Doug McLachlan — Journal

Garden Renewal

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 23:40:00 GMT

Christine and I renewed our membership to VanDusen Botanical Garden this afternoon. Followed by some time renewing ourselves!

📷 Leica Q2

Rebuilding the Site

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 16:30:00 GMT

A while back I wrote about revising the site — reshaping it around projects and curation. This time the change went deeper: I rebuilt the foundation underneath it.

For years Blot served me well. It did the one thing I most wanted from a tool: it stayed out of the way. I wrote in plain files, and pages appeared. But over time I kept meeting its edges — how the home page was arranged, how photographs were presented, how the pieces related to one another. I wanted more control, without giving up the things that made Blot feel right in the first place: local markdown files, a simple workflow, writing first.

So the site now runs on Astro, hosted on Netlify, with every image living on Cloudflare R2 — a store I’d started earlier and have now committed to fully.

The move only felt safe because of a principle I’d settled on before touching anything: the content is the durable asset, and the tools are replaceable. The site is still just a folder of markdown and a set of image URLs. Astro renders it today; if Astro disappeared tomorrow, the writing and the photographs would be untouched. That reframing turned what might have been a risky rebuild into something closer to swapping the frame around work that stays put.

The benefits are already showing. The home page keeps the look and feel I’d arrived at, but now does more — surfacing the projects alongside the most recent journal entries, so the site reads as a body of work rather than a stream. Search is better. And selecting any photograph on a page or post now opens it in a clean lightbox, the image given room to breathe against everything else. Beneath that, the images are resized on the fly rather than shipped at full weight — which matters more on a photography site than almost anything else.

A rebuild like this would once have meant weeks of fiddly work. This time it didn’t. Much of the design and development was accelerated by AI — Claude Cowork for the planning and the content migration, Claude Code for the build itself. That let me stay in the part I actually care about, deciding what the site should be and how the photographs should sit, while the mechanical work moved fast underneath me.

There’s more still on the workbench: a lighter feed for quicker, less deliberate posts, and eventually a way to publish from anywhere. But the structure I wanted is in place, and it fits the way I actually work.

As before, the site will always be a work in progress. What’s different now is that the ground under it is mine to shape.

Misty Kits Morning

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Chairs, birds and a wreck were all things that drew my attention on this misty Vancouver morning at Kits beach. A special place that reveals something new every time I visit.

📷 Leica SL2 & Panasonic Lumix 24-105

Work Walks

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 23:15:00 GMT

I opted for a change of scenery today and worked at our Mount Pleasant coworking office. Lots to see on coffee and lunch runs!

📷 Leica Q2

Sunday Seaside

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 21:50:00 GMT

Two seaside outings today, this morning in the rain and this afternoon in the sun around low tide !

📷 AM Leica M10 & Voigtlander Color Skopar 28mm f2.8, 📷 PM: Leica SL2 & Lumix 24-105mm f4

Visitors

Thu, 14 May 2026 21:20:00 GMT

It’s visitor season in Vancouver. Conference goers and cruise ship tourists seemed to make up the bulk of the activity around Canada Place today!

📷 Ricoh GR3

Good Friday for a Walk

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:00:00 GMT

I took advantage of the Good Friday holiday for a 10k walk west from Dunbar to the Arbutus Greenway and North to Kits. It was overcast and occaisonally rainy but the signs of spring are everywhere!

📷 Leica Q2

21 Frames in 33 Minutes

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 21:00:00 GMT

A quick, after-work, walk around the neighborhood. The overcast weather seemed suited to a monochrome vibe.

📷 Fujifilm X100vi

Downtown Loop

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 21:00:00 GMT

We were teased with a preview of spring today and I took advantage with an 8k lunchtime walk around a good chunk of downtown.

📷 Leica Q2

Winter(?) Beach Walk

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 23:00:00 GMT

By my calculations I’ve now spent more than half of my adult life in Vancouver. Having grown up on the praries one thing I’ll never lose appreciation for is the mild winter weather. I’ve grown used to the rain, but when we get a winter day like today there is no beating it!

📷 Fujifilm X-T5 & 16-55 f2.8 WR II lens

Seawall - North Granville

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 16:20:00 GMT

Based on the weather today, I’m inclined to bet against Van Island Violet. People were out in full force enjoying the sunshine and mild temperatures. Here are some photos around the sea wall and granville street bridge this afternoon.

