I don’t often watch the fireworks from the beach, but thanks to some free tickets, I was able to view them from the bleachers at English Bay. We showed up just before the show started thanks to assigned seating and got out of there as soon as it was over easily.
Since I had a guaranteed seat on a stable grandstand, I decided to bring my camera and tripod and shoot some photos. I’ve never been happy with my photos of the fireworks but it’s usually because I can’t be bothered to try different settings once it’s all setup…not to mention the ‘randomness’ of the fireworks display and trying to capture just the right shot.
So, I decided to package up all my photos taken during the evening, about 550 of them, into a time-lapse where you can view the entire display in about 40 seconds:
It’s been a couple of years since I did it, but I couldn’t resist another chance to take my camera down to the West End of Vancouver to photograph the 2011 Vancouver Pride Parade which seemed to be the longest one yet.
Here’s a few of my favourite shots followed by an embedded slideshow of all the photos I posted in Flickr.
I recently purchased a new compact point and shoot digital camera, a Nikon P300. I had high hopes for it’s small size and unique features. Sadly, I wasn’t that impressed with it after using it for a little while and returned it. My iPhone is just too good of a point and shoot camera.
So then I decided to treat myself to Lomography’s newest 35mm film camera, the LC-Wide which had just come out:
The appealing thing about the LC-Wide was that it came with an awesome 17mm ultra wide angle lens, hence the name.
I’ve put about four rolls of film through it now and think I’ve finally got it all figured out and have been loving the results from it.
Here’s a handful of my favorite shots, taken over the last month during my travels:
Here’s a brief run down of my likes/dislikes of this camera:
I Liked:
solid – camera doesn’t feel cheap or ‘plasticy’ and has some heft to it
well built – unlike my Holga’s, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to break simply by advancing the film
small – fits easily in my hand and can be tucked away in your jean or cargo short pockets if you needed to
awesome wide angle glass lens – 17mm on a ‘full frame’ 35mm film camera is fabulous…that is all.
great focal distance – you can easily switch between 0.4-0.9m or 0.9m to infinity focus distance which means you can get really close to your subjects with that wide angle lens
I didn’t like:
expensive – it came with a huge wooden box and two printed books along with other accessories including a remote shutter release cable that was DOA. I would have preferred to just buy the camera and skip the ‘extras’ which while nice, inflated the price of the package
cheesy screenprinted graphics – (see above photo) it seems to be Lomo’s schtick but it would look like a more serious film camera if the body didn’t have cartoon people printed on it…especially for this price point. At least they disappear when you open the lens cover.
tiny ASA dial – to change the film’s ASA setting, the dial is tucked away beside the front of the viewfinder and you need tiny child hands to be able to change the settings
Sure I can probably get similar results if I mess around on my iPhone with Instagram, Hipstamatic or Lemeleme but I still love the look of film, the ‘Christmas Day’ joy of getting a roll back from being developed (I usually just get my rolls developed and scanned to CDs) and seeing the results. I have other film cameras I use occasionally too but this one is usually in my bag all the time since it’s so compact and a ton of fun to use.
Our first full day in Alaska had us going on a 6+ hour catamaran boat cruise with Kanai Fjord Tours of the Kanai Fjord National Park.
Apparently, they rarely get sun in Alaska as the crew kept (jokingly) apologizing for the amazingly warm weather. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt but also brought a rain jacket and fleece as instructed.
Heading out from the surprisingly beautiful Seward harbour, we headed out for open water.
Then the trip started to feel like a put on. Kind of like how a cruise like this would be at a Disney resort. “And over here we have our friend, the sea otter, playing in the water” – and presto, a sea otter appears and does many little rolls in the water for the adorning crowds on the boat:
Then, as if on cue, we had our first (of many) whale spottings:
I wasn’t able to get any ‘good’ shots of the whales (there were at least two at this location) other than lots like this as they never really broke the surface…at least from my vantage point.
The wildlife highlight of the trip (for me) was definitely the half hour visit we had with these dolphins (I forget their exact name) which looked like mini-orcas. This was shot from the bow of the ship and apparently there were lots along side the ship as well:
I’m not sure exactly how many there were but my guess was at least a dozen (they are hard to count!). Even the ship’s crew commented they haven’t seen that many at once before (usually only 3-4 at a time). They probably tell all the tourists that.
If you want a sure fire way to make over a hundred people really, really happy, invite dolphins to the party…everyone was euphoric during and after this encounter.
We then headed toward the main event: glacier ice on the water:
I’d never seen a glacier up close like this before and it was spectacular:
The sounds the ice makes as it breaks up is unbelievably loud…like being front row for a thunderstorm.
This guy shot photos and video of the whole cruise with just his Blackberry Playbook:
After spending a fair bit of time at the glacier, we headed out again and then came across a ton of stellar sea lions:
We weren’t as close to these guys as I got during my zodiac tour earlier this year but close enough to hear them fighting each other for prime sunbathing spots.
Then, after a brilliant day at sea, we headed back to Seward harbour. I still can’t believe the amount of wildlife we saw on the cruise…the brochure really didn’t lie as others on the same trip which took the same cruise the following day confirmed the amount of wildlife they saw as well.
I had heard good things about cruises in Alaska but really wasn’t expecting them to ‘deliver’ in this way…it was an incredible experience. One tip though – you may want to bring some gravol with you. Out of the 6 of us in my party, apparently, I’m the only one with the stomach for the Alaskan seas as everyone else was a little green for parts of the trip. I guess I can submit my application to the Deadliest Catch now!
