In this collection I am sharing photographs I took in September 2023 in British Columbia’s South Cariboo. Although the Cariboo is possibly best known as the site of a late-1800s gold rush, today its chief industries are forestry, agriculture, ranching, mining and tourism. Home to forests, rivers, creeks, mountains and hundreds of lakes, the Cariboo is tailor-made for outdoor recreation.
My wife Diana and I planned months in advance to come to the Cariboo to camp with friends. As the trip grew closer, though, it seemed we might be out of luck. We had planned to stay in our travel trailer, but found we could not access it because it was parked in an area under evacuation order due to a nearby wildfire. We had all but given up on going when the campground owner let us know he had a fifth-wheel trailer onsite that we could rent. We gratefully accepted his offer.
The trip was wonderful. In a region so replete with lakes it makes little sense to stay on the shore. Our days were filled with adventures on nearby lakes, Diana and I in our red canoe, our friends in their bright-orange kayaks. The area was gloriously quiet, the waters glassy and still and, except for a few days when wildfire smoke drifted in, the air cool and sweet.
Technically minded readers may be interested to know that almost every photo in this collection was taken with a single lens — a 40mm f/2 — as part of a challenge I set for myself. The challenge was both inspirational and, at times, frustrating. I’d be curious to see if you can tell which images were a result of inspiration and which resulted in frustration. As always, these are my first edits. In coming months, with snow piled high against my door, I will most likely edit the photos further or differently. If that is the case and I find something worthy I will share it with you.
I hope you enjoy these photographs. If you’re interested in prints of any of them, please drop me a line at timidturtlecreative@gmail.com.
Download A Week On The Water here: