tripleman photo feed

Perfect Sailing

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:22 -0700

Sometimes, taking the picture is the easy part. How could you not get a decent shot with all this to work with?

Corfu was fantastic. Great beaches, friendly people, crystal clear water, blue skies, tons of things to do and, in our bay, just the right number of people. Not too crowded but not a ghost town either.

This was a little bit vacation, a little bit of work. When your work is sitting on the beach watching Pablo run that catamaran right on the edge of tipping it starts to feel a lot more like all vacation.

Thanks to everyone at Corfelios for all the help in getting the shots and huge thanks to Evi, Pablo and Jonas.

If you want to have an amazing vacation in Corfu, give these guys a look. Do it fast because they are already filling up for 2011.

Landing in Frankfurt

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:27 -0700

This is a shot of Frankfurt am Main as we landed on the way back from Istanbul in June. I still have more shots from that trip that I want to put up but I've neglected this site in the last while and I wanted to post something new before I took off again.

But, tomorrow I am taking off again. This time we're headed to Greece for two weeks. There will be some work involved as I am taking shots for a German travel agency but I'm also looking forward to some relaxation and beach time.

Take care and I'll post more when I'm back. Promise.

A Flash of Yellow and Blue

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:48 -0700

Sometimes you beat the taxis in Istanbul. Sometimes, they beat you.

Underneath Istanbul, the Basilica Cistern

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:20 -0700

Started by Constantine, rebuilt and expanded by Justinian, the cisterns underneath Yerebatan Caddesi (which literally means "underground street) are huge, impressive and a little scary. Anything that old that leaks - and make no mistake, there is leaking water all over this place - with columns that aren't always straight up and down is a little scary.

Then again, there are 336 columns and it's been there for 1500 years through earthquakes, invasions and calamities. I guess it'll be alright for a while longer. I hope so because it's a really beautiful place and, in the oppressive heat, is an amazingly cool oasis to spend an hour in.

The strangest part is that fish live in the water. Fairly big fish. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It was unexpected to say the least.

I thought that the water came in through run-off from the hill that it sits under but it's source is (was?) a forest 19 kilometres away and is fed by aqueducts.

On a photography note, this is one place that my Gorillapod came in really handy. It's a small, easy to carry, bendable tripod that I was able to wrap around the railings and get steady shots. It's perfect for places where regular tripods are not allowed or frowned upon.

Yerebatan Caddesi

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:09 -0700

This is a really colourful street in Istanbul called Yerebatan Caddesi which means "The Avenue that Sinks Into the Ground".

It doesn't really. The name just refers to the Yerebatan Sarayi Sarniçi (The Palace Cisterns) that are underneath this area.

Our friends were staying at a hotel near here and it this was a great area to sit down and have something to eat before going to the Hagia Sophia or the Blue Mosque which are both just down the street.

The Little Prince

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:05 -0700

What could possibly prompt parents, anywhere in the world, to dress their little boy up like a prince and shower him with gifts and treats for perhaps ten days or two weeks.

Ah yes, the knowledge that at the end of that two weeks they were going to cut part of his penis off.

I've always wondered how circumcision came into existence. The medical reasons are fairly mild and, in most of the world that does it, it's surrounded with much ceremony. It's the ceremony part that makes me suspicious: how do you make an incomprehensible act make sense? Attach religious significance to it.

I'm not buying it.

A Place to Rest

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:19 -0700

There are thousands of graves on this hillside overlooking the Golden Horn. One could do worse than to end up here, overlooking Istanbul.

We had taken the bus to get to Eyüp, the rather conservative district that this cemetery and the mosque from the previous post is in and, on the way, we saw many cars honking and waving the Palestinian flag. There were also people lining the streets - also with flags - so I knew something was up. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of the protests. It turns out that Israel had attacked the Mavi Marmara that day killing eight Turks and one Turkish American. Obviously, tensions were high and people were not very happy about the situation.

I don't blame them one bit.

There simply is no excuse for what Israel did that day and it's especially disgusting when one pays a little attention to history. Humanity's appetite for cruelty and hypocrisy seems to have no bounds.

