Beyond The Ranch, Part 1

So...
...with my interest in photography rekindled I set out with a point and shoot Canon in hand when I moved deeply into the wilderness where I managed a fly-in camp. The camp was intended for helicopter access fishing excursions but the proximity of mineral exploration and its related activity filled our camp with scientists, surveyors and support personnel instead; which proved to be good for the owner of the camp, who profited greatly while failing to keep his promise of recompensing me according to the increased work load. Life is like that though and when like a fool I returned for the second season I at least brought with me a Nikon D70 D-SLR that I had purchased during the winter off-season.

Today I will post some photographs I made with the Canon A70 point-and-shoot.


Approaching camp in a Bell Jet Ranger Helicopter...

Bronson Creek Camp On Iskut River

Here I am with my Canon A70 at a small lake we fished...

Greetings


Here is a visiting friend with a "Fish On!" while angling a shallow river...

Angling Success

And here is the boss with a worthy catch in the same small river...

Lugging The Lunker (King Salmon)

You never know what you will see when flying around in a chopper...

Swimming Moose

We had some pretty fine scenery while hiking as well...

Twin Glacier

Life On The Ranch

If you have read my previous posts you are aware that I unplugged and moved onto a semi Wilderness Guest Ranch and then gradually plugged back in. Here in the hinterlands I started making photographs with a Canon point & shoot and thus my life as a photographer was rekindled.

This is the house I lived in for three years. It was built in about 1908 and in 1950 was moved 100 meters to its current location. I chose the over-the-shoulder shot because I like the emphasis on its situation with the lake and mountain view. I also like the band of light highlighting the house and illuminating the lake while the cloud shadow obscures the mountain, preventing the hills from overpowering the viewers attention away from the dwelling.



O.K., this one is a film scan, but I thought you might like an extended view.



Though we were a guest ranch I didn't bother taking pictures of many of our clients, but who could resist our wildlife friends?

Our cat and one of the beggarly foxes that made daily visits...


I am looking straight up at this noisome little fellow. To hear him go on you would think he owned the place!


I tried everything I could think of (short of violence) to get this pest to leave one of the guest cabins. Nothing was working so I decided to take his mug shot. Who would have thunk it, I soon as the strobe went off he disappeared, well, in a flash!



This photo was taken in our bedroom, where we would enjoy our morning coffee in bed with the windows open so the Stellar's Jays could fly on in for the morning peanut rations. Notice the kerosene lamp, I told you we were unplugged!



Once the birds are fed it is time to feed the weasel.



Pine Marten were also frequent guests throughout the winter months.



The lake always seemed to manage to freeze up around November's full moon, seen here as sunset alpenglow bathes Hudson Bay Mountain in the days waning light.


And so after so many opportunities I just had to get a DSLR, unfortunately I couldn't afford one until after we had left this paradise, but that will have to be covered in another post.