Here’s a slideshow of all the photos I took during the cruise:
Disclosure: GM Canada paid for this activity as part of the media tour of Alaska that I was on.
I just got back from spending the better part of an amazing week in Alaska as part of a media tour for the launch of the new Chevy Volt electric vehicle which will be available in Canada this fall. But more on that part of the trip in a future post.
One of the activities our group chose to do was glacier ice hiking. This involved meeting up with Exit Glacier Guides in Seward, Alaska where our guide, Julian, outfitted us with crampons, trekking poles and backpacks and gave us some introductory tips for hiking on the glacier.
We then took a van (powered by bio-fuel!) to the local airstrip a few minutes away where we got on a helicopter for a 7 minute flight up to the Godwin Glacier.
Much to my delight, Sean, our helicopter pilot already had a GoPro mount on the front of the helicopter and offered to let me shoot footage of our flight up to the glacier…so enjoy the breathtaking scenery in Alaska:
I also had the GoPro mounted to my helmet the entire time we were hiking shooting still photos so here’s some of the best shots combined with ones taken by my Nikon D7000:
My huge thanks to Adria, Veronica, Garry and Lisa for making this trip possible and the rest of my hiking crew Kathy, Alex, Jason, Garry and our excellent guide, Julian.
The guys at Exit Glacier Guides were fabulous and I can’t recommend them enough if you every want to check out this experience for yourself.
Definitely the trip of a lifetime!
Disclosure: GM Canada paid for this activity as part of the media tour of Alaska that I was on.
This past weekend was Vancouver’s first Mini Maker Faire and even the weather cooperated.
Part carnival, part technology showcase, and part craft show, it’s definitely not your grandma’s kind of faire – you actually have to sign a waiver to gain entry due to some of the exhibits on display and their inherent dangers.
Like this truck that shoots flames:
or this giant, electric walking spider that people drove around the fairgrounds:
a somewhat safer pedal version patrolled the row of tasty food vendors:
There were lots of hands on demos for things like glass blowing, laser cutting, soldering, Arduinos(!) and spin art among a bunch of other crafts and exhibits:
as well as items for sale:
My favorite area was the 3D printing area where I got to see up close for the first time the predessor to my Thing-O-Matic, the RepRap which can actually print a good portion of it’s own parts (minus the motors & electronics):
Another Thing-O-Matic in the wild!
It was cool to see some sample prints from another 3D printer and to chat with the guys that operate them as I was troubleshooting my first prints. I was also able to connect with a number of great people at the Vancouver Hacker Space and the Victoria MakerSpace.
A Nintendo Nunchuk controlled Xylophone:
And lastly, something to use that old iMac for:
I really enjoyed the MakerFaire (and spent WAY too much money at the Solarbotics booth buying Arduino stuff)….I’ve been trying for a couple of years to make it to the big one in San Francisco but scheduling has just never worked out. I’m really glad Vancouver’s turned out to be so great and hope that the organizers are able to make it an annual event. The crowds that turned up and the favorable responses from people I talked to seems to suggest there is a huge market for this kind of event in Vancouver with so many talented and creative folks around. It was also really cool to see so many kids enjoying the faire and learning about technology and the DIY culture that is the mantra behind Maker Faires.
I didn’t take as many photos as I normally would…I was too busy enjoying the faire.
I’m embarrassed to admit it’s be years (possibly 15) since I visited the Aquarium in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Fortunately, I was able to correct that oversight recently when I was invited to check out the new summer exhibit, Birds Up Close which runs until September 5th.
Aside from the regular attractions at the Aquarium, such as the belugas:
the jellyfish:
the spinnaker dolphins:
and the super cute sea otters that hold hands:
Birds Up Close give guests a chance to see a number of birds, um, up close like this great horned owl:
Bald eagles:
and turkey vultures:
It was pretty amazing to see so many animals and birds right in front of you (up close even)…I can’t imagine it will be years before I return to the Aquarium again. Thanks to Jonah Lewis and the Vancouver Aquarium for inviting me down to check it out.
I spent last Friday afternoon doing something I’ve wanted to do forever – skydiving! Well, in this case, it was simulated in a vertical wind tunnel but as you’ll see, it’s pretty close to the real thing:
Out in Delta, Fly Zone Body Flight, gives visitors a chance to experience the feeling of free fall skydiving, without having to get onto a plane:
After a short session in a classroom, Rebecca (Miss 604) and I donned our jumpsuits, goggles and helmets and headed to the wind tunnel which was outside. It’s actually on a flat deck trailer that can be moved to various locations.
Here’s me flying around inside the tunnel on my first run:
Here’s Rebecca doing her full first flight:
Watch as the flight instructors strut their stuff after our first lesson:
One thing I wasn’t expecting was the amount of drool I had blown all over my face from being in the tunnel…I’m pretty sure it was due to the giant smile on my face as the turbine spun below.
I stumbled across a very interesting iPhone app today called Toon Paint. It lets you take or process iPhone photos into line drawings and then gives you the ability to paint them.
I love the look of the converted images and actually prefer the high contrast black and white output rather than the painted images…possibly because I suck at painting. Seems to work really well with Hipstamatic shots which all these examples are.
Here’s an auto painted version (via the in-app purchase of Toon Color):
It’s just available for iPhone but the iPad version is on the way…well worth the $1.99 purchase.
Here’s a few more of my favorite images ‘tooned’ (non-iPhone originals):
I’ll be adding all my Toon Paint images to a set on Flickr.
