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Taking It All In

This is False Creek in Vancouver where I sat one evening to take in the sights of the city. Seems there’s so much to see that you have to take it all in one little chunk at a time. If you have nothing better to do (or even if you do) you can just sit here on a bench and scan from left to right. I’ve spent a lot of time walking around here at night and it feels safe, lot’s of people do it, strength in numbers. The other thing is that if I walk too far I can always catch the subway or a cab, the city is about as cosmopolitan as they come. And I thought Cosmopolitan was a cocktail, silly me.

This is False Creek in Vancouver where I sat one evening to take in the sights of the city. Seems there's so much to see that you have to take it all in one little chunk at a time. If you have nothing better to do (or even if you do) you can just sit here on a bench and scan from left to right. I've spent a lot of time walking around here at night and it feels safe, lot's of people do it, strength in numbers. The other thing is that if I walk too far I can always catch the subway or a cab, the city is about as cosmopolitan as they come. And I thought Cosmopolitan was a cocktail, silly me.

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Harbour Sunrise

In addition to cruise ships, a convention center and sight seeing, Vancouver Harbour is a busy shipping port. This morning I focused my lens on the industrial side of things as the sun was rising behind the cranes. Despite all the boat and seaplane traffic, the water remains crystal clear. I’m not sure how they manage that but thankfully they do. In any case, if you’ve ever seen pictures of English Bay (including my own) which surrounds Vancouver, you’ll notice many container ships docked offshore. My guess is they are waiting to take on a shipment of containers from here and head back out to sea. If you climb up one of the surrounding mountains and look back, you’ll see these ships lined up end-to-end for miles out into the bay. The first time you see them it’s quite a site, but in time you grow accustom to their presence and you almost forget they’re there. Day in, day out, they file in and out this port and this was just the start of another busy day.

In addition to cruise ships, a convention center and sight seeing, Vancouver Harbour is a busy shipping port. This morning I focused my lens on the industrial side of things as the sun was rising behind the cranes. Despite all the boat and seaplane traffic, the water remains crystal clear. I'm not sure how they manage that but thankfully they do. In any case, if you've ever seen pictures of English Bay (including my own) which surrounds Vancouver, you'll notice many container ships docked offshore. My guess is they are waiting to take on a shipment of containers from here and head back out to sea. If you climb up one of the surrounding mountains and look back, you'll see these ships lined up end-to-end for miles out into the bay. The first time you see them it's quite a site, but in time you grow accustom to their presence and you almost forget they're there. Day in, day out, they file in and out this port and this was just the start of another busy day.

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Neighbors

One day while walking through Vancouver I noticed these front steps all nicely aligned in a row. Even though they look the same, beyond each threshold lies a vastly different story. I live in a townhouse that looks just like the one next to it and so I suppose that to someone from a different culture my neighbor and I might appear very similar. And to me, folks in a village on the opposite side of the globe might also appear similar. But we’re not, and the chances are that I have more in common with someone on the opposite side of the globe than I do with my next door neighbor. Good morning neighbor, wherever you are.

One day while walking through Vancouver I noticed these front steps all nicely aligned in a row. Even though they look the same, beyond each threshold lies a vastly different story. I live in a townhouse that looks just like the one next to it and so I suppose that to someone from a different culture my neighbor and I might appear very similar. And to me, folks in a village on the opposite side of the globe might also appear similar. But we're not, and the chances are that I have more in common with someone on the opposite side of the globe than I do with my next door neighbor. Good morning neighbor, wherever you are.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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Siwash Rock

This is Siwash Rock which is at the western tip of Stanley Park in Vancouver. The first time I walked around the seawall I was struck by it’s shape and position, as though it were some mystical sentinel. I’ve tried several times to take a picture of this with poor results, in fact I was a little obsessed with this. How so? Well, when I’m in Vancouver I stay at the Marriott, and in each room of that hotel is the same black and white photograph of this rock, from roughly the same position. I don’t know who took that photo, but who ever you are it’a a really beautiful shot. So, I had it in my mind to do something like that. This is my spin, as it were, but of course I’m emulating another photographer who’s work is in every room of the Marriott. So there you have it, I got my inspiration from a hotel wall.

This is Siwash Rock which is at the western tip of Stanley Park in Vancouver. The first time I walked around the seawall I was struck by it's shape and position, as though it were some mystical sentinel. I've tried several times to take a picture of this with poor results, in fact I was a little obsessed with this. How so? Well, when I'm in Vancouver I stay at the Marriott, and in each room of that hotel is the same black and white photograph of this rock, from roughly the same position. I don't know who took that photo, but who ever you are it'a a really beautiful shot. So, I had it in my mind to do something like that. This is my spin, as it were, but of course I'm emulating another photographer who's work is in every room of the Marriott. So there you have it, I got my inspiration from a hotel wall.
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Predicting Sunsets

I do this mental calculation in my head to figure out if it’ll be a good sunset. It’s based on the height of the clouds, the vision I have of what the sunset should look like and the amount of time I have to procrastinate. At about 15% accuracy I’d have to say it’s a pretty good algorithm, …not. In any case, this is one of those rare occasions when I lucked out. Not only did I luck out, but from this position in Stanley Park there were no fewer than eight photographers already setup, some with assistants and models in tow. It felt like I had to stake my ground as though I was in the press corps waiting for the president. That made me wonder if there is some website or iPhone app that tells photographers a good sunset is on the way, how else would all these shutterbugs be there at the same time and place? The only other possibility is that there are a lot of other people that think like me. And that, my friends, is a little unsettling.

I do this mental calculation in my head to figure out if it'll be a good sunset. It's based on the height of the clouds, the vision I have of what the sunset should look like and the amount of time I have to procrastinate. At about 15% accuracy I'd have to say it's a pretty good algorithm, ...not. In any case, this is one of those rare occasions when I lucked out. Not only did I luck out, but from this position in Stanley Park there were no fewer than eight photographers already setup, some with assistants and models in tow. It felt like I had to stake my ground as though I was in the press corps waiting for the president. That made me wonder if there is some website or iPhone app that tells photographers a good sunset is on the way, how else would all these shutterbugs be there at the same time and place? The only other possibility is that there are a lot of other people that think like me. And that, my friends, is a little unsettling.

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