Prince Edward Island: gem of the maritimes - Canada - travel photo opportunities - Cover Story

Do you enjoy a vacation with an amusement park atmosphere? Do you enjoy frenzied night life that leaves you groggy until noon the next day? If you do, read no further. What I have to say is not for you. However, if you enjoy miles-long beaches of red sand, pastoral landscapes, endless seascapes, a fun evening at the theater, or a rainy day in an art gallery or museum, hang in there. Prince Edward Island in Maritime Canada is your kind of place.

P.E.I. may be the smallest of the Canadian provinces but it is just the right size so that you can base yourself in a centrally located motel and explore the island by day-trips. This is especially convenient if you wish to economize by camping or renting a housekeeping unit. When it comes to lodging almost any taste or pocketbook can be accommodated. Whether you prefer a well-appointed hotel in Charlottetown or a bed and breakfast on a working dairy farm, just make your reservation using the province's Tourist Accommodation Book as your guide. Comfortable motels and cabins abound on the island.

Photographically speaking, the island is a gem. In June the roadsides are painted with various colors of lupine. Later in the summer the well-manicured potato fields have a display of white and lavender. In September, you may see fields of second-growth clover in full bloom. If you enjoy doing close-ups of garden flowers drive to Jewel Gardens in York. Well cared for flower beds in an intimate setting are planned to provide beauty during the entire growing season. On the same road the Vesey Seed Company has a living advertisement for their vegetable and flower seeds. Window boxes and flower beds at the store plus more flowers across the street provide other photographic opportunities.

Do you enjoy landscapes? Looking across the rolling fields from a height of land gives the impression of a giant patchwork quilt. From dark green to light tan the colors mix and match to form a pattern often made more interesting by working farm machinery or a herd of cattle. Neat farm buildings at the end of a long red dirt driveway also make an interesting rural scene.

Seascapes! Remember you are on an island. Sometimes an inlet from the sea intrudes into the farmland so that the ubiquitous lobster boat and wharf may be flanked by a field of oats. Many people here make their living from the sea. Thus one does not have to search very far along the coast to find pictures of working fishing boats complete with crew. If you enjoy, as I do, just walking along the beach and getting pictures of the patterns formed by rocks, driftwood, shells and seaweed you have miles of opportunity. The red sand becomes an even deeper red when washed by the tide, making a really rich background for this type of shot.

When the wind and tide are appropriate you will find wind-surfers maneuvering their brightly colored sails against a background of sea and sky. Where the sea meets the land there must be lighthouses. Those on the island range all the way from a lonely white sentinel in a barren landscape to a homey scene with the week's wash hanging in the backyard.

Above all, the natives are friendly. There is a woolen mill near O'Leary that uses century-old machinery to spin yam and make blankets from mostly native fleece. Feel free to walk through the mill to watch the machinery as it operates. (Try that in the States!) Incidentally the yarn and blankets are for sale at the mill at a very reasonable cost. In Alberton, towards the western end of the island there is a woodworking shop. You are invited to stand and watch as the workers transform blocks of bird's-eye maple into plates, trays, candlesticks and clocks. Even though many tourists fill the island each year, complete with stupid questions and inane remarks, you are always made to feel welcome. Every one you meet seems glad that you wanted to come and visit.

There has been discussion during the past few years of building a causeway or drilling a tunnel to span the 10-12 miles between New Brunswick and P.E.I. As a frequent tourist I hope this never happens. Driving off the ferry and knowing that you are island-bound gives one an entirely different feeling than simply driving across an invisible state line. Prince Edward Island is one of my favorite spots for a photography-filled vacation. It might well be yours as well.

Dana W. Small has been a member of both PSA and the Portland, Maine Camera Club for more than 20 years. He feels this involvement has helped him maintain an active interest in photography. This interest has led him to teach a photography course at a local senior center.

In addition to 35mm slides, Dana photographs with a medium-format camera for his monochrome work. Dana processes all his own black and white work in his home darkroom. Dana enjoys traveling with his wife Eldelia. Dana says most of his photography is from his travels.

COPYRIGHT 1993 Photographic Society of America, Inc.
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