Newsletter No. 107: June 2014

Newsletter No. 107: June, 2014
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.

Contents:

1. The 100 Mile Project: Re-acquiring a ‘sense of home’
2. The Ancient Forest: When it rains, I head to the Interior Rainforest
3. Photo Expedition to the Great Bear Rainforest: Wow!
4. The Tallheo Cannery: A Photographers Dream in the Bella Coola Valley
5. The Linde Bros. Sawmill: A Sliver of Cariboo Culture
6. Flood Recovery Sale at the Chris Harris Gallery

Hi everyone,

The past four weeks have been jam-packed with photo expeditions from the Interior Rainforest in the east, to the Great Bear Rainforest on the Central Coast; from one side of the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region to the other. I’m going to share a few images from several of them.

We also had a flood here at the Gallery. It could have been a disaster, but fortunately we discovered it as the water began to rise. That left Rita operating two pumps as I taught a photo workshop upstairs! We never considered water a threat on our well-sloped property, but the extremely wet month of May resulted in flood damage to many homes locally.

As a result, we are combining a 10th Anniversary sale with a ‘Flood Recovery Sale’.

Enjoy my 107th consecutive monthly Newsletter!!

 

Chris

1. The 100 Mile Project:  Re-acquiring a ‘sense of home’.

Last month I told you about my 100 Mile Project and shared some images I made along Bridge Creek in Centennial Park. This past month, in the the stormy weather, I became the “Cariboo cloud chaser”. Every evening around 8pm I headed out for a drive, searching for celestial drama. Here is a sample of what I found.

With a dark sky in the north-west, I headed east into town in order to look back as the storm approached. What I find interesting about this perspective, is the old 100 Mile Ranch barn. Where we now see concrete and neon lights was once a part of that fertile ranchland.

That provides all of us with something to think about as we move forward to a more local and sustainable agrarian community.

On another evening, I saw an impressive cloud developing in the direction of 100 Mile House. So, once again, I headed toward town. Once I saw the cloud above the old barn, I parked illegally, jumped over the ranch fence, and quickly made this composition. Getting back to my truck before any tickets were issued, I headed next for the 100 Mile Marsh.

The dramatic cloud continued to change shape, appearing ever more breathtaking as time passed.

My evening drive became a ritual which I looked forward to each day. Every evening provided new opportunities. Join me in this adventure and tell your friends. You can find my blog on my website. You can also subscribe to receive blog post notifications.

2. The Ancient Forest: When it rains, I head to the Interior Rainforest

 

Several days of inclement weather in the forecast sent me north to Prince George, and then east toward McBride to the Ancient Forest. This is the third time I have visited this amazing Inland Rainforest; one of the diverse eco-regions I will be covering in my upcoming book.

As I have mentioned in previous articles, The Prince George Caledonia Ramblers hiking club, spearheaded by Nowell Senior, along with numerous other supporters, have built this amazing ‘universal boardwalk’. This makes the lower section of the giant Western Redcedar forest accessible to everyone. A beautiful hiking trail takes one through the rest of the forest.

Although it was the very beginning of June, there were still patches of snow on the ground, the skunk cabbage was still in full bloom, and the Devil’s Club leaves were only just budding. This provided relatively unobstructed views throughout the forest.

With overcast skies and wet foliage, the forest took on a well saturated look without any sunny hotspots. A perfect day for forest photography!

3. Photo Expedition to the Great Bear Rainforest: Wow!

Earlier this month, we explored and photographed the central coast with Leonard Ellis of BC Grizzly Tours. Len is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable guides in the Great Bear Rainforest region, and I felt privileged to travel with him and have his support for my upcoming book.

I was joined by photographers (and friends) Dennis Robinson of Victoria, Dennis Ducklow of Langley, and Rita, who kept us well fed and energized.

 

Each day we travelled along the coastline, stopping frequently to set crab traps, fish, and photograph. The destination for our first evening was a most beautiful estuary, graciously nestled at the end of Kwatna Inlet. The above image shows the remains of an old wharf from earlier logging days.

Whenever we needed to get ashore, or close to something special to photograph, we would board a small inflatable. While slowly powering up the Kwatna estuary, Dennis D. spotted a colourful rock and excitedly yelled, let’s go there!

