Since moving to Nanaimo in the summer of 2016 I've done a decent bit of exploring - not as much as I might have liked, but enough to get a feel for a few nice spots.
One of these is Neck Point Park.
The park offers the best of most worlds: ocean views, forest trails, rocky beaches, an area with fairy doors decorating the trees, wildlife sightings, and a variety of flowers in spring and mushrooms in fall. It's really an outdoor photographer's dream.
I'm not sure which aspect I love most. Maybe the best part about Neck Point is the sheer variety and the fact that every time I go, I find something new that surprises me. Like a deer walking through a field of daisies, or a pod of whales moving past, or sea lions hanging out in the shallows. I've slowly learned to stop taking pictures when I see wildlife there - I'm very much not a wildlife photographer and it's so much nicer to just watch the animals go past.
One of these is Neck Point Park.
The park offers the best of most worlds: ocean views, forest trails, rocky beaches, an area with fairy doors decorating the trees, wildlife sightings, and a variety of flowers in spring and mushrooms in fall. It's really an outdoor photographer's dream.
I'm not sure which aspect I love most. Maybe the best part about Neck Point is the sheer variety and the fact that every time I go, I find something new that surprises me. Like a deer walking through a field of daisies, or a pod of whales moving past, or sea lions hanging out in the shallows. I've slowly learned to stop taking pictures when I see wildlife there - I'm very much not a wildlife photographer and it's so much nicer to just watch the animals go past.
And anyway, even without taking pictures of all the critters, there is plenty of gorgeous scenery for me to photograph. After going so often, it's one of the most relaxing places for me to shoot. I know that a lot of the shots I take are the same ones that I took previously, which allows me to focus on trying new approaches, or on perfecting techniques. When I go to Neck Point now, I shoot for the catharsis that I find in photography. I shoot to hone my skills without any sort of pressure about getting the shot in a location I won't be able to revisit, which hopefully means that by the time I end up in a situation like that again, I'll be up for the task.
Despite going there at least once a month, it still surprises me, too. Recently, I went and there was snow on the beach.
And a couple of weeks later I went in the middle of a storm. I got buffeted by wind and a torrential downpour and I watched the waves crash into the rocks. I felt cleansed in that moment.
Neck Point is definitely one of Nanaimo's gems and a place I look forward to exploring and enjoying for as long as I live here.
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