📷 Leica M10 & 50mm f2.2 Voigtlander Color Skopar + a few Ricoh GR3 images

11 Rainy Point Grey Images

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 08:15:00 GMT

A few images from a walk in Point Grey & Jericho Beach yesterday. I bailed after about 30 minutes as it was raining harder than expected and I wasn’t as well equipped for the rain as I should have been! Still nice to get out for a bit and hard to complain about January, West Coast weather compared to the rest of the country!

📷 Fujifilm X-T5 & Fujinon 16-55 f2.8 LM WR II lens

30 Downtown Minutes

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT

I arrived for a meeting downtown a little early and had about half an hour for a mini street photography session. Pics around Waterfront Station, Gastown to the East and Canada Place to the West! I was traveling light but had my Ricoh GR3 with me (I usually do!)

📷 Ricoh GR3

Fog Ferry

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 22:15:00 GMT

I like fog, at least when I don’t have to drive in it. This past week has seen a lot of fog in and around Vancouver. Monday morning’s ferry voyage to Victoria was no exception.

📷 Ricoh GR3

Remembering Max

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 07:00:00 GMT

We lost our beloved Max yesterday. I don’t have the words to describe what he meant to us other than to say he was the heartbeat of our family for the past 16 years. Rest in peace sweet boy.

June 2010

August 2010

September 2010

May 2012

September 2012

November 2012

May 2013

January 2016

March 2020

February 2021

April 2021

May 2021

June 2021

December 2021

March 2022

December 2022

April 2023

Boop — November 2025

The New Year Will Reveal Itself

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:24:00 GMT

As I walked the fog-laden neighborhood this morning the thought that came to be was that the New Year will reveal itself one moment at a time. Here’s wishing that you live fully in those moments. Happy New Year!

📷 Leica SL2 & Lumix 20-60mm lens

Liminal Tuesday Morning at Spanish Banks

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 15:50:00 GMT

The week between Christmas and New Years is both a favorite time of year and a strange one. It’s a week that I take vacation every year and enjoy the downtime with no real agenda other than to relax, maybe reflect a little on the year, get a few walks in. As a result every day feels like a Sunday, it’s easy to loose track of what day of the week it actually is. Not that I’m complaining.

📷 Leica Q2

Dunbar to Kits

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 18:00:00 GMT

A late afternoon walk from Dunbar to Kits Beach! Rewarded with some nice sunset / post-sunset light by the time I made it to the beach.

📷 Leica M10 & Voigtlander 50mm f2.2 Color Skopar lens

Christmas Morning - Jericho Beach

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMT

With grown children the dynamic of Christmas has changed in our family over the past few years. The anticipation of Christmas morning has been replaced with the desire to sleep in and have a relaxing day. This has resulted in gift opening shifting to Christmas Eve. This year we also moved the main meal to Christmas eve. With all of the requsite preparation out of the way that freed up Christmas morning for a walk on the beach. It was a cool and crisp morning, frost on the ground and a good number of people out with a similar plan for their Christmas morning.

📷 Leica M10 & Voigtlander 50mm f2.2 Color Skopar lens

Revising the Site

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 09:30:00 GMT

Over the past month I’ve been revising my personal website, moving it from a simple photo blog and notebook toward something with just enough structure to support projects and curation.

The work began with a basic question: what is this site for? At its core, it’s a place for me to think through photographs—through editing, sequencing, and attention. Sharing the work matters, but it’s secondary. The site needs to support my way of working first.

That rethink led to a period of review: revisiting older photographs, editing slowly, and noticing what continued to hold my attention. Only after that did the practical work begin.

I spent time experimenting with more visual, GUI-driven website builders, drawn by their flexibility. In practice, they worked against me. I value workflow far more than presentation freedom. Working locally, with simple files, predictable structure, and tools that stay out of the way matters more than visual optionality.

Once that became clear, the focus returned to the photographs themselves.

The site is currently organized around three projects. Selected Works acts as an anchor: a small, intentional set of images that reflects how I see my work now. Alongside it are Window Seat and Crossings, both of which emerged over time rather than being planned in advance. They were recognized as potential projects after I already had a solid collection of candidate photos.

That pattern seems to fit my nature and way of working. While I’m open to more deliberate projects in the future, I suspect most will continue to form gradually, shaped by repetition and attention rather than intention from the outset. The site’s structure is meant to accommodate that, making it easier to notice when something has emerged as a body of work.

