Bow River Sunrise

This is the Bow River Valley in Banff Alberta, one of many beautiful places you must visit in Canada. As I had never been here before I wasn’t sure how to catch a sunrise or sunset. The timing of sunrise and sunset is quite a different matter than in Florida where I live. It’s not enough to simply watch the sun as it approaches the horizon, up here the mountains obscure the sun for a while before sunset and after sunrise. So you just have to stand there and wait, which is what I did this morning. I’m not always so patient and so it’s usually better if I don’t have a lot of time to take a picture. On this morning I timed it pretty well so I didn’t have to wait too long. If my memory serves me, I quickly packed up to get back and catch an extra hour of sleep.

This is the Bow River Valley in Banff Alberta, one of many beautiful places you must visit in Canada. As I had never been here before I wasn't sure how to catch a sunrise or sunset. The timing of sunrise and sunset is quite a different matter than in Florida where I live. It's not enough to simply watch the sun as it approaches the horizon, up here the mountains obscure the sun for a while before sunset and after sunrise. So you just have to stand there and wait, which is what I did this morning. I'm not always so patient and so it's usually better if I don't have a lot of time to take a picture. On this morning I timed it pretty well so I didn't have to wait too long. If my memory serves me, I recall that I quickly packed up and went back to catch an extra hour of sleep.

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Patience

One of the many things I love about taking pictures at sunset in Florida is that it’s a great time to view wildlife. This bird, while he had his eye on me, was more concerned with his next meal. Just to the left of the pier were some fishermen and pelicans, wherever there’s one the others are close at hand. In any case, my buddy was ignoring the pelicans and patiently waiting for his prey and after what seemed like an eternity, swooped down and caught dinner. It requires a bit of patience but watching a Heron fish is a lesson in stealth, stillness and surprise. My rambling aside, this was another perfect evening at Coquina Beach in Manatee County, Florida.

One of the many things I love about taking pictures at sunset in Florida is that it's a great time to view wildlife. This bird, while he had his eye on me, was more concerned with his next meal. Just to the left of the pier were some fishermen and pelicans, wherever there's one the others are close at hand. In any case, my buddy was ignoring the pelicans and patiently waiting for his prey and after what seemed like an eternity, swooped down and caught dinner. It requires a bit of patience but watching a Heron fish is a lesson in stealth, stillness and surprise. My rambling aside, this was another perfect evening at Coquina Beach in Manatee County, Florida.
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All Lit Up

This is the Burrard Street Bridge as viewed from the Granville Harbour in Vancouver. I took this one summer evening while exploring the shops and sights of Granville market which is a must see when you go to Vancouver. In some ways this shot is a summary of the city, in the forefront are the boats, followed by the bridge, then behind that buildings of the city and finally all the way back are the mountains surrounding Vancouver. Of course there is a lot more to the city but this was my perspective at that moment. In any case, when exploring this part of the city the only danger you might run into is running out of time as quite often happens to me when I have my camera. But, I suppose that’s a good thing.

This is Burrard Bridge as viewed from the Granville harbor in Vancouver. I took this one summer evening while exploring the shops and sights of Granville market which is a must see when you go to Vancouver. In some ways this shot is a summary of the city, in the forefront are the boats, followed by the bridge, then behind that buildings of the city and finally all the way back are the mountains surrounding Vancouver. Of course there is a lot more to the city but this was my perspective at that moment. In any case, when exploring this part of the city the only danger you might run into is running out of time as quite often happens to me when I have my camera. But, I suppose that's a good thing.

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Marigot Market Impression

Last week I found myself at the Marigot market in Saint Martin (St. Maarten). It’s a beautiful little village by the sea and it wasn’t long before I bought some fresh coconut water and retreated to the shade to watch the world go by. Many of the stalls in the market sell colorful lightweight garments to go along with the climate. Outside of Amazon I’m not a very good shopper as I don’t have the patience to look for a good deal. I think also I get a little overwhelmed by choices and variety. So this is my impression of the market with all of it’s smells, sounds and colors that day. In any case, my wife is a very good shopper and she ended up with a dress not too different from the one on the right, at least that was my impression.

