yuri — shiba inu puppy, 6 months.

over the last few weeks i’ve photographed so many dogs — from the east coast to the west and back again! i absolutely love capturing great images of animals, especially when they have such sweet personalities!

enjoy!

:: sammy ::

:: taj ::

:: dottie ::

:: clarkson ::

:: watson ::

:: cicero ::

sunset fog — bamfield, vancouver island, BC.

there’s only one road that takes you to the remote village of bamfield, a semi-private, narrow and winding, ultra-steep, gravel logging road. with no cell service. and lots of logging trucks. we made the harrowing 80km journey from port alberni on a sunday afternoon — literally on the edge of our seats the entire trip. however, it wasnt until the return trip on tuesday morning that we passed no less than five hugemongous logging trucks barreling down the slippery gravel road, kicking up dust storms that rendered us unable to proceed for minutes at a time. we quickly learned that logging roads are no joke, but an adventurous way to travel (in an SUV) and in retrospect.

as out of the way as it is, bamfield is a world-renowned fishing destination located on the barkley sound and part of the pacific rim national park. 100 lb halibut and 30 lb salmon are not uncommon in these waters, and the lifelong watermen take out numerous groups of sport fishermen in the summer high-season. we were lucky enough to meet del thompson — one of the kindest, smartest, funniest men i’ve ever met, and the owner of red eye charters. we spent the morning on del’s boat salmon fishing just offshore (the catch of the day was a 28lb chinook!) and the evening touring the harbor and observing the abundant wildlife. scores of sunbathing sea lions, spunky families of river otter, and precocious deer lined the shores, while eagles and herons soared above us.

bamfield was the final stop on an absolutely amazing tour of vancouver island, and for me it was the highlight of the trip. bamfield was exactly the small village experience i hoped to have on the island — both because of  its simple and remote location and the kind and honest people we encountered there. it is exactly the kind of place i would excitedly return to year after year, anxious to see familiar faces, swap stories, and revel in the thrilling simplicity of a day spent on the water.

enjoy!

posing with the catch of the day — a 28lb chinook salmon!

* * * * *

vancouver island, 2010:

part I :: vancouver island :: telegraph cove.

part II :: vancouver island :: knight inlet.

part III :: vancouver island :: down island to campbell river.

part IV :: vancouver island :: qualicum beach to cathedral grove.

part V :: vancouver island :: tofino + ucluelet.

part VI :: vancouver island :: bamfield.

* * * * *

buena vista by the sea — qualicum beach, vancouver island, BC.

seated on the shores of the georgia strait, qualicum beach is only a few hours south of the adventurous northern coast, but a world apart in weather, attitude and feel. celebrated as the “canada’s carmel” this relaxed beach town shares many attributes with sunny and warm socal — the perfect reprieve from the glacial waters and wicked wind and chilly fog up island. we arrived late, and lucked out stopping at buena vista by the sea — an amazing oceanfront guesthouse with private suites and an unbelievable sun deck. we spent hours watching the sun slowly set and the geese lounge in the warm water, and fell in love with the charming owners, claire + robbie. they made us feel right at home, and we wandered through their little town, in and out of shops and restaurants, and loved the old schoolhouse art center where artists’ open studios allow you to roam in and out while they are creating! i had a wonderful conversation with the incredible artist helene mcintosh and was smitten with her paintings of people’s faces — check her out at helenemcintosh.com — she’s a talented artist and insighful woman, i only wish i could have spent more time with her.

just outside of qualicum, the town of coombs boasts the renowned old country market, featuring fresh local produce, international spices, sauces, and treats, a fantastic deli and bakery, and is surrounded by tons of little shops. perhaps the most notable and unique thing about this massive market is their green roof which is home to goats who live above the market and delight guests with their crazy antics. earlier this year babies were born, and it’s getting a little crowded up there! regardless, it was hilarious to see them prancing around, and even more amusing to behold the visitors clammoring around below for a perfect photo of the furry little roof dwellers. yay for goats on the roof!

after coombs, we passed through cathedral grove, a provincial park with easily accessible trails weaving through massive douglas firs that are over 800 years old. it’s the only place on the island to see these big trees, and i love the peaceful feeling of being dwarfed by a super tall forest! it was small scale compared to the redwoods of northern california that i explored last summer, but absolutely impressive and magical in its own right nonetheless.

enjoy!

canadian geese!

coombs famous country market!

the goats refused to turn towards me. stubborn little roof dwellers.

traveling tinas and a big douglas fir.

* * * * *

vancouver island, 2010:

part I :: vancouver island :: telegraph cove.

part II :: vancouver island :: knight inlet.

part III :: vancouver island :: down island to campbell river.

part IV :: vancouver island :: qualicum beach to cathedral grove.

part V :: vancouver island :: tofino + ucluelet.

part VI :: vancouver island :: bamfield.