Eyüp Sultan Mosque

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:52 -0700

This was the first mosque built in Istanbul, then called Constantinople, after the Ottoman's finally conquered the city in 1453. Built next to the tomb of one of the prophet Muhammad's standard bearers (who was killed in a separate siege in 670), it contains a few artifacts ascribed to the profit himself. I'm always leery of claims like that, but kind of accept it with a bit of salt - who am I to say any different? Nonetheless, the mosque is really beautiful and is a great example of Ottoman architecture.

Our girlfriends had to go upstairs to view the mosque from the women's viewing area - which isn't so cool but, since we were the guests in their temple... - and I kind of wanted to go up there as well to get better shots of the interior. I thought that I wouldn't be allowed to go into the women-only area but, I've noticed working on this shot, there is another balcony on the other side that I could have gone to. Oh well, I'll live with what I've got.

I didn't see the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (the standard bearer) but it's supposed to be in the cemetery that extends up the hillside next to the mosque. The cemetery itself supposedly being created there because people wanted to be buried near such a great man. The views from the cemetery and the cafe at the top are for another post.

Night Fishing, Istanbul

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:44 -0700

As much as an activity to catch some food, to me the night fishing seemed to be a social event. Clusters of men would hang out for hours talking, smoking and casting. Families would sit on the grass and barbecue, getting a needed break from day's heat. It was, above all, a group event.

Whether or not the fish are safe to eat is a matter of debate. I can't imagine that those waters are particularly clean and, despite an ever-present shoreline, I only saw a couple of children swimming the entire time I was there. Istanbul is an ancient city and even with an absolutely modern, perfect sewage system (which Istanbul definitely does not have) there is still thousands of years worth of human settlement along these shores to contend with.

Byzantine

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:00 -0700

The domes of the Hagia Sophia.

There is a dictionary definition of Byzantine which means complex. In reality it comes from the maze-like political structures and elaborate ceremonies but, I'd imagine, some of it has to do with the architecture.

This might be a good example. Even having taken the photo myself, I still had to sit there for a minute to figure out what was going on here. I can't really explain it, so I'll leave it up to you. The overlapping domes are really strange and seem sort of impossible, but that's the way it is.

Beautiful, nonetheless.

Hagia Sophia From the Blue Mosque

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:57 -0700

It is rather amazing that the Hagia Sophia is still standing today. It has been damaged and partially collapsed from being sacked, burned and caught in innumerable earthquakes. But never destroyed. Items and icons in it however, have not been so lucky. Contrary to what you might think, it wasn't the conversion of the cathedral into a mosque in 1453 that erased the icons and treasures of the church but mostly the byzantine iconoclasm (726) and the fourth crusade (1202-1204) that took care of most of the relics of antiquity - both christian acts. The former having smashed them, the latter having expropriated them to churches in the west of europe. By the time the Ottoman Turks took control, the church was badly neglected. In it's conversion to a mosque, it was actually strengthened, restored, renovated and added to.

Now it is a museum and I imagine that there is some controversy about that.

Leb-i derya

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 02:36 -0700

Just off of Istiklal Avenue and not far from Galata Tower is a really nice, minimalist restaurant called Leb-i derya. The food was really good, the interior nice and the views of both the european and asian parts of Istanbul are fantastic.

I recommend making reservations though as the place is not very large and is quite popular. Obviously, sitting near an open window with a view of the Bosporus really enhances the dinner and, if it's been hot all day, the breeze through the window is the greatest thing of all time.

I could have just sat there all night, having drinks, talking and looking out at the city.

Even though I really like the blue tones of this evening shot, the black and white version has a subtle appeal that I think is worth a peek. Try mousing over the little "+" icon under the image title to check it out.

Riding the Tram, İstiklal Avenue

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:52 -0700

The historic trams that travels down the middle of İstiklal Avenue don't move very fast or carry that many people, but they are nice relics that will get you from one end of the pedestrian thoroughfare to the other. Of course, if you hitch a ride like this guy, it's also free.

