Dylan Phillips Photography
Blog
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So what is a picture AND a thousand words worth? My blog posts detail some of my favourite outdoor adventures with historical anecdotes, photography tips and tricks and the stories behind the photos. Sign up with your email to get new blog updates!
Embracing Tradition
From Cascais, Portugal to Nanaimo, B.C., farmers markets connect communities, celebrate local artists, and keep an age-old tradition alive.
Head in the Clouds
Nanaimos city workers do such a nice job landscaping in the spring and summertime. I mean, they probably do it all year but I really appreciate the work they put in to make Downtown beautiful in the summer months. It makes my job as a photographer so much easier. These tulips popped beautifully from the garden bed surrounding the clock. In the background I noticed two women frolicking in the fallen cherry blossom petals and taking iPhone selfies. I had a feeling they might ask me to take a picture of them. This is a common occurrence when you walk around with a DSLR. Sure enough they did. I felt a bit antisocial at first but I took a moment to evaluate the light and scenery and decided that I could offer them a few really nice portraits with a real camera rather than the iPhone they were using.
Running in Circles
I was pretty excited to be part of this job as I had just gotten my Advanced Operator Drone Pilots license from Transport Canada. The Skywalk is in close proximity to several controlled airspaces and required some prior permissions before I could fly. The supervisor, Jo, likely thinking about how good this would look on his professional resume, was more than happy to let me take half an hour and get some shots of the project. I took care of all the pre flight checks, secured my airspace permission as well as permission from the manager of the Skywalk who was wonderful to work with (big shoutout to Shawna at Malahat Skywalk!), and took to the skies.
Roystons Ghost Ships
It’s not very often that we get the chance to see shipwrecks without diving. Something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid is to get my SCUBA certification and hunt for treasure in lost ship wrecks. There’s always been a financial barrier for me but I still hope that one day I can get around to that. Until then, I’ll settle for the above water shipwrecks. Fortunately for me, there’s some just over an hour up the road…
Twisting Metal
“Disaster struck as the locomotive, Union Colliery No. 4, crossed over the Trent River. The trestle, only ten years old, gave way under the weight of the locomotive, hurling it into the canyon below. The loaded coal cars and passenger car were dragged along behind it killing six people and injuring many others.
The disruption to the coal market was felt by James Dunsmuir immediately. He tasked engineers to find a lower point to cross the Trent River and within a week a new trestle was in service. “
Gazing Into The Abyss
There’s a lot of speculation as to whether the Abyss is caused by seismic activity or has something to do with the blasting that took place in the coal mine below. Like anything mysterious there is many rumours and stories connected to the Abyss.
“It has no bottom” - Not true.
”It’s connected to the mine tunnels” - Also not true, and if it were, you’d have to be a moron to attempt it.
I followed the dirt path towards the Abyss for the first time in over a decade. As I got closer I started to encounter warning signs put up by the City of Nanaimo.