Mystic Falls, Vancouver Island

(click image to see on black)

For this week's image I'm taking you back to Vancouver Island, this is a shot of Mystic Falls, which pours out onto Mystic Beach. Mystic Beach is the first beach that one encounters on the south side of the Juan De Fuca Trail. While it isn't much of a hike in (30 minutes or so), it makes for a fantastic camping spot as the views are amazing and the sand is some of the best on the trail. For this shot I actually talked a friend into waking up at 4am, driving with me to the trailhead, hiking in the dark, so that we could photograph this spot by sunrise. A good friend in deed! Thanks Clint. It helped that he was a Geo-Cache Junkie and there happens to be Caches littered all over the Juan De Fuca Trail.

Again, I'm selling canvas prints right now so feel free to contact me if you want this on your wall. I actually had this canvas up at my home in Victoria, it turned out really nice. Before I moved I passed it onto my buddy who actually kissed his wife for the first time at this waterfall, how romantic eh?

Canola Sunrise, Lacombe, Alberta

(click image to see on black)

This week's image comes from Lacombe, Alberta! While I've never lived in this small town, I must know at least half of the residences :). At my time in university I came to know quite a few families from this small town situated between Edmonton and Calgary and I always make it a point to stop in for a visit. And as you can see, Lacombe doesn't just have great friends that make it a great overnight spot, there are some great photography opportunities as well. This was taken in the summer of 2011 when the canola fields were out in full force. I love the vibrant yellows that dominate the landscape during this time.

This shot was taken at sunrise just off of highway 792(?). The f-stop was taken right up to 22 in order to maximize the sunstar, 2 exposures were blended in photoshop in order to save detail in the foreground.

Canvases can be ordered and delivered in about 3 weeks.

Second Beach, Washington

(click image to see on black)

This week's image is from Second Beach which is located just outside of La Push, Washington! If you are not a photographer, you have probably never heard of this place. The only exception is you Twilight fans out there, of which I am not one of them. Mostly because I'd be too embarrassed to admit to my friends that I was into teenage vampire love story novels :). La Push apparently was one of the areas that some of the films were shot in, thus many tourists have gone on tours to the area. Signs can even be seen saying "No Vampires Beyond This Point".

As for the shot. I tried to get a unique shot of Second Beach, as the stack in the right background has been shot to death. As with many photography meccas, it can be hard to get creative, but I think this turned out pretty well. I believe I took 2 exposures for this shot. One for the sky and the silohuetted stacks, and then another for the water which was a much longer exposure thus giving the streaming effect. Exposures were stitched together in photoshop.

If you'd like a canvas print, please do let me know. Orders can be shipped within 2-3 weeks.

Punchbowl Falls, Oregon

(click image to see on black)

This is an amazing waterfall, one of the most photographed as well. It is hidden back on Eagle Creek which is situated in the Columbia Gorge, sort of where I grew up. And for you avid cliff jumpers out there, the left side of this waterfall has a platform for taking great leaps. I took such a leap a number of years back, in my youth :). And I still remember the bruising my butt cheeks took. After I took my leap I had some onlookers tell me that just the previous week EMS was called out to haul some poor guy out who broke something from doing the same thing. Needless to say, that was my first and last jump.

I took this shot about a year ago, I forgot my fishing waders so my feet were freezing as the water doesn't warm up much at all in Oregon no matter what time of year. And behind me was my sister who was watching 3 kids so I could get the perfect shot. It was in the middle of the day, and amazingly I was able to get a descent shot that didn't have the highlights all blown out. However, I did have to take advantage of some HDR software, which I don't normally like to do.

This shot is a blend of 5 exposures which were brought into Photomatix, and then touched up and rebounded with an additional exposure in Photoshop.

Again, 16X24 canvas prints are available for $175. Contact me directly (montesjesse@psmail.net), or visit our website: http://montesphotography.com/

Vancouver Island - Juan De Fuca Trail

(click image to see on black)

Life on Vancouver Island is a dream.........was a dream. I don't live there anymore as of 2 months ago, and I already miss it. There is so much to explore in terms of waterfalls, hidden beaches, secret fishing holes, and tremendous beauty. One of these fine gems is the Juan de Fuca trail on the south western tip of the island. This 40 kilometre hike is less well known than its sister, the West Coast Trail, but still retains much of the grandeur. Old growth forest, waterfalls, isolated beaches, wildlife, and much more.

This picture comes from Bear Beach, near the southern end of the hike. By far this is one of my favourite spots to stop for a night. But do take heed to the name of the beach, many bears do frequent this trail. So be very bear aware.

This photo was taken with a Nikon D300, and my Tokina 11-16mm lens set to 11mm. F-stop was around 18, and I blended 3 exposures manually with masks via photoshop.

If you are interested in prints, do let me know. We have a sale on canvas prints for $175. This is definitely one of my personal favourites!

Alison & Shannon

Jesse and I recently had the priviledge of photography Alison and Shannon's wedding. It was a beautiful day with beautiful people. I'll let the photos speak for themselves:

Not long now...

If I could live on a little island and pick the people that I want to live on that island with me Jemma and Dan would for sure be there. When I think of what I want my kids to grow up like I think of Jemma. I got to know Jemma in nursing school at UofA and although we haven't been able to live in the same place since, Jesse and I have always enjoyed every visit that we've had with Jemma and Dan. I'm still hoping that one day they will join us overseas.
Anyway, on our last visit we had the privilege of catching some pregnancy photos and can't wait to get some photos of this new little baby sometime in August.