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Copper Island, which is located in Shuswap region of south-central British Columbia, is the pride of Shuswap Lake. It was given that name because of it’s copper color however the Shuswap people (Secwepemc, pronounced suh-Wep-muhc), who were the first to inhabit these lands, named it Cemete’tkwe, in their Secwepemctsin language. In 1956 Copper Island became a Provincial Park and is busy with sun worshipers (summer, lol), hikers and boaters alike. To capture this image, in the way I had envisioned it, took some planning. I wanted the lake to look smooth (rather than choppy) so I needed to reduce my shutter speed; which required a density filter (which reduces the amount of light from entering my camera). With a slow shutter speed of 2 seconds, I had to use a tripod. I also wanted to include the foreground, so my camera was only 1 foot off of the (cold!) ground. This photograph is a good example of how colors (along with density) help to create depth in an image. Cool colors tend to reseed whereas warm colors come forward; you can clearly see that in this image. Notice the warmth (yellows) of the foreground and the cool colors (blues) in the background. Once I got this shot, I high tailed it back to the warmth of my Jeep! Welcome winter!
Travel and photography go hand in hand but together with curiosity, the opportunities to expand one’s knowledge is endless. That said, my curious mind led me to google "wind turbines"; this is what I learned. *Be sure to Note #2! :-) 1. The towers are +/- 328 feet tall. 2. The average length of the blades are 260 feet but some are over 300 feet and weighs 11.3 tons(!). Oh my gosh, they are enormous! I passed one once, that was being transported on a freeway. The front of the blade sat on a transport truck trailer while the back of the blade sat on a trailer that totally detached from the transport truck. It basically just followed behind. It was quite the site to see! 3. The tallest turbine is in Hawaii. It’s 20 stories high and its blades are the length of a football field (!). 4. A single commercial turbine can power over 600 homes, while a small backyard turbine could power your home. 5. Some blades are more aerodynamically so they spin faster. 6. When the wind dies down, it can take hours for the blades to stop rotating. 7. They will automatically shut down (to prevent damage) if the winds are greater than 55mph (89km) 8. Optimal wind speed is 30-50mph (50-80km). 9. Large wind turbines spin at the rate of 180mph (260km). 10. Some don’t spin because they’re under maintenance. 11. They generally last 20 years. 12. The first wind turbines where windmills which were used to grind wheat and pump water. 13. Palm Springs has the oldest wind turbine farm.
I love abstract photography; those photo's that make you stop and then wonder, "What's that?" I'm always on the lookout for the absurd, the unique and the undefinable in everyday nature; it leaves me with a sense of curiosity and wonderment in all that I observe. The "art" in photography however is much more than capturing what I see; it's first in observing beyond a first glance and then composing it in an artistic manner. Have fun exploring, you too will find hidden artistic abstracts.
