are popular for fishing and water sports; hiking and nature study are popular at some sites. Some sites are road accessible, but most are water-access only.

Shuswap Lake Marine Provincial Park – Albas Falls Site is an undeveloped camping area located at the north-west end of Seymour Arm. Some areas are road accessible. Camping is only permitted in specific areas.

A trail that begins near Steamboat Bay follows Celesta Creek upstream approximately 1.5 km, then crosses the creek and returns to the lake. Noted for a series of beautiful waterfalls and some interesting features from early logging days. Bears are frequent visitors in this site.

As many trail follow raging waters in this park, it is worth noting the associated dangers as steep drops and unguarded viewing points are plentiful. Similar caution is required when entering some the waterfall pools which can exhibit powerful undertow currents during times of elevated water levels. Unfortunately, a few people have been swept away and drowned as a result of it in Albas Provincial Park.

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Pictographs & Petroglyphs of the Shuswap, Kootenay & Vancouver Island BC, an account of visits to various sites in British Columbia’s Shuswap, Kootenay and Vancouver Island regions. In BC, more than 500 examples of either pictographs or petroglyphs (ancient rock paintings or carvings) have been discovered. This is more than any other province in Canada.

In the Shuswap region, many of the pictograph sites are found on large rock walls above water and are therefore not easily accessible to everyone. Given how well known some of these sites are to locals and summer tourists boating on the lakes in the region, they are in remarkable good conditions. 

The Kootenay’s Slocan Lake features more than one dozen sites along is vast rocky shorelines. In the past, there have been reports of some vandalism by a teenage party at Slocan Lake but little information is available on the web about the incident.

Petroglyphs, rock carvings are much more resilient to the impacts of ageing, erosion, weather and people’s activities. On Vancouver Island, a great site is found in Petroglyph Provincial Park, located at the south end of Nanaimo featuring a high concentration of 1,000 year old prehistoric rock carvings. 

Here, an old plaque advises visitors of the Historic Objects Preservation Act of British Columbia. It reads “Notice – All historic objects in the vicinity have been placed under the protection of the Historic Objects Preservation Act of British Columbia and any interference with the same is subject to penalty.” 

Sproat Lake Provincial Park – One of the finest panels of petroglyphs to be seen in British Columbia is located at the east end of Sproat Lake on central Vancouver Island. One of the park’s most significant features is a panel of petroglyphs called “K’ak’awin” on lakeshore rocks depicting mythological figures. Check out the video link below.

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A number of well known books have been published on the subject of Pictographs & Petroglyphs of the Shuswap, Kootenay & Vancouver Island BC. In 1968, John Corner, a  Vernon resident wrote “Pictographs (Indian Rock Paintings) in the Interior of British Columbia“  followed by Annie York, Richard Daly and Chris Arnett in 1993 with “They Write Their Dreams on the Rock Forever“.

In 2003 “Exploring BC’s Pictographs” by Simon Nankivell and David Wyse was published by Russel Mussio of Mussio Ventures Ltd. (Backroad Mapbooks). This pictographs book, described as “An explorer’s guide to one of BC’s best kept secrets in the mysterious world of Indian rock paintings” has been apart from other publications as site locations were described in great detail including geographic coordinate information. Sources tell the publication of this book caused discomfort with First Nations peoples in the Interior of BC and that Mussio Ventures, under political pressure sought not to pursue a planned re-print.

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British Columbia Driftwood Photography is about ‘Driftwood’ which is often found on ocean beaches and along rivers and lakes. Driftwood is is a very interesting to photograph. It often appears in bizarre shapes and with detailed textures especially after it has been in water for a long time and has been bleached by the sun. Sometimes, the leftovers of trees take on shapes that look like sculptures, shapes of animals or creatures.

In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and food for birds, fish and other aquatic species as it floats in the ocean. Gribbles, ship worms and bacteria decompose the wood and gradually turn it into nutrients that are reintroduced to the food web. Sometimes, the partially decomposed wood washes ashore, where it also shelters birds, plants, and other species. Driftwood can become the foundation for sand dunes.