The avenue itself is quite nice if a little touristy and the old architecture is mixed with modern, global retail shops. At night the place really fills up with people and you get to see a more secular, trendier side of Istanbul.

The randomness of Istanbul really becomes apparent when you dive off onto one of the many side streets. You might get a tiny lane crowded with cafes and people relaxing with a drink and a narguileh, or you might get a totally dark street that looks completely run down and shitty. Then, to top it all off, that shitty street will have an absolutely amazing restaurant on it - which is where we went next.

To experience Istanbul is to always experience the unexpected.

Arasta Bazaar

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:45 -0700

The Arasta Bazaar was very near to our hotel and we walked through it most days on the way out to some exploring or on the way back. The items for sale their looked pretty good but I didn't end up buying anything. I did want to pick up a (admittedly touristy) coffee mug with that amazingly red Turkish flag on it, but I ended up forgetting. It's a smaller bazaar that definitely doesn't have the hard-sell merchants always calling out to you, which is nice.

There's a really nice looking restaurant/cafe one end of the market which we did sit at for a while whilst waiting for our friends. Unfortunately, we did not eat there so I can't give you any reviews other than everyone was very relaxed, smoking a narguileh (water pipe) and really enjoying the music that was played live by a few musicians. What a great, social atmosphere, just spending the evening talking with friends and family.

Addendum: One thing that we missed out was the Great Palace Mosaic Museum. I knew it was there, but didn't actually take the time to see it. That's something that I regret. It houses mosaics recovered from the remains of the Great Palace which was originally started by Constantine the Great. They are the largest landscape mosaics remaining from late antiquity. The palace was the centre of Byzantine government for 800 years. I can't blame our missing this on the museum itself, but the front is really subdued and quite small. Certainly not befitting what is contained inside. I would never believe that the remains of the palace that was so important for nearly a millennium would be housed in such an unassuming building. When I go back to Istanbul, I will definitely not miss it again.

Our Terrace in Istanbul

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:33 -0700

I was in Germany for about a day and a half before I headed back to Frankfurt and hopped on a flight to Istanbul. The nice parts about this flight were one, it was a Lufthansa flight and two, it was only two and a half hours and not nine. Oh, Lufthansa, how I've missed you so... The unfortunate part was that we arrived in the middle of the night and there was a mix-up at the hotel (not entirely unexpected).

The next day, we met up with my girlfriend's sister and her boyfriend - who were coming from Berlin - and a friend of mine who had made the trek from Vancouver only a day or so after I left. This was to be the first leg of her grand European tour. It was weird and cool to see someone from Vancouver in a place as strange and different as Istanbul - as if we'd just met up for coffee. But on the other side of the world.

So, there we sat. On the terrace overlooking Sultanahmet (at least, I think that's Sultanahmet), drinking beer in a muslim country and marvelling at the fact that we were all able to meet up in such a far off land. For me personally, it was strange to have bounced so quickly from Vancouver to Germany to Istanbul and, somehow, not really have any jet lag. Actually, it was just weird to have bounced from Vancouver to Germany to Istanbul.

This was a chance to relax, absorb the change and just enjoy life.

Departing Vancouver

Tue, 25 May 2010 03:38 -0700

This should be quite an adventure...

UPDATE: Since the dome still has it's roof, the shot isn't really current but I couldn't get a shot this flight out and the blur isn't from an attempt to make it look like a tilt-shift shot, it's from the exhaust from the jet's engines. In some ways it does give it a bit of a tilt-shift look though.

The Rialto Bridge

Sun, 23 May 2010 14:30 -0700

The first bridge to cross where the Rialto Bridge now stands was made in 1181. Over the next five hundred years, it collapsed a few times so they decided to remake it in stone. The one you see here was finished in 1591.

The Gondolas of Venice

Tue, 18 May 2010 07:46 -0700

The pace of Venice can be measured in the regular rowing of the gondoliers.

The Grand Canal

Fri, 14 May 2010 07:58 -0700

After running around Rome for days, it was so nice to get to calm Venice.

No cars, no mopeds. Just people, water and magnificent views.

