Enjoying the fall colours of Kelowna

Although we don't have the same explosion of fall colours the way eastern provinces do, there are places locally where you can find satisfying hues dotting the landscape.  Yesterday, Kathryn and I drove about Kelowna looking for vibrant displays that could be captured by my camera.  We found several.

The reason that many western provinces lack the same fall colour schemes of their eastern brethren is because most of our trees are conifers, also called evergreens.  The only places you can find fall fiery reds and intense oranges are where people have intentionally planted deciduous trees.  Oak, maple, birch, and aspen must be cultivated around these parts if you want colour.

We found one place with a long driveway bordered by maple trees (left image).  I got out of the vehicle and strolled a short way down the path, clicking happily as I went.  Not wanting to disturb the owners, I quickly made my way back.  We found a horse ranch that had some nicely coloured trees in the background (top right).  I had to stand on top of my truck to get high enough to capture the nearest horse in its entirety.  It came over to me later and let me stroke its nose.

I visited Mission Creek this morning and photographed the Kokanee spawning channel that runs parallel to the waterway (bottom right).  In order to get the slow-moving water effect, I adjusted aperture and ISO to get a 0.5" exposure time.  I did so hand-held, the camera's built-in vibration reduction technology did an amazing job of stabilizing the unit.

I have a few other photos I will write blogs on in the next couple of days.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com