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Read Also: Pictographs & Petroglyphs of the Shuswap, Kootenay & Vancouver Island BC

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A subset of driftwood known as drift lumber, includes the remains of man-made wooden objects, such as buildings and their contents washed into the sea during storms, wooden objects discarded into the water from shore, or lost cargo from ships. Erosion and wave action may make it difficult or impossible to determine the origin of a particular piece of driftwood.

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Read Also: Water Photography – Capture the Power

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Driftwood has an interesting history tied to itself. Carried by Arctic rivers, driftwood was the main, or sometimes only, source of wood for some Inuit and other Arctic populations living north of the tree line until they came into regular contact with European traders. Traditional Inuit boats such as the kayak were fashioned from driftwood frames covered in skins. Driftwood could be used to make bows and arrows if it was straight grained and in reasonably good condition.

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A photo shoot at small North Shuswap community by the name of St. Ives on Shuswap Lake invites for great image opportunities in summer and winter. The locality is mostly recognised for it’s recreational summer activities by local tourism operators and local resorts. The area is a great stepping stone for endless adventures and explorations to remote areas on Shuswap Lake. Floating docks and bouys sometimes provide great shots especially in winter when there is ice on them that reflects on the water. 

The late afternoon sun on this glorious day illuminated the ice crystals above the water. Fall and winter are great times to photograph in this part of the world as the low angle of the sun provides lighting conditions that are not encountered at any other time of the year. 

At Cinnemousun Narrows – where the four arms of the lake meet one can push on to Anstey and Seymour arms.  A number of nearby marine parks invite boaters and paddler to enjoy sandy beaches throughout different seasons.

A floating dock featured frozen hardware illuminated by the winter day’s afternoon sun.

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Water Photography – Capture the Power – Water in general, is a very interesting medium. Whether it is the complete still of a lake or a chopped chaos on the ocean, captured images of the motion are fascinating. How to photograph or ‘capture’ the power of water depends largely on what effects are intended to achieve. In light technical terms, images of moving water are often ‘softened up’ to make them look somewhat magical.

This is done by the use of neutral density (ND) filters mounted to a camera’s lens. This (darkened) lens provides the photographer with broader range of exposure settings. However, softened water photography fails to bring out details, such as individual water drops or spray. So, the keys to create images that capture the power in water photography with the most details are: high speed shutter speeds with small apertures. Details are the main attributes necessary to depict the raw power of water as it moves.

In water photography, to capture the power of the water, creeks and rivers make for ideal subjects. In addition, waterfalls offer amazing opportunities to capture detailed motion. The following video was produced at Shuswap Falls and Wilsey Dam in British Columbia, an easily accessible site featuring raging waters in rocky channels and in waterfalls.

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Ansel Adams and Alfred Stieglitz – The Greatest Pioneers of Photography – Adams, Ansel (Feb. 20 1902 — Apr. 22, 1984), photographer and environmentalist, was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Charles Hitchcock Adams, a business man, and Olive Bray. The grandson of a wealthy timber baron, Adams grew up in a house set amid the sand dunes of the Golden Gate. When Adams was only four, an aftershock of the great earthquake and fire of 1906 threw him to the ground and badly broke his nose, distinctly marking him for life. A year later the family fortune collapsed in the financial panic of 1907, and Adams’s father spent the rest of his life doggedly but fruitlessly attempting to recoup.

Seen in a more traditional art history context, Adams was the last and defining figure in the romantic tradition of nineteenth-century American landscape painting and photography. Adams’s vast archive of papers, memorabilia, correspondence, negatives, and many “fine” photographic prints, as well as numerous “work” or proof prints, are in the John P. Schaefer Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

Ansel Adams and Alfred Stieglitz – The Greatest Pioneers of Photography – Adams’s star rose rapidly in the early 1930s, propelled in part by his ability and in part by his effusive energy and activity. He made his first visit to New York in 1933, on a pilgrimage to meet photographer Alfred Stieglitz, the artist whose work and philosophy Adams most admired and whose life of commitment to the medium he consciously emulated.

