Fun in the Sky – PEI Aerial Photography
I spend alot of time looking at maps. Either it be paper or software, I like having that overview visual of any location I’m photographing. In fact – When the software I use to keep my images organized announced all the newest and latest features – I was most excited for the ability to tag images to a digital map. Having this overview is great but seeing it for yourself is a completely different experience and what can be better then flying over Prince Edward Island in a small 4 seater Cessna?
Holding out for good weather can be frustrating but I recently took to the skies for my first flight of 2012. Here are just a few of the images created in early July 2012.
I really need to do this more often.
Today’s Image – Cape Tryon
I have talked about this lighthouse a few times in previous posts as it’s one of the most photographed and famous of the 63 lighthouses surrounding Prince Edward Island. It also happens to be declared as surplus and the risk of loosing it is very real. The land from the Cape Tryon Lighthouse (lower right) all the way to the New London Lighthouse (center top) is all part of the L.M. Montgomery Seashore.
Changing of the Seasons
Spring is well under way and with the snow and ice long gone — temperatures often still require dressing fairly warm with hats and gloves. The water is moving, shades of green are filling in and before long, summer will be here and I’ll be complaining how hot is it. ;-)
Today’s Image – Island Spring Stream
Nature at times can be quite a mess of details and colours. Here’s trying to organize and make sense of it all in a single image. There is a fair bit to absorb in this one.
Supermoon Over New London
Due to the moons orbit, it’s distance from earth varies by approximately 50,000 kilometres over the course of a year. Comparing the two extremes, this difference makes the moon look 14% bigger and 30% brighter and earns the name supermoon. With super in the name, it must be fantastic! But for the most part, it is visibly not that much different than any other full moon. Especially the night before and night after. The idea of a closer moon is very cool but the media hypes it up a bit with camera trickery. Using long lenses, shooting a city a mile away to make it look smaller in relation to the moon is what we see. We are made to believe we missed this enormous moon that filled the sky. I would like to see those same shots on a regular full moon night for comparison.
Today’s Image – New London Lighthouse in French River
For much of the weekend, we had a heavy overcast on Prince Edward Island. The only view of the moon this year for me was the night before as the moon started to rise about 1 hour before sunset.
Lobster Trap Setting Day
Each spring on the last day of April, all of the fishing boats from the many harbours around the coastline parade out to sea to set their traps. Here on Prince Edward Island, we were a day late due to weather but starting at 5:30am on May 1st, hundreds of boats made their way out the mouth of their harbours and awaited sunrise. At first sight of the sun at 5:58am, the boats race off to their respective territories to begin fishing season.
Today’s Image – North Rustico Harbour
I had spent some time over the past few weeks visiting and trying to decide which harbour I would go to this year. With all the news about Lighthouse surplus, North Rustico was looking to be a good option to get a full boat of traps in front of a Lighthouse.
The following are a small selection from the morning.
The Guiding Light
I need to be careful or this blog could easily turn into a save the lighthouse campaign. Last week I made a post about the upcoming deadline when several island lighthouses will be shut down. I followed that up with a post about Saving of the Brighton Beach Range Light. At that time, it was very unclear to me which ones and how many of these structures were in danger.
With the permission of Carol Livingstone (President of the PEI Lighthouse Society (1)), I am making available The Guiding Light Newsletter (PDF). This semiannual publication that is available only to members provides a full list of updates and the current status of our 63 lighthouses and ranges. If you refer to page 20, you’ll see the list of lighthouses currently not being petitioned.
“Any lighthouses not claimed by community groups or municipalities by May 31 will either be put up for sale to the public or torn down.” CBC
Download the January 2012 issue of The Guiding Light. (PDF)
Today’s Image – Cape Tryon Lighthouse
With access only through private property, this light is located on the north shore west of Cavendish in the French River and Park Corner area. The still active Cape Tryon Lighthouse is a bit of a staple in Island marketing and an often photographed location. I had a chance to visit early this morning under some very chilly conditions. The regular high coastal winds did not help. The Cape Tryon Lighthouse is located on land currently trying to be protected from development by the L.M. Montgomery Land Trust.
This lighthouse is one of the many listed on page 20. What will be it’s fate on June 1st 2012?
Predicting Weather
Today was interesting. What started with very high wind warnings mixed with rain and snow fall followed by a night without electricity, the sky was looking dark and dull at 6 am. I made the mistake to stay home and watch what could have been the most dramatic sunrise of the year to date. Snooze you lose.
It ended up being a very nice day but by mid afternoon it looked like those heavy clouds were rolling in again and the sun would be gone well before sunset. I decided for the second time to stay home. Another mistake as the sun once again proved me wrong. Trying not to write off the complete day and only 30 minutes before sunset, I quickly made my way downtown to Victoria Park to make 6 images before days end.
I have pretty much accepted that I can’t predict how the light will be.
Today’s Image – Brighton Beach Range Front
Ice breaking away into the North (Yorke) River at the west end of Victoria Park and the start of the community of Brighton. In the distance is the range light that shines directly out to the entrance of the Charlottetown Harbour. Charlottetown City Councillor Rob Lantz wrote a blog post earlier this week titled “Saving the Brighton Beach Range Light” which relates to the post I made yesterday.
Welcome to 2012
The older we get, the faster time starts to move and here we are already looking at a 2012 calendar. Best wishes in what ever adventures the new year will bring you. I know the list of tasks I want to accomplish this year is already fairly long.
Today started as a very grey and rainy day with no signs of any chance of sunlight through the thick overcast. With a few hours to kill before a meeting, I started driving out of town with the intentions of looking for locations when the weather was not so dull. What I was not expecting was the sky to completely open up after about 30 minutes of driving west of Summerside and by sunset – having 60 minutes of clear skies.
Today’s Image – Cape Egmont Lighthouse
This evening to kick start 2012 was particularly challenge with cold temperatures and wind gusts almost reaching 50km/h. Wind is for sure more difficult to shoot in then freezing temperatures. Add the salt water spray from the sea to a 25 second exposure in the wind and you get this oddly foggy image from a dirty lens. I still think it’s a keeper. The Lighthouse in Cape Egmont is located at N 46 24.107 W 64 08.002 and relatively easy to access via a single lane gravel road.