'Back to the Roots' - Vancouver International Film Festival - Nov. 23 2016

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I'm excited to be a part of 'Back to the Roots', a forest-themed evening at this year's Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) taking place tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 23 at the Rio Theater. I'll be presenting the Ancient Forest Alliance documentary produced by Darryl Augustine, the drone video I filmed of our climb up Big Lonely Doug, and a slideshow of my favourite images from the coast. The night also features a peek at the Heartwood Documentree by Daniel Pierce and a short documentary titled "Primeval" by Damien Gillis on the ancient forests of the Incomappleux Valley. The event starts at 7:30pm (doors 6:30pm) and tickets ($19) are available online here. If you're in the area, it would be great to see you there!

The night was fantastic!! Thank you to everyone who made it out! It was an honour presenting to a sold-out crowd of over 400 people. If you weren't able to make the event, you can still see the videos I shared below. Best, TJ.

Upgrade Time! The New Canon 5D MKIV

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It's always exciting bringing a new piece of gear into your creative field, especially a camera as nice as the new 5D MKIV. I'm not one to run out the door though and buy each camera or phone that hits the market. The pace of technology is simply too great and unless I can point to very specific things that are holding me back with my current setup, I'll stick with it. Back in the film days I shot with the Canon EOS 1N before making the switch to digital in 2006 with the Canon 1D MKII. I shot with that right up until 2012 when I bought the 5D MKII, just a month before the MKIII would come out. The MKII has definitely served me well over the past 4 years, capturing beautiful images and video while being dragged through soaking wet rainforests, over rugged clearcuts, and to the tops of 250ft trees. But certain technical elements were starting to show their age, most notably the auto-focus system, which struggled in low-light and often missed on important shots. I decided it was time. The MKIV's improved auto-focus system, dynamic range, higher resolution, and low-light capabilities, along with its added touch screen, GPS, WiFi, and HDR video with focus tracking, are all much welcomed additions. I can definitely see how it will improve critical areas in my field of shooting on a day-to-day basis, which includes a lot of hand-held shooting in dark forests. I can't wait to get it out in the woods and I'll be sure to post some images once I get back!

Surf's Up!

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If you can brave the cold water, the west coast of Vancouver Island is home to some fantastic waves in winter. This past week I was happy to catch some action while heading out on a hiking trip. I used to photograph a lot of skateboarding back in the day so it was fun to try my hand at some surfing. It's beautiful blend of human and nature. I have fond childhood memories of standing on the shore and watching my Dad surf as well. The smell of the ocean mixed with campfire is so nostalgic for me around this time of year. Stoked to shoot some more again this season! Might like to find a longer lens than the 70-200mm as well.

Bonsai Tree at Fairy Lake - Port Renfrew

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This little hemlock tree at Fairy Lake near Port Renfrew is simply incredible. Growing out of a submerged log, it hasn’t had the resources to get much bigger than a few feet tall - even though it's known to be at least 30-40 years old. It must also be one of the most photographed trees on Vancouver Island! No two photos are quite the same though as the surrounding scenery is always changing - fall vs. spring, morning vs. evening, drought vs. flood. Below are a few images I’ve captured, including when heavy rains nearly submerged the tree. A few times a year the water level gets so high that the tree goes completely under water! How it survives that and the constant attention it receives, I'm not quite sure, but I'm always thankful for its zen-like presence amidst our busy and chaotic world. Prints available by emailing prints@tjwatt.com

Photos on Display at Axe & Barrel Pub Near Victoria

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I'm excited to share that I have 13 photos hanging in the Axe & Barrel Pub just outside Victoria! At the start of summer, the pub's owners approached me looking to create a 'westcoast forest' theme for the building's interior that highlighted local areas. Together we curated a series that includes images of beautiful places such as the Carmanah Valley, Avatar Grove, Big Lonely Doug, Strathcona Park, and the West Coast Trail. The prints - which range in size from 20"x30" to 24"x36" - were printed and mounted on aluminum die-bond, then protected with a laminate coating by Alan at Artbox in Victoria. They did a fantastic job! Hanging them on the uneven surface of the logs was its own challenge though ;)

If you happen to be in the area, pop in for a burger or beer, and check them out! Big thanks again to Ron and Diana for supporting my work as well.

If you're interested in prints like these for your home or business, drop me a line at prints@tjwatt.com

The Walrus Magazine - Big Lonely Doug

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The Walrus Magazine has recently published a story about Big Lonely Doug, the forestry worker Dennis Cronin who decided to leave him standing, and the battle for old-growth forests on Vancouver Island. The article by Harley Rustad features two of my photos, along with one from Dennis which shows the tree standing in the forest (never thought I would see that view!). Let's hope Doug's message is heard loud and clear and we save his old-growth friends who remain endangered on Edinburgh Mt. and across BC. Read the article here: https://thewalrus.ca/big-lonely-doug/

Here are some behind the scenes shots from my time showing writer Harley Rustad around to Big Lonely Doug and the adjacent Eden Grove, one of Vancouver Island's most spectacular and endangered ancient forests that was once part of the forest around Doug.

Exposed: New Old-Growth Logging on Edinburgh Mt. Near Port Renfrew

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Below are images featuring recent old-growth logging on Edinburgh Mt. near Port Renfrew. It took a 17km round-trip hike up the steepest roads I've encountered on the island to access the area, which is on the mountainside above Big Lonely Doug. What we found were two old-growth clearcuts, totaling 34 hectares (almost 40 football fields) in size. Dozens of old-growth western redcedars - some of them 8 feet in diameter -, yellow cedar, western and mountain hemlocks, and very rare, old Douglas-firs (between 500 to 1000 years in age) have been logged. How much further will the BC government allow this industry to go? Plans for four new old-growth clearcuts, one approved and three pending approval, and an expanded road network are also underway. It would seem that no place is currently deemed too rare or important in the destructive race to log the island's last endangered old-growth forests before we have a chance to see them saved. Ecosystems that have taken millennia to form, erased in a blink of an eye, never to be seen again.

A giant old-growth western redcedar log in a Teal-Jones clearcut on Edinburgh Mt. near Port Renfrew - TFL 46.

Standing among three ancient cedar trees on the edge of new logging operations by Teal-Jones. Edinburgh Mountain is one of the largest contiguous tracts of largely unprotected old-growth forest left on southern Vancouver Island, along with the nearby contentious Central Walbran Valley. It is within the traditional territory of the Pacheedaht First Nation band.

BC Magazine: An Old-Growth Battlefield - Can We Save Our Ancient Matriarchs?

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The Fall issue of British Columbia Magazine has hit the newsstands and it includes a great feature article titled An Old-Growth Battlefield - Can We Save Our Ancient Matriarchs? by Hans Tammemagi. I spent 3 days with Hans, touring him around Port Renfrew to places like the Avatar Grove, Big Lonely Doug, Eden Grove, the San Juan Spruce, and the Central Walbran Valley. Happy to see three of my images featured in print as well! Grab a copy if you can :)