* * * * *

north island kayak — telegraph cove, vancouver island, BC.

telegraph cove is a tiny boardwalk town on the north east coast of vancouver island. once a small sawmill and cannery community, the current resident population is around 20, a sleepy harbor to say the least. however, the marina and campgrounds happily welcome visitors throughout the summer who come to embark on adventures just offshore. telegraph cove opens up into the johnstone strait — a narrow glacier-carved passage between vancouver island and mainland BC, and home to the largest resident pod of orcas (over 200!) in the world. renowned as the single best place to kayak with killer whales, the johnstone strait leads into the robson bight ecological reserve, an orca sanctuary where the whales are known to come ashore and rub their bellies on the warm gravel beaches.

in the three days i spent kayaking and camping in the johnstone strait (with the amazing outfitter north island kayak) we had dozens of orca sightings, pods of three, four, five whales at a time, sometimes as close as 30 feet offshore while we lounged on the beach, and often just across the water as we kayaked. although we never had a crazy close encounter, the whales were almost always all around us — as soon as someone would spot them surfacing we’d all stop paddling and just listen. our small group (7 including our guide, brad) would sit silently, listening to their heavy breath and gentle groans as they slid through the water, revealing sleek dorsal fins and a misty spray of sea water. it’s difficult to describe what it feels like to be in such close proximity to these impressive (and massive!) animals. surrounded by the vast, gorgeous landscape of british columbia it’s truly impossible not to feel tiny and insignificant — the dense forests seem endless and the sea is never so impressive as when viewed from the seat of a kayak. the magnitude of nature and wilderness was all consuming, and felt absolutely surreal in the best way imaginable. it was an utterly amazing experience.

enjoy!

tandem kayak :: one person steers while the other shoots…brilliant!

* * * * *

vancouver island, 2010:

part I :: vancouver island :: telegraph cove.

part II :: vancouver island :: knight inlet.

part III :: vancouver island :: down island to campbell river.

part IV :: vancouver island :: qualicum beach to cathedral grove.

part V :: vancouver island :: tofino + ucluelet.

part VI :: vancouver island :: bamfield.

* * * * *

mama grizzly with her cubs — knight inlet, vancouver island, BC.

the remote knight inlet — accessible only by boat or float plane — lies about 80 km north of telegraph cove and is prime grizzly bear habitat. in mid july female grizzlies are busy feeding on the protein-rich sedge grass while protecting and educating their young cubs. it was absolutely awesome to observe these magnificent animals as they ate, explored and played along the shore! from our little boat we were able to anchor less than 100 ft away, drifting closer at times. i totally couldn’t believe how close we were, at one point i swear we were no more than 50 ft away! in addition to the 6 grizzlies we encountered (2 mothers and 4 cubs) there was abundant wildlife, including deer (which the cubs love to chase!) heron and geese. the thick morning fog (chilly but beautiful!) eventually gave way to bright sunshine, sending the grizzlies back into the forest, and us on our way back down the temperamental inlet. on the way back to telegraph cove we made a brief stop at the picturesque lagoon cove — a quirky, fun little harbor!

enjoy!

the perfectly serene lagoon cove harbor.

* * * * *

vancouver island, 2010:

part I :: vancouver island :: telegraph cove.

part II :: vancouver island :: knight inlet.

part III :: vancouver island :: down island to campbell river.

part IV :: vancouver island :: qualicum beach to cathedral grove.

part V :: vancouver island :: tofino + ucluelet.

part VI :: vancouver island :: bamfield.

* * * * *

a few days ago i had the pleasure of meeting the absolutely incredbile michelle louis at her st. michael’s farm where she runs an amazing horse rescue. halo’s haven rescue is a rescue organization specifically focused on saving horses from auctions where they are sold for slaughter. together with local sponsors, louis recently rescued a gorgeous pregnant clydesdale as well as a pregnant miniature horse and brought them home to her farm. the clydesdale foal is now two weeks old and doing fantastic, and the mini is due any day now! this week i will be spending more time at halo’s haven learning about the mission and documenting the rescue process. these are just a few images of the horses i saw this weekend – so beautiful!

enjoy!

cricket :: may, 2008 – washington, dc.

the only animal i’ve ever loved lived to be 23 years old.

cricket was a spunky little himalayan/siamese/calico mix with huge eyes and a sassy personality. clearly, she was also a fantastic model. sadly, she passed away last night and i’m missing her terribly.

i *loved* meeting up with meghan vince a few weeks ago in baltimore for a very fun lifestyle session! we started in federal hill and worked our way across town to fells point, just in time to catch the sun setting on the pier. love that golden light! meghan was so great to photograph – her energy + excitement were amazing, especially since she was surrounded by everything she loves most! i captured some quick headshots for her new photography business { meghan lynn photography } and then photographed her + her boyfriend jim and their two awesome dogs, zoey + izzy! big thanks to meghan + jim for sharing their evening and their love with me!

enjoy the things that meghan loves…

meghan loves her boyfriend.

meghan loves her dogs.

meghan *loves* her camera!

more from tonite’s awesome session with photographer meghan vince + crew in b’more – coming soon!

meet lily. she is a total love bug, especially with her owner jeanne! these two have so much fun together and i was delighted to spend an afternoon with them, first at home where lily was super chill and very loving towards me – i got lots of boxer kisses in the first few minutes i was there! she totally crawled into my lap and jeanne was amazed! what can i say? big dogs and drunk groomsmen always love the blonde photographer!

it was a gorgeous afternoon, and we took a walk through the neighborhood and onto a wooded path with lots of bikers, runner and other dogs. lily led us to her favorite spot – a rocky creek where she loves to chase her frisbee and dash through the water! it was hilarious watching her search for the frisbee – jeanne tossing it and lily leaping and taking off, her ears perked and her muscles flexed – she’s a beautiful boxer!

thank you jeanne for sharing an afternoon with me – i loved meeting you + lily and can’t wait to see you both again soon!

enjoy!