Saint Peter's Square

Thu, 13 May 2010 07:57 -0700

18 shot, 360 degree panorama.

Huge. Both the photo and the place.

Pope Benedict XVI

Wed, 12 May 2010 08:19 -0700

I suppose if you're going to the Vatican, you might as well see the pope.

I'm not big on religion or celebrities, but there are six billion people on this earth and only one pope.

It's kind of a rare thing and I was lucky to capture it.

The Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel

Tue, 11 May 2010 08:00 -0700

It took Michelangelo four years to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

That was five hundred years ago.

Gallery of the Candelabra

Mon, 10 May 2010 07:49 -0700

So, where does the painting end and the ornate decoration begin? It was the colours that got me but then I noticed how that wing extends beyond the frame...

Not being religious at all, I'm not sure what the painting exactly depicts and I haven't been able to find out very much about the painting other than the artist was a german, Ludwig Seitz, and it was painted in the late 1800s.

His style seemed to develop towards rich colours and pious subjects both of which are quite obvious here. As far as I can tell, it's about the virtuous nature of hard work and good deeds but I welcome any further insights.

Vatican City and the Sublunary Sphere

Fri, 07 May 2010 07:48 -0700

I find it interesting that there would be a giant modern sublunary sphere in the centre of a courtyard in the Vatican city. The sphere represents an earth that is central to the universe with all celestial bodies circling it. While it is obvious that that was Catholic doctrine for many years it seems that, to have a modern sculpture of it here, it brings up that failed argument again and highlights the imprisonment of Galileo Galilei for daring to say that perhaps the earth rotates around the sun. That man and the earth are not the centre of the universe.

It's a little odd to put a reminder of a lost battle in the centre of the Vatican. Not a heroic lost battle, but one that showed a major flaw in philosophy and intransigence in the face of new information.

A battle that everyone knows the Catholic Church lost.

The Grave, the City, and the Wilderness

Wed, 05 May 2010 07:21 -0700

The Spanish Steps.

Everything you would expect to be in Rome is here. Tourists, locals, street vendors, a million stories, fountains, churches, architecture. cobblestone streets, history, fashionable shops, restaurants and pickpockets. This is supposed to be the epicentre of european pickpocketing. Judging by the number of american teenage girls running around, taking photos and not paying attention to their bags, it's probably a lucrative spot for someone with quick hands.

Audrey Hepburn climbed these steps and ate ice cream on her first day as an escaped princess in Roman Holiday. Aside from being Audrey Hepburn, she looked just like all of these people. Admiring the view, taking in the history and doing some people watching. The crowds are constant and the murmuring voices mix with the sounds of the fountain creating a vacation soundtrack that isn't easily forgotten.

It's beautiful. All of it.

The poet Keats came here - to the house on the right of the steps - to try to recuperate from consumption, as they called it then - but it was too late. He died at the age of twenty-five. Not ever knowing the profound influence he would have on english literature.

Here lies one whose name was writ in water.

Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso

Mon, 03 May 2010 07:45 -0700

This is in a church in Rome that you've probably never heard of and yet, this is what it looks like inside. It barely has a wikipedia entry.

There is no shortage of amazing, historic, art filled churches in Rome.

Trevi Fountain

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:50 -0700

Tourists throw roughly 3000 euros a day into Trevi Fountain which is the terminus of the modern incarnation of the ancient Roman aqueduct, the Aqua Virgo.

Via dei Fori Imperiali

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:18 -0700

With some streets, you don't need a sign to know where you are.

All Roads Lead to Rome

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 08:08 -0700

When they say all roads lead to Rome, this is where they lead to. Just to the left of that angled cover are two nondescript little brick structures. One is the Umbilicus urbis Romae and the other is the Milliarium Aureum.

They are mile zero. At one point this was the centre of the universe.

I made this big - again to view on a 27" iMac - smaller sizes available here or just cmd+ - to zoom out-.

Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 07:56 -0700

Built to honour the first king of a unified italy, the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II is unbelievably huge and very new compared to the rest of Rome and especially compared to the ancient parts of Rome that surround it. It was started in 1895 and finished in 1935.