Alphred Stieglitz was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz was known for the New York art galleries that he ran in the early part of the 20th century, where he introduced many avant-garde European artists to the U.S.

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BC Hydro’s Wilsey Dam @ Shuswap Falls – is a paradise for anyone who loves waterfalls and white waters raging through rugged canyons. Wilsey Dam recreational area features a high balcony type platform right above the spillway and a rocky bluff view point further down river. The best views over the turbine building and waterfalls of two different bypass channels are from the rock bluff viewpoint, about one half mile south.

From the spillway, the waters are divided into two bypass channels. One channel dramatically drops approximately 20 feet down while the second channel continues at moderate descend into a rocky gorge.  The base of the gorge is the location of BC Hydro’s power generating facility.

BC Hydro’s Wilsey Dam @ Shuswap Falls is one of few dams in British Columbia that provides up close access. The water action at the spillway is particularly exciting during spring snow melt and run off. 

Wilsey Dam at Shuswap Falls, BC – To Be Decommissioned – BC Hydro plans to decommission the Wilsey Dam and 5.2-MW Shuswap Falls Powerhouse on the Shuswap River, which allows salmon access to historical spawning habitat in the river. Demolitions work is set to begin in 2026.

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Sicamous Creek Fatal Falls, BC – Three house-sized boulders in a narrow gorge divide Sicamous Creek into two cascading waterfalls. A short, well developed and marked trail leads to a viewing area from which the stunning scenery of Sicamous Creek Fatal Falls can be enjoyed.

Sicamous Creek (Fatal) Falls are called this because several people have died there of stupidity. For better views, they all climbed up on rock faces in the gorge or scrambled along steep side hills – only to fall to their deaths.

Clearly marked and hand-railed trails lead to viewing points and pathways loop around the Sicamous Creek gorge. 

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Ancient times and nature come together at the Historic Dun-Waters Farm & Short’s Creek Waterfall in Fintry BC. A long history and traces of first nation’s people and European settlers is preserved in Fintry Provincial Park on Lake Okanagan in BC.

Historic Dun-Waters Farm at Short’s Creek and waterfall in Fintry BC, is an interesting place to visit. Fintry’s octagonal dairy barn is believed to be the last standing eight-sided barn in BC and one of only a few in Canada.

Captain James Cameron Dun-Waters raised in Scotland, inherited a significant amount of money at the age of 22. To pursue his interest in hunting, he came to Canada. An explorer by nature, Dun-Waters became fond of a delta along the west side of Okanagan Lake where he settled in 1909.

He built and operated a farm business, boating service, an orchard and a fruit packing plant supported by innovative hydro-electricity generation and irrigation systems.

James was also involved with the Armstrong Interior Provincial Exhibition organization, the CPR and the BC Fruit Growers Association. He also served overseas during World War One.

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Brenda Falls at Sugar Lake Dam, BC – A few kilometers south of Sugar Lake in Bc is the location of Brenda Falls. In 1942, BC Hydro constructed a dam to create storage and increase the power generating potential at Wilsey Dam (Shuswap Falls). This new dam allowed for another 4000 HP generating unit at Shuswap Falls, which translates to another 5.2 MW of capacity.

Brenda Falls at Sugar Lake Dam is worth a visit for photography buffs and anyone who loves the raw power of waterfalls. Caution is advised when attempting to get closer to the rivers edge via the western side’s former viewing area. A steep, badly eroded, old trail that leads down to the bottom of the dam wall and the falls.

The powers of water are best captured in high speed photography or in video. In winter, the lighting conditions can be difficult when shooting sun illuminated waters from a dark location.

Brenda Falls at Sugar Lake Dam, BC and all other hydroelectric facilities create special risks for visitors. Sudden changes in water flows in the spillway, strong currents near the dam, and the presence of numerous log jams and debris make swimming and boating dangerous.

Leave a plan of your for your own safety, stay behind fenced areas, away from all hydroelectric operating structures, and away from steep cliffs. Before embarking on a trip, ensure that you have detailed mapping, have first hand knowledge of the river and present conditions, and have taken adequate safety precautions, especially during high water.