Last week I found myself at the Marigot market in Saint Martin (St. Maarten). It's a beautiful little village by the sea and it wasn't long before I bought some fresh coconut water and retreated to the shade to watch the world go by. Many of the stalls in the market sell colorful lightweight garments to go along with the climate. Outside of Amazon I'm not a very good shopper as I don't have the patience to look for a good deal. I think also I get a little overwhelmed by choices and variety. So this is my impression of the market with all of it's smells, sounds and colors that day. In any case, my wife is a very good shopper and she ended up with a dress not too different from the one on the right, at least that was my impression.

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Vancouver Walk

Not too long ago I took a walk along the entrance of Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia and ended up here. At this spot is where the rowing club is and in the evening you can stand here watching the crews work out. Rowing is another one of those sports I’d like to try, I think it would be much funner than the rowing machine at FitLorenzo (my gym). Even though I’ve been to this spot many dozens of times, there’s always something new to see or notice. And even if there isn’t I find it hard to leave, especially at dusk when the light is slightly muted and everyone is out running or cycling along the path. After I took this shot I headed back to the hotel and was surprised by the harvest moon, I didn’t realize it was on this day. I tried taking a picture of it but moons are tricky and I find it hard to capture it the way I see it with my eyes. Maybe one of these days they’ll figure out how to download the photo’s in my head. Until then I’ll keep trying with my camera.

Not too long ago I took a walk along the entrance of Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia and ended up here. At this spot is where the rowing club is and in the evening you can stand here watching the crews work out. Rowing is another one of those sports I'd like to try, I think it would be much funner than the rowing machine at FitLorenzo (my gym). Even though I've been to this spot many dozens of times, there's always something new to see or notice. And even if there isn't I find it hard to leave, especially at dusk when the light is slightly muted and everyone is out running or cycling along the path. After I took this shot I headed back to the hotel and was surprised by the harvest moon, I didn't realize it was on this day. I tried taking a picture of it but moons are tricky and I find it hard to capture it the way I see it with my eyes. Maybe one of these days they'll figure out how to download the photo's in my head. Until then I'll keep trying with my camera.

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Venice Pier

This is Venice Pier on Florida’s west coast. A couple of weeks ago I found myself here with camera in hand. This is a really cool pier and at the foot of it is Sharky’s restaurant which is a must see if you’re visiting the area. This is one of those places we take our guests when they come down to visit. The combination of restaurant and pier on the beach in Florida is always fun. In fact, I was just talking to some friends about how we need more piers so that everybody can walk out to take it all in or go fishing for the afternoon. Of course the reason I really want more piers is so I can take pictures of them at sunset. Maybe one of these days I’ll try fishing off a pier instead, or maybe not.

This is Venice Pier on Florida's west coast. A couple of weeks ago I found myself here with camera in hand. This is a really cool pier and at the foot of it is Sharky's restaurant which is a must see if you're visiting the area. This is one of those places we take our guests when they come down to visit. The combination of restaurant and pier on the beach in Florida is always fun. In fact, I was just talking to some friends about how we need more piers so that everybody can walk out to take it all in or go fishing for the afternoon. Of course the reason I really want more piers is so I can take pictures of them at sunset. Maybe one of these days I'll try fishing off a pier instead, or maybe not.

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Squint 2

This is another shot of a sunset in Sarasota Florida I got a couple of months back. For this and the other I was awestruck at the colors and it still ranks as the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen. I have this idea that if you squint, maybe things will look a little different. Well of course they will and I suppose it’s just a metaphor for changing my focus, seeing something in a different way. I think sometimes I squint with my mind, I try not to focus on the details of all going on around me. It’s not a matter of tuning things out so much as paying attention to other things that might be there. But then, the cat meows and I forget was thinking about.

This is another shot of a sunset in Sarasota Florida I got a couple of months back. For this and the other I was awestruck at the colors and it still ranks as the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. I have this idea that if you squint, maybe things will look a little different. Well of course they will and I suppose it's just a metaphor for changing my focus, seeing something in a different way. I think sometimes I squint with my mind, I try not to focus on the details of all going on around me. It's not a matter of tuning things out so much as paying attention to other things that might be there. But then, the cat meows and I forget was thinking about.