Man, it was hot that day.

White Cars and the Piazza della Repubblica

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:18 -0700

No time to talk, just wanted to post.

Those Who Are About to Die Salute You

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:52 -0700

Nearly 2000 years ago, the Colosseum would have been filled with 50,000 people all cheering the deaths of countless people.

[Edit] I posted this shot at a ridiculously huge size for one simple reason: I wanted to see what it looks like on the 27" iMac at work. Man, the iMac makes everything look magical. On the 27", there's still about two inches of space on either side of this shot. It's all I can do to not buy one as I come home from work. Try as I might, I just can't justify it as I just bought a new MacBook Pro and I already have a (still really awesome) older Cinema Screen display.

For those with a smaller screen, there are resized versions here.

If you have the means, I highly suggest picking one up. It's a mac, it's huge and it's amazing.

The Colosseum

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:04 -0700

In honour of the arrival of my amazing Cameron Moll letterpress print of the colosseum, I'm putting up this shot. It also fits because Rome was the next place we visited.

High Above Florence

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:29 -0700

Another quick post. This shot from back in Florence.

Livecity Yaletown

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:04 -0700

Not much time to post. Just wanted to get back in the swing of posting often.

This is a shot of Livecity Yaletown taken during the olympics.

Civic Space

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:09 -0700

This could be a vibrant civic square with tables, chairs, cafes, a restaurant and maybe even a pub. People relaxing, having a coffee or beer, enjoying the view while sitting in a community enriching, public space.

But, it is not.

If you need any proof of that, you only have to look at the fact that, when they put the olympic cauldron here, the public was totally excluded from any consultation on if we even wanted it there and kept back by gigantic jersey barriers and chain-link fences.

This space is not meant for people and to make sure you know that, there is nothing human sized here at all.

The streets around here are already used a lot for filming and, if they need a set for a Nuremberg rally, this space would fit the bill perfectly.

WE and Vectorial Elevation

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:24 -0700

There are two pieces of art featured here. The first is WE, by Jaume Plensa and is the sculpture in the foreground and the second is the array of spotlights in the background called Vectorial Elevation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.

What is also featured here is an end to my "olympics in a vacuum" photos which are the last few that I have posted. What I mean by that is that the last photos encompass the enjoyment of the moment without the repercussions that reality entails.

Make no mistake, I enjoyed my own moments with olympians and am very thankful for the opportunity to talk to and photograph them. I'm also a huge hockey fan and celebrated Canada's victory with as much pride and emotion as anyone.

But the same argument that I had against the olympics when it was first announced that we were bidding is the same argument that I have now: at what cost?

What does that have to do with the two works of art in the photo? It seems as if we are now seeing the connection between the olympics and the arts community and it goes way beyond the cultural olympiad which is what brought Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's fantastic light show to Vancouver.

The real connection is a massive budget cut in provincial arts funding which jeopardize arts projects in BC. Arts projects which would enrich and inspire the people of BC for a hell of a lot longer than 17 days.

The cuts are so drastic that Rafael Lozano-Hemmer called his own project "obscene" after learning of them. He found it obscene that the cultural olympiad is being funded but, after the games are over, the tap is being cut off.

What I find obscene is the hypocrisy of the provincial Liberals and the Gordon Campbell government. For those of you not familiar with BC politics, make no mistake, there is nothing liberal about the provincial Liberals other than the name. Their economic agenda is as neocon as Harper's and Bush's.

What do these politicians do when the world is looking? Put arts front and centre in the opening ceremonies. When it became painfully obvious that the majority of residents of Vancouver would not get to see a single live event, who did they turn to too supply alternative entertainment? The arts community. When they try and show the world how cosmopolitan and mature we are as a city, who do they turn to? The arts community.

I find that hypocritical and unacceptable.

