Nova Scotia

[gary_anthes]

I'll be in Chester, Nova Scotia (a few miles south of Halifax) next

week. Can anyone suggest good locations to shoot not more than two

hours' drive from there? (My main interest is nature/landscape

photography, but if you want to sneak in a reference or two to a

lighthouse or harbor, maybe the moderators will overlook it.) Thanks

in advance.

[jim_gifford]

Peggy's Cove is nearby. I have some wonderful pictures of fog... and behind the fog is Peggy's Cove, honest.

 

The lighthouse there also is a post office.

 

While buying some stamps there, I heard the man in front of me tell his wife, "Let's buy this postcard and mail it to ourselves so we can see what this place would look like, if we could see it."

 

Have a wonderful time.

 

Be well,

[steve_b3]

Besides Peggies cove, there are plenty of places along route 103 (The main north south route). I went from Halifax to Yarmouth last year and was pulling over every few miles for one more water shot. Plug Nova Scotia Lighthouses into your favorite web browser and click away.

[ray_leblanc]

Not far from Chester, there are many opportunites. The three churches scene in Mahone Bay, the wonderful town of Lunenburg, a historical boat building community. And definately Peggy's Cove and the surrounding area. All along the South Shore there are great communities and opportunites. The Ovens Natural park is close by as well, but I went many, many years ago, and yes, it was foggy!

[lester_dworetsky]

Hi Gary --- Wife and I love this area and best of all the people will go out of their way to help find the best places and coves to photograph off the beaten path. Just ask anyone you see on the road. Some even gave us fruits from their orchards to take with us as we went to these little treasure hidden spots. Enjoy!

[david_henderson]

I'd call this more travel than nature because frankly just about

everything I found to photograph in Nova Scotia depended on the

hand of man to a great extent.

 

I spent two weeks photographing the coast in Nova Scotia in July

2002 and much enjoyed it. Photographically anything without the

sea looked to be a waste of time. Peggy's Cove is great if get

there really early, and hell on wheels after about 9am It's still

busy at sunset. If you go early, take a look at the parking lot and

imagine it full.

 

Otherwise try Blue Rocks, near Lunenburg and near where

you're staying, and much of the peninsula south of Halifax is

scenic- I particularly like Prospect , but each of the coastal

communities has something to offer if you get a good map and

follow all the options to the water's edge. There's an area called

South Stoneboro- in the area round Lunenburg I think, which

also has a lot to offer.

 

Look for the bright yellow seaweed, which does a lot for the

shoreline - as it does in parts of western Ireland.

 

Its not as far as you think to drive across to the north coast ,

where I liked the dawns across from Medford. Lunenburg's not

as interesting as the guidebooks say, and Halifax is pretty dull.

Mahone Bay and Wolfville are better than described. The "three

chuches" view at Mahone Bay isn't at its best in summer.<div></div>

[Michael R Freeman]

Gary,

<P>

If you already haven't seen this page, may I suggest you spend a bit of time reading here: <a href="http://destination-ns.com/http://destination-ns.com/">http://destination-ns.com/</a><P>

 

Definitely spend some time in Lunenburg - it is a Unesco World Heritage site and only a few minutes from Chester. Also, as others have suggested, Mahone Bay and Blue Rocks. Stay off the 103 and instead take a drive along the old highway (#3) that follows the coast. Peggy's Cove (Highway #333) is also a beautiful spot, but as others have indicated it is crawling with tourists at this time of year unless you get there VERY early in the morning. However there are plenty of photo opportunities outside of Peggy's Cove all along Highway #333 between Tantallon and Prospect.<P> A side trip along Highway #329 will also provide some scenery and give you an opportunity to visit the Swissair Flight 111 memorial at Bayswater and pause to reflect on that very sad tradgedy (there is also a memorial outside of Peggy's Cove). <P>And welcome in advance to our beautiful province. Enjoy your trip, and bring a jacket for the evenings (but not a parka)! :-)<p>Mike

[Michael R Freeman]

Sigh ... Swissair 111 was a tragedy, not a <i>tradgedy</i>. I should really compose with a spell-checker on any reply more than one paragraph long, lest you think all Nova Scotians are illiterate ...

[Michael R Freeman]

Let's try that link again too. Must have double pasted. Sigh ... <p><a href="http://destination-ns.com/">http://destination-ns.com/</a>

[gary_anthes]

Thanks to all for your helpful replies. Nova Scotians sound like wonderful people, so maybe I won't care if I don't find much "nature."

[van_camper]

I shot Peggys Cove in the evening (end August), and people were still all over the rock after sunset. I don't mind one or two, but not that many people (although you can clean it up digitally in some cases). My feeling is the best time is to shoot very early in the morning if you have a choice.