Category: British Columbia

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The view from the Westin Whistler

Westin Whistler Weekend - Our view

At work, I have a screen saver that cycles through my flickr stream, and this photo popped up the other day when I came back to my desk.

I took this a few months ago when Rebecca and I had a great weekend at the Westin Whistler as their guests. We were able to experience an amazing look behind the scenes in their kitchen while their very talented crew of chefs prepared some amazing food dishes for a local children’s hospital banquet and fundraiser.

I’ve always like how I was able to catch the way the clouds sit over the mountains on the other side of the Sea to Sky Highway from the main Whistler Village. You could stare out the window for hours, watching the clouds hover over the slopes.

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Lighthouse Park at the end of spring

Lighthouse Park

Last May, Rebecca and I finally made it over to Lighthouse Park on a cool, muggy day. It’s another one of those things that’s been on the list of places to visit after a few boat cruises by it and staring at it from the shore across the way from it.

Lighthouse Park

The park is really pretty, but bring your hiking shoes for sure. As steep and narrow as some of the trails get, I still can’t figure out how, or yet alone why, some people got baby strollers over this terrain.

Lighthouse Park

I’d barely recommend taking a stroller through Stanley Park, but it’s just the idea that some folks leave their front door not thinking about the fact that they are about to go to a park which sits at the base of a mountain.

Lighthouse Park

Might this not seem like an unlikely place you’d want to bring a stroller?

Lighthouse Park

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This is Vancouver in the summertime

Photowalking from Granville Island to the West End

I often enjoy riding shotgun while Rebecca drives. It gives me the opportunity to experiment with taking photos from the car, which usually doesn’t always turn out the best. Sometimes it’s blurry, the windows might be dirty, another passing vehicle can ruin the shot, and so on.

Rolling down Pacific Street with the sun setting off in the distance, this is a testament of not knowing how something will turn out until you try.

And I feel like this really is what summer in Vancouver is all about.

While many people will say that it rains a lot in this part of the world and they couldn’t live here because of that reason, you have to smile and nod. On those days that it’s not, this city is a vastly different experience. I don’t mind saving my energy to convince them otherwise.

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Yaletown from the Olympic Village without trying

Photowalking with The Reverend Don Deeley

Honestly, sometimes this city makes it easy to take beautiful photos of it. But in this case, this shot is more of an accident because I was only demonstrating the extra trigger I have on the battery grip for my Nikon D90. I held it to the side and just pushed the button.

Some photos, at least for me and are to my personal liking, are pure luck. Other times, it might be random. When you hit the sweet spot between the two, it’s immensely rewarding.

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A little love for Leo the Lion

First BC Lions football game at Empire Field Working the first BC Lions game felt like being a part of Vancouver history. I know I’m not from here, but this little boy (and his sister is in the other mascot’s arm) made me appreciate this day a little bit more. He was absolutely beaming to hug Leo.

And let’s be honest, this guy in a mascot outfit is simply a marketing tool of the football club. He gets the crowd pumped up, trots around on the field to reinforce the imagery of the team everyone in the stands are cheering for, and keeps the kids coming back for more and more.

Even when you understand all too well that there is a hefty business reason for Leo’s existence, it’s this one moment that you have to forget this.

In ten or twenty years, this little boy will recount the one year they whipped up a stadium in 111 days for there to be professional, Canadian football to be played here for just one season in Vancouver.

When all the stands are tore down and all that remains is the legacy of an artificial turf field and the four sets of lights, he might recount how his parents took him to a game one day, and even though the Lions lost in the final seconds of the first game to be played in the history of this temporary stadium, he even got to meet Leo and give him a big hug.

That’s why I took this picture.

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Marlboro Scales

WSSF 2010 - Blogger House

I shot this during a weekend in Whistler with our fabulous hosts, Tourism Whistler.

They put us up in a first rate, private residence that you can rent out for periods of time, depending on how deep your pockets are and how long you want to stay. This was on the deck at the back of the house during the 2010 Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in April.

Scales has become a good friend of mine here in Vancouver and a complete inspiration for my coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. He’s a constant reminder to keep challenging myself to be better at what I do while taking the time to enjoy life off the grid here and there.

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Hip shot down a Vancouver alley

Hip shot down alley off Smithe StreetI literally had my camera in my right hand but at hip level when I looked down this alley as I walked past and decided to hit the trigger for kicks and giggles. For the first time in a long time, I actually hit a decent perspective of a downtown alleyway in Vancouver, give or take what some locals might consider “typical”.

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Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protests

What was kind of expected, the protesters took hold in Vancouver in the Coal Harbour and west end area this morning. Rebecca said there was coverage on TV of the action, and when Duane and I saw that the group was heading up Robson Street, we grabbed our cameras and ran out to get some shots.

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

Vancouver 2010: Robson Street Protesters

I also shot video while walking behind the crowd. It was impromptu and shaky, but I think it captures some of the atmosphere.

You can see all of the photos I shot in this Flickr set.

People were following this crowd, picking up knocked over newspaper boxes this group of protesters were knocking over as they walked through the streets. The police asked the same man in the video above to cease this act for his own safety. Duane and I stopped following the group shortly after this point for our own safety as well.

Rebecca has a post up. Duane Storey, John Biehler, and Kris Krug all have coverage of this as well.