I took this photo at the end of last month, after a day of stormy weather. The sun finally broke through the clouds just before it sank below the horizon.
Tag Archives: sunset
stormy sunset
The setting sun coloured incoming storm clouds in beautiful tones of pink and purple.
pink streak
Another beautiful west coast sky, taken at Brooks Point Regional Park, Pender Island.
breathless
Reflected sky at high tide one recent evening.
cloud angles
Dramatic cloud-forms over Swanson Channel, Pender Island, B.C.
Today marks my 2-year anniversary with WordPress. How time flies!
a soft spring evening
I wandered down to the beach last evening with my camera, enjoying the mild spring air and a pastel sunset. The only sounds were the crunch of my feet on the stones, the hiss of the incoming tide, and the splash and huff of a lone seal surfacing as it swam along the shore. There were no other people — I was surprised I didn’t see anyone else out for a walk. They’ll never know what they missed.
Calm seas and serene hues on South Pender Island
channel sunset
This weekly challenge has really highlighted for me how much of a morning photographer I am. The vast majority of my photographs are taken early in the day, but here is a rare dinner-hour shot taken from Pender Island overlooking the channel towards Salt Spring Island and Vancouver Island.
caramel beach
Retreating rain clouds and calm seas at Grimmer Bay on a lovely spring evening.
the vagaries of west coast weather
(4 images)
One afternoon a couple of days ago I decided, despite the overcast skies and uninspiring light, to drive down to one of my favourite photography locations on South Pender Island. If nothing else the pup and I would get in a good walk before dinner, and you never know what the tide might have washed in.
So we arrived, hiked the length the first beach and over the bluff, then made our way down to the second beach. That’s when I felt the first drops. I’d checked the forecast earlier, and there’d been no rain predicted, but Mother Nature laughs in the face of weather forecasts. Especially in winter on B.C.’s west coast.
In the rapidly deteriorating conditions I wasn’t seeing anything especially enticing to photograph, and the front of my lens was getting covered in raindrops, so with a sigh I packed my camera away in my bag. I pulled on my coat hood and the pup and I started back the way we’d come, with me muttering darkly to myself about the gas I’d wasted driving here and my most excellent timing regarding the weather. I glanced down at the pup, snug in her jacket and happy to be out. At least we were getting some exercise and fresh, if excessively damp, air.
We got back to the first beach and wonder of wonders, it stopped raining. Under a brightening sky I took a couple of pictures of the ocean shining in the blue light.
Then unexpectedly the sun broke through the clouds, gilding the cliff-tops and turning the dark eastern sky to violet and blue. I knew I had only a few minutes at best, so I ran around like a madwoman to find a decent composition. A few (too few!) shots later, the sun sank behind the hill. The golden moment was over.
It wasn’t until I’d packed up and turned to leave that I noticed another photographer down the beach a ways. He waved, and I said, “Nice bit of light just then.” “Yeah, didn’t think we were going to get any,” he said. We never really know what we’ll get, do we, despite all our careful plans and predictions. All we can do is show up and hope for the best.
December beach
We’ve had a lot of rain, wind, and extreme high tides lately, making beach photography challenging to say the least. So when a pale sun shone its light on a gently ebbing sea one afternoon last week, I jumped at the chance to head down to the water.

Pender Island winter shoreline
No, it wasn’t a colourful sunset, but it was so pleasant to spend time taking pictures without having to worry about water on my lens, wind shaking my tripod, or wet feet. It felt as though Autumn had finally given up the battle with Winter, and peace at last ruled the land.