Looking for images of British Columbia’s beautiful Cowichan Valley? You have come to the right place. Kevin Oke Photography has over 80,000 photographs available of the Cowichan Valley and the surrounding areas. From wooden boats to spectacular aerial photographs we can provide you with what you are looking for. Posters, screensavers and art prints are available as well. Can’t find what you want? Please contact us with your requirements. We can work with you to provide the images you need.
This isn’t just a site about beautiful photography however. Cowichan Valley Photos is as excited about this area as you are and we want to make information available to you, whether you are a local or tourist. Come enjoy the Cowichan – The Warm Land.
Christmas season in the Cowichan Region isn’t complete without a trip up to Ladysmith for the Festival of Lights. The town is decorate with over 200,000 Christmas lights on the main street, a number of the side streets and pretty much every building lining them. Words don’t really do the display justice so I’ll stick with some photographs shot during the past few years. The Ladysmith Festival of Lights runs until January 13th so there is still plenty of time to drop by for the spectacle.
Ladysmith Festival of Lights, Ladysmith, British Columbia
Fireworks at the Ladysmith Festival of Lights, Ladysmith, British Columbia
Kinsman Parade, Ladysmith Festival of Lights, Ladysmith, British Columbia
First Avenue, Ladysmith Festival of Lights, Ladysmith, British Columbia
Ladysmith Festival of Lights, Ladysmith, British Columbia
Bamfield Airport - As rustic as it gets. Vancouver Island, British Columbia
I had the opportunity to fly with a great fellow to the west coast Vancouver Island town of Bamfield yesterday. It was purely a flight for enjoyment but I also used the journey as an “aerial photography test” to see whether photographing from small airplanes with windows actually works. I know many have been doing this for years but I have always used helicopters and ultralights for photography and we have always taken the doors off the aircraft. Being the beginning of winter up here with temperatures just a little above freezing the idea of popping the doors off doesn’t sound too appealing. I’m tough but do have my limits and certainly comfort has to work into the equation at some point? So, what happened you might ask?
Well, I cleaned the windows as well as possible before we took off and hoped for the best. The weather certainly wasn’t perfect for shooting brochure images but it was very calm and in many ways perfect flying weather. We proceeded up the Cowichan Valley to Cowichan Lake and then followed Nitinat Lake to the beautiful west coast of the island. This is the area of the Carmanah Valley and West Coast Trail and truly must be one of the most spectacular areas on the planet.
We landed at Bamfield Airport, a really funky strip that would likely bring goose bumps to people that don’t fly in small aircraft very often. What a fun spot, the quintessential small airport in the middle of nowhere. Leaving the airport we headed south at tree level over the Pacific Ocean and enjoyed the unspoiled forest and beautiful beaches of the area. The sky was gorgeous and made for some interesting images, just not the brochure variety but that’s OK.
For the photography technical folks out there, I ended up shooting at about ISO 800 due to low light and the slightly tinted windows of the airplane. Most of the images were shot at around 1/500 at f5. This isn’t exactly the sharpest area of the particular lens (Nikkor 17-55 f2.8)but I had to weigh in the fact that the plexi windows were a little scratched and didn’t want too much depth of field. The slight tinting of the windows threw the colour off a little but working with the RAW files I seem to be able to control this somewhat. Reflections were an issue; I would try using a black cone over the lens or something similar next time. Overall, the images are useable but definitely not as sharp as flying without a door. I’ll wait for the weather to warm up a little before we do that.
Looking south towards the Juan de Fuca Strait and Washington State
Nitinat Lake looking out towards the Pacific Ocean
Aerial view of the Pachena Point Lightstation, British Columbia
I’ve been quite pleased with the way the design of this site has gone and decided to update my large Gulf Islands web site The Gulf Islands Guide using the same theme. What a difference! This is the fifth design update in the past 11 years and seems to make the site look a little more modern but at the same time open up more possibilities for advertising. I’m looking for design number 1, hopefully I can locate it!
Is the design better? It’s really hard to compare the sites as the internet has changed so much in the past decade. The earliest sites had to work with a maximum screen resolution of 600×800 and most of us either didn’t have internet access or were on a painfully slow dial up connection. The new site is designed for a width of 1280 and assumes that most people now have high speed connections although I realize that many still don’t. Platforms like Wordpress are now available and searchable databases are the norm.
The flooded Cowichan River. Cowichan River Provincial Park, Vancouver Island
We have had an amazing amount of rain the past few weeks and the area even made cross country news as a good portion of Duncan was flooded by the Cowichan River earlier this week. I took advantage of a nice day yesterday to visit the Cowichan River Provincial Park and view the swollen river. Very impressive with trees being ripped from the banks and swept away like twigs.