The light was waning so we cranked up the ISO and kept shooting.

As the water was calm, I made this reflection image so I could later format it as a vertical image. This gives it a minaret, obelisk, or totem appearance.

As we slowly slid back and forth beside the rock, I carefully studied the tones, colours, lines, shapes, and textures, making numerous compositions as we went. It was an extremely exciting twenty minutes of photography.

The next morning we waited for high tide, and then travelled up the estuary in brighter light. It was an extraordinary journey through a rich coastal environment. The morning mist made phenomenal photographic conditions.

The scenery was breathtaking. Every turn in the river revealed exquisite landscapes.

This tiny little journey of overpowering visuals will remain with me for life. This beauty is an economic resource that must remain available for everyone for generations to come.

4. The Tallheo Cannery: A Photographers Dream in the Bella Coola Valley

There are several ghost towns along the BC coastline, mostly forestry mills and fish canneries. Some are completely abandoned, while others such as the Tallheo Cannery, operate as a B&B. The Tallheo, which is hosted by Garrett Newkirk and Skye Phillips, is easily accessible; it’s a five minute boat ride from the Bella Coola Harbour.

One can visit the Cannery for a fascinating two hour historical tour, spend a day there, or overnight at their B&B. This is what my friend Shayne Middleton and I did this past week. We went there to photograph for two days. We could have stayed longer. It’s a wonderful photographic destination and I’ll be sharing imagery from there for some months to come!

Once Garrett’s interpretive tour was over, Shayne and I set about exploring with our cameras.

Above is a fishing net station where Nuxalk women from Bella Coola mended damaged nets. The spools of thread are still there.

 

Much of what you see is as it was left in the mid 1940’s when refrigeration brought an end to the industry. The room above seems to be a storage area for paraphernalia that ranges from cash registers to fire hoses. If you enjoy photographing detail, the Cannery is an amazing place to visit. It comes highly recommended.

5. The Linde Bros. Sawmill: A Sliver of Cariboo Culture

One of several smaller photographic projects I have undertaken, is to record cultural stories as they pertain to our Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region of British Columbia. One of these stories is that of the Linde Brothers Sawmill which was established in 1952.

The Linde family was seeking to create a legacy of high quality lumber production and respectful treatment of the forest ecology for future generations; both for the Linde family itself and the community at large.

After a tour of the mill, Cameron and his son Morgan went to work as I explored and photographed the premises.

I was fascinated by the overall layout of the mill and the machinery which the Linde family had designed and put into use. Every aspect of the entire production seemed to work like a charm. I felt I was photographing something very special, and I was.

As Cameron said, ‘all our products are crafted in our historic mill using tools of yesterday to create high quality lumber, with character that you can’t find at more modern mills.’

As the logo on the side of the truck so eloquently says, Linde, Williams Lake.

The Linde family have logged the same forest sustainably since 1952. It was an honour to photograph there and I am looking forward to shooting other aspects of the entire operation.

6. Tenth Anniversary Flood Recovery Sale at the Chris Harris Gallery:

 

2014 marks ten years of being in business here at the gallery, and we were just mulling over how to celebrate and mark the anniversary, earlier this spring.

One plan was an opportunity to win a draw for a complimentary print. Then in May the water rose and damaged our lovely hand-crafted larch floor.

We kept the draw idea, so until Dec 1, 2014, every purchase of $200 or more will go into a draw for a 20 x 30 print on canvas of the winner’s choice.

Other plans have been let go in favour of a Flood Recovery Sale!

None of our prints or books suffered damage, but we do have some repair and renovation to do.

For some time we have planned to make a better teaching and experiential space downstairs. We will do that now, instead of just repairing the floor, but it will take some capital.

We are turning an obstacle into an opportunity, as our EDUCO friends say.

THE GREAT FLOOD RECOVERY .89 ¢ SALE

We hope everyone can take advantage.

We are pleased to offer;

ALL IN-STOCK PRINT INVENTORY DISCOUNTED TO 89¢ per square inch.

Simply calculate the price using the measurements of any print size before framing.

This pricing applies to all prints in the gallery, of all framed and non-framed inventory; all sales will be final; shipping available but not included. Does not include special orders.

Call or email, or drop in to the Gallery to take advantage of this opportunity.