Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Petroglyph


There are more than 70 petroglyphs carved into surface rock on Gabriola. Dating them is an inexact science but it's estimated that they are between 200 and 2000 years old. Most are on private land and are, like this one, unprotected. Photographing them is tricky as many are quite faint. It helps if the rock is wet. Also, I boosted the contrast considerably on this shot. Best to enlarge it to really see the image. A sea serpent? A waterfowl? Your guess is as good as mine. For further reading, a nice little overview article may be found here

3 comments:

Bob Crowe said...

Yes, much easier to see in the large version. Actually, it reminds me of Stimpy in the Ren and Stimpy cartoon show. Been a long day.

Jane Hards Photography said...

A lesson in less is more.

Becky said...

How fascinating! What history your island holds. And this photo is fantastic - in spite of the difficult subject, you managed quite nicely. I like the angular leaves that accent the curvature of the petroglyph.