The site will always be a work in progress. But it feels closer to alignment now: less about flexibility or polish, more about coherence and a way of working that fits how my mind actually moves.

East West Canyon

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 12:50:00 GMT

It’s been a while since I’ve walked this trail in Pacific Spirit Park above Spanish Banks. The mild weather this morning and the respite from rain seemed like a good opportunity to take to this scenic trail again.

📷 Fujifilm X-T5 & Fujinon 16-55 f2.8 WR II lens

New Lens, Familiar Place

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 20:30:00 GMT

The first sunny morning this week was too tempting to not take a break from work and head down to Jericho beach to take some photos. I’m trying to spend more time with the 50mm focal length and I picked up a compact little Voigtlander 50mm f2.2 Color Skopar lens a little while ago. This morning is only my second outing with it so I’m still getting used to it but so far I’m very happy with it, both in terms of handling and results. It’s sharp but has nice rendering and smooth falloff. Here are some photos exploring a little stretch of Jericho beach from the concession stand to the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club.

📷 Leica M10 & Voigtlander 50mm f2.2 Color Skopar lens

Granville Island Evening

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 21:00:00 GMT

A few photos before and after joining close friends for a pint. Darkeness comes early this time of year but a beautiful evening!

📷 Leica M10 & Zeiss 50mm f1.5 Sonnar lens

Second to Third (Beaches)

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Photos today along the Seawall at Stanley Park, mostly between Second Beach and Third Beach. In a monochrome mood again today!

📷 Leica SL2 & Lumix 20-60mm lens

Greenway

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 20:00:00 GMT

I had an errand to run in Kerrisdale after work and decided to go for a walk along a stretch of the Arbutus Greenway. Here are some monochrome shots from the outing with the Leica Q2; a camera that’s taken me considerable time to bond with but I’ve come to love it and it’s fantasic summilux lens.

📷 Leica Q2

Nice, Long, Walk

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 20:25:00 GMT

Today was the stat holiday for Truth & Reconciliation Day here in Canada and a nice autumn day for a long, contemplative, walk.

📷 Fujifilm X-T5 & Fujinon 16-55 f2.8 Mark II lens

Window Seat, Sept 2025 Edition

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 20:25:00 GMT

A few pics from 2F on the flight home from Edmonton. Another entry in the Window Seat series

📷 iPhone 15 Pro

Beach and Back

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 21:45:00 GMT

I got my steps in (and then some) with a walk down to the beach and back this afternoon. Almost 10K round-trip. I’m glad the rain didn’t prevent me from the outing!

📷 Fujifilm X-T2 & Fujinon 33mm f1.4 lens

New Nifty: Jericho Test

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 22:00:00 GMT

I picked up a new lens today. The Fujinon 33mm f1.4 is a 50mm full frame equivalent (nifty fifty) lens for Fujifilm APS cameras. It’s a very well regarded lens and my initial impressions concur! Jericho Beach seemed like the logical testing ground. The beautiful late-summer evening didn’t dissapoint either!

📷 Fujifilm X-T2 & Fujinon 33mm f1.4 lens

1/1400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 400

1/2700 sec, f/1.4, ISO 400

1/320 sec, f/8, ISO 2500

1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2500

1/320 sec, f/9, ISO 1600

1/120 sec, f/13, ISO 6400

1/3500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 400

1/2700 sec, f/1.4, ISO 400

1/1400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 400

1/3000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 400

1/320 sec, f/8, ISO 2500

1/2200 sec,f/1.4, ISO 400

1/320 sec,f/1.4, ISO 500

1/1700 sec, f/1.4, ISO 500

1/300 sec, f/1.4, ISO 500

1/950 sec,f/1.4, ISO 500

1/100 sec, f/8, ISO 6400

1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 500

1/200 sec, f1.4, ISO 1600

1/200 sec, f1.4, ISO 640

1/200 sec, f1.4, ISO 4000

1/30 sec, f/8, ISO 6400

1/200 sec, f1.4, ISO 1250

1/200 sec, f1.4, ISO 2500

1/200 sec, f1.4, ISO 2000

1/320, F4, ISO 6400

Happy World Photography Day!

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 18:00:00 GMT

I didn’t realize it was World Photography Day until a friend and colleague wished me a good one! I celebrated with a walk on the beach this afternoon. A good outing except for the camera battery that has gotten lost under my car seat somewhere :-( I’ll try to find it and fish it out tomorrow!

📷 Fujifilm X100vi with Provia film sim