Focus Fridays

Our snapshots of life and art in the Okanagan, Focus Fridays are single pictures from local photographers, curated by Jeremy Hiebert. They feature interesting, aesthetically pleasing, well-composed, all-around A-OK shots.

Focus Friday: Naramata Vineyard

May 11th, 2012 by in | Categories: Focus Fridays, Photography

Doesn’t this image just scream Okanagan? I know we already put Caillum In Focus back in March, but his classic wine country shot just jumped off the screen a couple of days ago. Let this inspire you to explore the valley this weekend, soaking up the sunshine at the wineries, parks and patios.

Okanagan Wine Country by Caillum Smith

Focus Friday: Pioneer Garden

May 4th, 2012 by in | Categories: Focus Fridays, Photography

There’s something different about the light in spring, as if the rain has washed away the fog of winter and the sun is burning new colours into everything. I hadn’t seen this unique bit of landscape architecture along Kelowna’s waterfront, so I was glad that David shared it. It reminded me of how far the city has come since I first arrived in 1990, when the whole downtown seemed sleepy, disjointed and just a bit sketchy.

Shadows in the Sun by David Emond

Focus Friday: Okanagan Sunflowers

April 27th, 2012 by | Categories: Focus Fridays, Outdoors, Photography

We know winter is officially done when the Arrowleaf Balsamroot starts popping up. They’re just getting going right now, but over the next few weeks they’ll be blanketing south-facing valley slopes with wildflower exuberance.  With yesterday’s rain and today’s sun, they should be exploding — why not head out on a hike this weekend to see where you can find them? Gary spotted this cluster earlier in the week.

Yellow by tenfeet_tall

Focus Friday: Three Amigos

April 13th, 2012 by in | Categories: Focus Fridays, Photography

These young Great Horned Owls are becoming celebrities in Penticton, and it’s not hard to see why. Their parents apparently selected the location of their posh downtown loft for maximum visibility and traffic. Nice to see creatures of all kinds waking up to warmer temps and sunshine these days.

Three Amigos by Through Tania’s Eyes

Focus Friday: Okanagan Gallery

March 30th, 2012 by | Categories: Focus Fridays, Photography

Our web cousins over at Flickr’s I Love the Okanagan group recently pulled together some of their favourite pictures from last year. Some have appeared here as Focus Fridays or were included In Focus features. Shown together like this, you can’t help but marvel at the beauty of our valley.

Focus Friday: Signs of Spring

March 9th, 2012 by in | Categories: Focus Fridays, Photography

These warmer sunny days in March get us looking for things sprouting out of the ground, and noticing some of the creatures waking up. Tania found this pair at the Summerland Ornamental Gardens, a real Okanagan gem that most people don’t know about. Great place for a picnic, with amazing views of  Trout Creek Canyon and the steam train puffing onto trestle.

Honey Bee on a Common Snowdrop by Through Tania’s Eyes

Focus Friday: Mirror Image

March 2nd, 2012 by in | Categories: Focus Fridays, Photography

Early March is often when we get a blast of sunshine that makes us forget that it’s still technically winter. Then we wake up to snow on the ground, and it’s gone by noon. I like the variety of it. We probably won’t get too many more of these sombre, snowy scenes before spring really does take over.

Mirror Image by Melanie Wolczuk

Focus Friday: Kal Park

February 24th, 2012 by in | Categories: Focus Fridays, Photography

Our Flickr group has been collecting photos taken in the Okanagan’s provincial parks this month. Looking through them, you see amazing beauty and diversity in our protected places. Many of the pictures show the quiet and solitude of the parks in the off-season months. In some ways these are the best times of the year to explore and experience these landscapes. I thought Eamon Murphy captured that sense of serenity with this shot — the wide angle and sharp contrast also give it dramatic impact.

Kal Park by Eamon Murphy