As usual I took a camera with me and did photograph the river but the lighting wasn’t ideal. I had my macro lenses with me and set about doing what I enjoy the most; poking around the forest floor looking for mushrooms and lichens. I went in really close this time, the mushrooms are about 6mm across the lichen is possibly 3mm in diameter. Looks like a pair of lips!
I would like to thank all of those that had the opportunity to come to the book launch of The Cowichan: Duncan, Chemainus, Ladysmith and Region. Georgina and I had a wonderful time, Volume 1 did an excellent job of book selling and handling the crowds and Fatima at Bistro 161 and her staff put on an amazing spread of wonderful local food. Nothing better than Chanterelle Mushroom shooters and pizza made with Hilary’s cheese! The local wines were quite flavourful as well.
For those that were unable to attend thanks for the emails and blog comments. You missed a good party!
Here’s the visual presentation I had running during the book launch. Click on the photo. Hopefully it will run properly…. always a few little glitches to sort out when using WordPress.
We have added a new feature to Cowichan Valley Photos that you are sure to enjoy. All 4,000 plus Cowichan Region, Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands photographs on this site are now available to send to your friends as electronic postcards. Show the world what a beautiful place Vancouver Island really is!
It’s easy; browse the photography galleries and when you locate the image you want to send just click on the “Send this image as a postcard” button. The electronic postcards are sent directly to your recipient.
The Cowichan: Duncan, Chemainus, Ladysmith and Region - Cowichan News Leader & Pictorial book review.
Community celebrated in feast of words and pictures
by Peter Rusland – Cowichan News Leader and Pictorial
Published: November 03, 2009 6:00 AM
There is life over the Malahat.
It’s chronicled in the photos and stories gracing The Cowichan, a coffee-table book by writer Georgina Montgomery and lensman Kevin Oke.
The two locals launch their 143-page work Thursday at Duncan’s Bistro 161 where valley wines will be showcased.
Vineyards are only one aspect of the Warm Land’s past and present explored in Montgomery’s research and illustrated by 150 photos by Oke and a few others.
“I came up with the outline and Kevin asked me for a photo wish list,” she said of the project started in 2007.
“The Cowichan reflects the flavor of the area; a bit of the past and lots of what’s going on now.”
But Montgomery kicks herself for not exploring Cowichan before now.
“I became appalled that all these years I drove through the Cowichan Valley and didn’t know the scope and depth of what’s here — like the arts and festivals — yet there’s this small-town feel that’s so nice.”
The native Montrealer hopes The Cowichan offers something for everyone.
“For people who don’t know this area I’m saying, ‘Look what I’ve discovered.’
“For those who live here, I hope they read it and find some sense of pride in what I’ve captured and maybe, just maybe, there’ll be some details they didn’t know.”
Details about Cowichan’s Natives, settlers, loggers, and how that past morphed into a Mecca for tourists, retirees, artists, organic farmers and business people.
“This book shows just how beautiful and culturally exciting a place it is,” said Nikon shooter Oke, 51.
“Cowichan has it all and hopefully we won’t have what happened to the Gulf islands that have become yuppified,” he said.
Montgomery said she found “a perfect little city (Duncan) and pockets within pockets.”
“You go up a road and all of a sudden you’re in a Shangri-La you wouldn’t have found if you hadn’t ventured off the highway strip.”
She and Oke met on Pender Island 20 years back.
They kept in touch, both moving here in recent years.
Oke was asked by Harbour Publishing to do another book after he issued The Enchanted Isles.
The lens lifer began shooting The Cowichan two years ago and Montgomery agreed to pen the text.
“Georgina and I came up with game plan of what we wanted to cover and we pretty much stuck to it.”
Valley newcomer Montgomery researched, wrote and edited 40,000 words in a year using both modern and historical sources such as the Cowichan Leader archives.
“But I began peeling back the layers and it was a total discovery for me,” she said, calling Cowichan “a feast.”
“That word captures everything I was reading about its recreation, arts and culture, history, culinary and food — a celebration of the overall region, and Kevin’s photos are also a feast for the eyes.”
Author Georgina Montgomery and photographer Kevin Oke show off the cover of their new book, The Cowichan, at the Market in the Square in downtown Duncan. Photograph by : Lexi Bainas, Citizen
Book shows us beautiful Cowichan
Sarah Simpson, The Citizen
Published: Wednesday, November 04, 2009
As residents of the Cowichan Valley, our day-to-day lives often leave us with a jaded view of our surroundings. Oh, the ugly highway corridor, ugh, that boxy new development.
But every so often we’re reminded of just why living in the Cowichan is so special and why our gazes deserve sharpening.
The Cowichan, written by Georgina Montgomery, with photographs by Kevin Oke, is one such reminder.
Anchored by crisp, bright photos of the things many locals tend to overlook, The Cowichan celebrates the communities of Duncan, Chemainus, Ladysmith and their outlying areas.
