Postcards from Vancouver Island

Every year, off the coast of Vancouver Island, the place I call home, the herring spawn by the millions. The usually dark green water turns a magnificent chalky blue-green as the herring do the reproductive dance that makes them a keystone species, while at the same time drawing in an astonishing number of animals: gulls, seabirds, bald eagles, sea otters, harbour seals, sea lions, orca, grey and humpback whales. What an experience! At times, I could turn 360 degrees and see dozens of whales, hundreds of eagles, and thousands of gulls, the surface of the water broken every few seconds by seals or sea lions. The herring run is a spectacle, and for years I lived here knowing almost nothing about it.

On March 01, Michelle Valberg and I, joined by filmmaker Joel Haslam, loaded a truck full of gear into our friend Tom McPherson’s boat while an unseasonable snowstorm raged, kicking off an unforgettable expedition that would be as cold and wet—but as full of wonder—as I’d ever been. I was hoping I might share that wonder with you through my photographs.

Got Sony?

While packing for the expedition I realized I have a couple of lenses I haven’t used more than once, so I’m wondering if anyone needs a good deal on either a Sony FE 200-600/5.6-6.3 OSS G lens or a Sigma 135/1.8 DG HSM Art lens for Sony (Update: both these lenses have now found new homes!) I bought these gorgeous lenses thinking they’d be useful, but I’ve found they’re redundant with my others, so I just don’t use them. Both are in brand-new condition, and have never really been used. Interested? Drop me a note in the comments and I’ll connect with you. I’d love to see them go to a good home.

Footnotes

It’s now been over nine months since I recycled my foot. This week, I went in to be fitted for my 10th socket—the carbon-fibre sleeve my leg slides into to keep my foot on. That’s a lot of sockets, which means my leg is still changing and shrinking. My physiotherapist is thrilled with my progress, and while the recent expedition had some challenges (like walking on slippery rocks), I feel like I’m getting stronger and more adept all the time. I limp less and go for longer periods without pain or discomfort. Phantom pains still haunt me, but with less intensity. Interestingly, when my remaining left foot was cold last week (and it was so, so cold!), I felt that cold in my missing right foot as well. If I closed my eyes, it very much felt like both feet were there, and I found myself stomping them both in an effort to get blood flow back. At one point, I put an extra layer of socks on both feet before realizing the futility of adding another sock to my prosthetic. Oops.

I keep getting notes asking how my recovery has been going. I sometimes forget that not everyone sees the updates that I post to Instagram. I’ll try to do better with updates, but if you’re on Insta, you can find me at @davidduchemin.

For the Love of the Photograph,
David.