Tag: Vancouver Island

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First Post

The image above is one of a series of 174 shots taken daily over a season, covering 215 days

Start, just do it!

Hey there! Devin here, pleased to meet you and thanks for dropping by.

I’ve been using cameras to record what I have witnessed for over 30 years, and then done nothing with them ever again, both from film and digital. Until now! Now I begin on my journey of developing and showing my favourite photos from years past and present. I am also learning how to develop RAW images as I go through my shots; I expect a steep learning curve ahead.

I have recently realized that my photo taking was a form of meditation; seemingly practiced by my subconscious mind. This is likely why I gained so much enjoyment from taking pictures even without ever following through with the images in any meaningful way. Conversely, this growing body of untended work, had become a form of shame and stress itself, somewhat countering the benefit of the practice of taking the photos.

So please, join me as I expand my practice to include the following through and development of the images. I present my first attempts at development, four shots from two spots worlds apart:

These are two images of the same sunset, taken on my first night on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico

This is a heavy crop of another image from the daily series, this time focusing on the clouds interacting with the trees

Thank you for sharing this experience

-Devin

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Pentidotea wosnesenskii

Exploring Saysutshun on Newcastle Island and getting reacquainted with the Pickle Bug.

Just got back from our first mini-trip since the pandemic hit. A few days in Nanaimo, British Columbia to visit family and a day to explore Saysutshun (Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park). The island is just a short foot-passenger ferry ride across the harbour from downtown. It was a nice warm, overcast day to pack a picnic and spend some time exploring the intertidal zone during a perfectly timed low tide.

Beautiful little ecosystems, teeming with invertebrate marine life and many species of algae, ring this protected marine park. Almost 30 hectares of this 360 hectare island is easily accessible foreshore. You don’t have to walk far from where the ferry drops you off to start exploring and discovering some pretty funky wildlife.

..and if you head down to the intertidal and flip-over a rock* or find a patch of Pacifc Rockweed (Fucus distichus) riffraff, you’re sure to come across one of these little guys chillin, waiting for the tide to come back in. The Rockweed Isopod, Pentidotea wonsnesenskii.

*Please remember to return any rocks you flip over to as close to its original position as possible.. many of the organisms in these small communities are slow moving and very slow growing. If different areas of the rock are left exposed, sedentary species may have to start growing from scratch, become easier prey or even die. Leave it like you found it.

Usually found clinging to its namesake algal species, trying to keep cool and not dry out during the low tide, the Rockweed Isopod is a harmless, prehistoric looking, non-decapod crustacean. It has seven pairs of very strong legs, perfectly suited to hang on to just about anything, despite living in a habitat prone to strong currents and and extreme exposure.

It is known by a few other names.. Vosnesensky’s isopod, Kelp isopod, Olive-green isopod, Green isopod and the Pickle bug. They are typically an olive-green colour, but can also be tan, brown, yellow, black or pink.

Their colour depends upon the type of algae that they are associated with. Their body colour can change with time, but scientists do not yet understand how this happens; but, it is not related to their diet.

Back home, in Vancouver’s English Bay, rockweed isopods are a little harder to come by. My favourite spot to sit and draw, near the foot of Dunbar on Point Grey Road, has a few. The local colouration, seems to be dark brown to jet-black and back in 2019, I had a chance to sketch the subject.

As you can see, I didn’t quite finish it. I was planning to fill it up and add some more info.. but honestly, I had forgotten all about this drawing. Thankfully, my recent trip reminded me, and maybe I’ll take another crack at sketching this neat little marine invert again soon.

– Aaron