Marianne St-Gelais and Charles Hamelin

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:13 -0700

I suppose that, if you were following the olympics, you would have seen the video of Charles Hamelin winning his first gold in men's 500m short track speed skating and, perhaps more memorably, seen double silver medallist Marianne St-Gelais frantically cheering her boyfriend on to victory (if you don't want to hear that miserable "I Believe" again, turn off the volume before pressing play):

Here, they are both looking a little calmer but no less happy. With Kalyna Roberge, in black on the far left, there were permanent smiles all around. I would be too if my girlfriend and I had just won four olympic medals. Between the three of them, they have won one bronze medal, four silvers and two golds at two olympic games. The success doesn't seem to have gone to their heads.

They were very gracious and humble, answered all of my questions as if they had never been asked before and enthusiastically accepted my request for a photo.

Thank you all very much.

Kalyna Roberge Celebrates Her Newest Medal

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:32 -0700

I was lucky enough to get an invite to a party on saturday night at the Commodore Ballroom sponsored, strangely enough, by lululemon and Budweiser. It was a really great event with a lot going on. There were DJs and suspended dancers, ice furniture and icicles, free drinks and women wearing nothing more than paint. The mayor apparently showed up.

Oh yeah, and olympic athletes. Medal winning olympic athletes.

As far as I could tell, there were eight or nine medallists there who are responsible for ten or twelve medals. Most were Canadian but there was at least one Korean and two Americans. The Americans were the only ones that I personally saw wearing their medals. Unfortunately, at about 4am and after shooting over 400 photos at the event, my battery had just died and I wasn't able to get photos of them or their medals. Another photographer there had grabbed a photo of the Korean wearing his medal earlier.

What I did get, though, are photos of, and conversations with, some of Canada's figure skaters and short track speed skating teams.

As far as I could tell, none had their medals with them, all were dressed casually and hanging out just as any group of friends would. Nothing presumptuous, just relaxing and enjoying the moment. A very well deserved moment.

This first photo is of Kalyna Roberge (left) posing with a friend of mine. Vancouver gave her her second olympic silver medal, she won her first in Torino. She was also the 2007 500m world champion. Not bad for a 24 year old.

Red White & Gold

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:30 -0700

Robson and Granville was undoubtedly the centre of the craziness after Canada won Olympic gold in hockey but the mass of people stretched out for blocks in all directions, paralyzing downtown until past midnight.

Flags, cheers, singing and, above all, smiles ruled the day.

Vancouver 2010, Hockey Gold

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:12 -0700

This game, this moment, is what all of Canada has been waiting for since the day they announced that Vancouver would host the 2010 Olympics. As soon as Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner, Vancouver erupted into the most gigantic celebration this city has ever seen. The estimates I've seen say ~~100,000~~ 150,000 people were celebrating downtown. It felt like a million.

I've never seen so many Canadian flags and that takes into account the all of the flags that have been on display since the games started. Today, there were ten times as many.

From Thurlow to Beatty, Robson was a unified mass of flying, waving, red and white flags.

You Gotta Be Here

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:11 -0700

As a little break from my Europe vacation photos is this one from the newly re-opened rink at Robson Square. My intention was to post it on Christmas day but that was not to be. My trusty, four year old, well used MacBook Pro died - on Christmas day. Looks like it's the mother board so the drive is fine and, thankfully, I have everything backed up on Time Machine (if you're a mac user, I highly recommend setting it up and backing up often).

The good news is that I now have a shiny new MacBook Pro. It's hella fast, the screen is hella bright (I got the anti-glare version), it runs much cooler and it looks like the future.

That's enough about me. I hope everyone's holidays were great and that good times were had by all.

As for the title, that's British Columbia's tourism slogan and I don't find it at all compelling but, what can you do.

Getting Lost in Florence

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:10 -0700

Not much time to do a big write-up but I did want to post a shot.

I made this photo extra large because I love some of the details in the shot. The huge rooftop at the bottom right of the shot or the hills in the background for example.

Taken from Giotto's Campanile.

Have a great weekend.

The Pisa Triptych

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:57 -0700

I haven't done very much to promote the fact that all of the images seen on my site are available to buy as prints. In fact, I've barely mentioned it. Since it is nearing Christmas and I've just hung these up, I thought I would take a shot of them framed and hung and put it up here as a bit of a display of what they look like.