Montgomery’s eloquent writing makes the 143-page coffee table book an easy and enjoyable read and although you could likely get through it quickly, the quality of the book lends better to snuggling up on a lazy rainy afternoon and flipping through slowly while learning about such influential residents as Herb Doman, the son of Punjabi immigrants, who went on to reach great heights during forestry’s “golden era,” and The Citizen’s own T.W. Paterson, a beloved local historian.
Blended throughout are the stories of Cowichan’s first people, including that of Tzouhalem, the Cowichan’s mighty warrior, and the history behind the Cowichan Sweater.
The duo of Montgomery and Oke leave no stone unturned in their curiosity and keenness to explore a region to which both are relative newcomers.
Oke moved to the Valley three years ago to work as a freelance photographer and artist while Montgomery moved to the region with her husband in 2007. Good moorage, an unusual old house, and the bounty of locally produced food and wine first attracted them. As the book will attest, what’s keeping them here is more of the same. Much, much more.
Oke and Montgomery are launching The Cowichan at Bistro 161 (161 Kenneth St. downtown Duncan) on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 5-8 p.m.
The evening will include a slideshow of Valley photos, a cash bar featuring local wines and appetizers created from area foods.
The event is free and open to the public.
If you’d rather just go buy the book, released by Harbour Publishing, visit Volume One Bookstore in Duncan or visit www.harbourpublishing.com
Cowichan Valley Railway Locomotive No. 26 “Green Hornet”, a 1940’s engine which has been completely modified and converted to a gas powered locomotive. BC Forest Discovery Centre, Duncan, Vancouver Island
The BC Forest Discovery Centre began life as a private collection assembled by Gerry Wellburn and his family. Today, the collections include over 5,000 artifacts, operational steam locomotives, over 12 heritage buildings and an amazing collection of tools used in the logging industry. The centre is located on the Trans Canada highway just north of town, look for the large steam locomotive on the eastern side of the highway.
Many events are held throughout the year including a popular Canada Day celebration, a Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival, Christmas Express Train and a Father’s Day Tractor Show. Visit the BC Forest Discovery Centre web site for the complete list.
The BC Forest Discovery Centre is all about education and programs are held year long for children between the ages of 5 and 12. Exhibits cover everything from producing Maple Syrup to demonstrations of blacksmithing techniques. If you think the BC Forest Discovery Centre is only for kids let me assure you that’s not the case. There is something to be learned for everyone and a ride on a real steam train can’t be beat. This is one of Duncan’s favourite attractions and well worth a visit for a few hours or longer.
The 100 acre site features 40 acres of wetlands, an ideal habitat for a variety of species including raptors and waterfowl. Common birds viewed are the Great Blue Heron, Trumpeter Swans, and Bald Eagles. Numerous other birds share these wetlands as well.
Logging industry workshop display. BC Forest Discovery Centre, Duncan, Vancouver Island
Blacksmithing demonstration at the BC Forest Discovery Centre, Duncan, Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island
Cowichan Valley Railway Locomotive No. 25 “Sampson”, BC Forest Discovery Centre, Duncan, Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island
Sampling Bigleaf Maple Syrup, Forest Discovery Centre, Duncan, Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island
Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
The Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre is of course located in Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island. As you all know, Cowichan Bay is one of my favourite locations in the Cowichan Valley and for anyone interested in the maritime history of the area a visit to this maritime centre is a must visit.
The present buildings were built in 1988 from a condemned fuel loading dock and former Chevron warehouse. Run by the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society, there are numerous displays including beautiful boat models, a great assortment of old boat engines and generally at least one old wooden boat undergoing restoration. The centre also teaches the art of wooden boat building and restoration, a skill becoming increasingly in demand as owners decide to get back to more traditional ways.
The Society’s Mission Statement is:
To preserve the heritage of BC’s maritime past as it relates to Cowichan Bay
To increase awareness and appreciation of this heritage
To offer boat building programs and restoration projects.
To conduct community activities that celebrates our maritime history
The Cowichan Bay Maritime Center has an excellent new web site at www.classicboats.org. There are even a few wooden boats for sale if you get the urge to join an interesting group of individuals!
The Cowichan Bay Maritime Center is also home to the Cowichan Valley Dragon Divas, a group of cancer survivors who train and race their Dragon Boats in Cowichan Bay www.dragondivas.ca and Coast Salish carver Herb Rice who carves on site and gives courses in native carving technique. www.coastsalishjourney.com.
Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Old boat motors on display at the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Sweet Pea, one of the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centres wooden boats, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Looking for images of British Columbia’s beautiful Cowichan Valley? You have come to the right place. Kevin Oke Photography has over 80,000 photographs available of the Cowichan Valley and the surrounding areas. From wooden boats to spectacular aerial photographs we can provide you with what you are looking for. Posters, screensavers and art prints are available as well. Can’t find what you want? Please 
