McLaren MP4-12C: How I became a Photographer ....... Dynamite to MegaPixels

There are quite a few photos to go along with the stories. Most of the images are taken with old point and shoot film cameras, from Brownies to disposables. A few more are the work of low end digital, but still point it, and push the button. No photographic knowledge what so ever. I'll give you the brief view of how one thing led to the next in pictures.
The start was when an old man asked me to look at a blasting job in the Wood Bay area. The work that he wanted done wasn't feasible for all kinds of reasons. He invited me to come to another part of his acreage to have a look at something he thought might be interesting to me.
And there on the lower side of the property was this great collection of abandoned machinery and trucks. The old fella had been landscaping around his favorites to keep them accessible. If he didn't do that, the forest would have grown in and swallowed the rusty old gear.
I approached several photographer friends to come out and photograph the site for me, to capture the beauty of the setting, with the green forest around the derelict iron.Despite being offered money, no one wanted to come and do the job. One guy was adamant that I do it myself. Having no camera skills and no high end camera, that seemed like a bit of a reach. Frustration led me to start researching cameras and reading up on the language of photography. In six months I was ready to make the leap. Lucky for me, my wife at the time persuaded me to by the very best camera that I could possibly afford at the time. I think that she had a sense that this was going to be special.

So this low resolution digital photo with a cheap camera turned in to the work below with the help of a Nikon DSLR, and lots of experimentation

One of the trucks on the Sterloff property Believed to be a 1946 or so Kenworth

I'm told that the one on the left could be a 1944 Pete camera work is coming along nicely by now

Looking for new angles and lighting

The twins shot from down low on a perfect weather day

Different angle , different day

Same property, old station wagon rear tail light, learning how to capture the small details and textures

The developing skills with a camera transferred well to my work situation on the Sea to Sky job. I started off with a "work" camera, being afraid of taking my good camera out into the worst elements possible, dirt and rock dust. I took work photos to document the process or to record events or incidents. It took a while for the guys to get used to a camera on site, but after a while it was just another tool.
These next few photos are from a two mega-pixel still/video camera ( low resolution )

Sea to Sky project above Horseshoe Bay, 385 Cat hoe digging out a blast on Cut 7, Wayne Tyson in the machine

Two Ranger rock drills at the very beginning of the project in the Eagle Bluffs area, just above where the protesters were

Cut 14, at the north end of our section. Just before Ansell Place. Working above the Squamish Highway , placing blast mats, Mike Trufanenko, driller /blaster guiding the hoe operator

Stripping off the Cut 4 backside, this turned into a 110 ft rock cut. This is the Northwest side of the cut, Eagleridge parking lot is over the rise

Ranger 800 rock drill and Cat hoe drill on the South East side of Cut 4


Hoe drill at the highest point of Cut 4. I used to pack my camera around in a small "Pelican" case to protect it from the bumps and drops of the construction world

As the highway job progressed and got more challenging and complex, I decided to try using aerial photography from a helicopter for planning purposes and to literally get the bird's eye view. My friend Robin MacGregor was both an excellent pilot and a photographer. He knew how to fly and position the helicopter to get the best images. The first flight, I had to pay for myself, to prove to the company that this was going to be worth the expense. When I got back on the ground, I went to Mountain Colors in North Van to get huge enlargements of the important pics. The highly detailed 30" prints, pretty much blew management out of the water. From then on, every two weeks or so, Robin and I would fly out and document the job from Squamish back to West Van. I'll tell you some more helicopter and Robin stories anther time. Here are some teasers, with more to come in the future. After the first few flights, I started using the Nikon DSLR, and learning to shoot with it from a moving helicopter in all kinds of conditions.

Eagleridge area and Cut 4 and 5, Upper Levels Highway down to ferry terminal

This was another contractor on the highway, working in the creek ( with a permit ) they didn't think it was very funny when we circled overhead several times taking pictures. I gave them copies later after stringing them along for a bit.

The big ugly and super challenging Cut 9, working day and night 100 meters above the Squamish highway

Different view of Cut 9. There is a great story of this day that I'll tell you later, this was one of my best days ever.

Getting picked up on the work site and flying around taking pictures was very cool

Living on 1st and Chesterfield in North Vancouver led to walkabouts that generated some great shots. Some of the best ones I took in the wee hours of summer morning before work, using very slow shutter speeds.
Here are a few samples