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City Hall

This is Vancouver City Hall. I came here one evening after work to look around as I’d always seen this on the skyline but never up close. This is a very trendy section of Vancouver and there are a lot of cool places to eat and shop. My favorite place to shop is the Mountain Equipment Co-op about two blocks away. As you might guess, people that live in western Canada are zealous about enjoying the wilderness and the co-op has every little thing to help facilitate that spirit of adventure. And the restaurants in this section are eclectic if nothing else. I might even venture a guess that there are more Gluten-free restaurants here than any place in the world. That’s just a guess and as usual, I have no idea if that’s true, but you get the idea. In any case, as I was standing here composing this night shot with my tripod, a young couple where sitting right behind me smoking a joint and offering encouragement, right there in front of city hall. Only in Vancouver.

This is Vancouver City Hall. I came here one evening after work to look around as I'd always seen this on the skyline but never up close. This is a very trendy section of Vancouver and there are a lot of cool places to eat and shop. My favorite place to shop is the Mountain Equipment Co-op about two blocks away. As you might guess, people that live in western Canada are zealous about enjoying the wilderness and the co-op has every little thing to help facilitate that spirit of adventure. And the restaurants in this section are eclectic if nothing else. I might even venture a guess that there are more Gluten-free restaurants here than any place in the world. That's just a guess and as usual, I have no idea if that's true, but you get the idea. In any case, as I was standing here composing this night shot with my tripod, a young couple where sitting right behind me smoking a joint and offering encouragement, right there in front of city hall. Only in Vancouver.

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Moment in Time

One of my favorite subjects is an empty bench facing the sunset. I suppose there is some longing inside of me to just sit and be the person on that bench. But that’s the whole point of these photos, to transport myself from where I am now to this setting. I think that’s why I love photography, it allows me to save these little snippets of time so that I can go back and visit them from time to time. Whenever I do the experiences of that moment come back. For instance, when I took this there was another lady with a camera, probably a tourist, who was so impressed with the scene that she was taking dozens and dozens of pictures of the water and sunset. When I see someone do that I always wonder if they’ll ever go back and actually look at the photos they took. But I suppose that on some level she thought that if she could just get the perfect photo she could go back and look at it from time to time and return to this moment in time. Lady, wherever you are, I’m doing the same thing right now.

One of my favorite subjects is an empty bench facing the sunset. I suppose there is some longing inside of me to just sit and be the person on that bench. But that's the whole point of these photos, to transport myself from where I am now to this setting. I think that's why I love photography, it allows me to save these little snippets of time so that I can go back and visit them from time to time. Whenever I do the experiences of that moment come back. For instance, when I took this there was another lady with a camera, probably a tourist, who was so impressed with the scene that she was taking dozens and dozens of pictures of the water and sunset. When I see someone do that I always wonder if they'll ever go back and actually look at the photos they took. But I suppose that on some level she thought that if she could just get the perfect photo she could go back and look at it from time to time and return to this moment in time. Lady, wherever you are, I'm doing the same thing right now.

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Under the Granville Bridge

The thing about Vancouver is it’s hard not to find a good view. Everywhere you look there seems to be something interesting to look at. I think that’s one of the things that makes a great city, the visual appeal. Years ago I used to work in New York City. When I first arrived I’d be walking around looking up at all the sights around me. Later, as time when by I found myself looking down at the sidewalk as I walked to the subway or wherever. And when I saw someone looking up I knew they were a tourist. I guess that’s the nice thing about photography, now I never lose interest in what’s around me. I’m less likely to get pulled back to the norm of looking down and living in my own world. Vancouver is one of those great cities where if you keep an open eye and an open mind, you’ll see something at every turn and every corner.

The thing about Vancouver is it's hard not to find a good view. Everywhere you look there seems to be something interesting to look at. I think that's one of the things that makes a great city, the visual appeal. Years ago I used to work in New York City. When I first arrived I'd be walking around looking up at all the sights around me. Later, as time when by I found myself looking down at the sidewalk as I walked to the subway or wherever. And when I saw someone looking up I knew they were a tourist. I guess that's the nice thing about photography, now I never lose interest in what's around me. I'm less likely to get pulled back to the norm of looking down and living in my own world. Vancouver is one of those great cities where if you keep an open eye and an open mind, you'll see something at every turn and every corner.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.