The print service, fotomoto, is fast, good and secure - not only meaning the online transaction but the shipped prints are packaged ridiculously well. Flat packed in fact so there are no lame rolled up prints.

As far as the framing goes, I just went to Ikea and bought some Ribba frames and put them up. I'm quite happy with the result and everything was pretty cheap.

The selling of prints won't exactly pay my bills, but any money that I do receive from them does go directly into my photography fund. If you like the shots and wanted to have some prints to hang or give as presents, now is the time.

The links for ordering are underneath each image. I've created a coupon code for 20% off for the first 50 people to order. Just enter 536C37 and you'll get the discount.

Thanks again for coming to my site. The views, comments and prints always make my day.

The Duomo of Florence

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:28 -0700

There are four million bricks in that dome and, since it sits on a drum wall and not the roof, it was built without a supporting structure. Not bad for the - at the time - largest dome in the world. Not bad for the 15th century.

It is still the largest brick dome in the world.

The top of the cross is 115 metres high. That's taller than the bell tower which is where this photo was taken. I believe this is looking east and the street below is Via dell'Oriuolo.

There is no elevator (not as ridiculous as it sounds, the bell tower in Venice has one) and it's a long walk up but really worth it to see the quintessential view of a historic Italian city.

A little aside: the bell tower in Venice has an elevator because the original, 16th century tower fell in 1902 and was rebuilt.

The alternate image (hover over the little "+" to see) is a colour version which I'm really kind of fond of.

The Gates of Paradise

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:03 -0700

When Michelangelo looked at the east doors of the Battistero di San Giovanni he stated that they were worthy enough to be the gates to paradise - the gates to heaven.

Let me say that again: When Michelangelo looked at the east doors of the Battistero di San Giovanni he stated that they were worthy enough to be the gates to paradise.

These doors that you are looking at now. Awed Michelangelo. If that thought doesn't smack you in the head I don't know what will.

They took Lorenzo Ghiberti 27 years to complete. The ten panels depict different scenes from the old testament with each panel showing multiple aspects of the different scenes. If you combine these with the north doors, Ghiberti spent 50 years sculpting the entrances to the Baptistry.

The alternate image (hover over the little "+" to see) is a close up of the top two panels on the left side. The top one shows the creation of Adam and Eve, the temptation and their expulsion from the garden of Eden. In the bottom left of the panel, God creates Adam. In the middle, He creates Eve. Just above the creation of Adam is the temptation by the serpent and in the bottom right is their expulsion from the garden.

The lower panel depicts Noah and what happened after the epic floods receded. My synopsis won't sound very biblical and mythical but Noah, after building an alter to the Lord, settled down and planted a vineyard. Of course, what naturally comes after that is that he is found lying naked and drunk on the ground by his sons who cover him up and walk away in shame. That's Noah in the bottom left lying next to a giant cask of wine. Not so dignified for the guy who saved all of the worlds creatures, but hey, who's perfect? At least he didn't wreck the garden of Eden like those other two.

Coming at the beginning of the renaissance, these panels show so much more than what is immediately obvious. The reclining Adam gave Michelangelo the Adam for the Sistine Chapel and Eve appears again later as a dead ringer for Botticelli's "Venus Rising". Other panels are similarly influential.

I'm really not religious at all (rather down on the entire subject actually) but to actually see and read the histories of everywhere I went on this trip is just fascinating.

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:53 -0700

From Pisa to... Florence.

After leaving the car we walked down some narrow streets and past a market before we entered the Piazza del Duomo. An impressive sight to say the least.

This is the facade of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. It is more famous for the enormous dome - the largest brick dome in the world - but the facade is just astounding. There is a bit of a difference of opinion about whether it's too ornate or not but I find it simply incredible. There are plenty of places for sleek, modern and simple. This is not it.

While the cathedral itself was started 1296, the facade was left basically unfinished until the 19th century. It seems a little odd considering the importance of Florence and this cathedral in particular but, that's the way it was left. It's not like there was a shortage of renaissance artists to work on it. All the big names you can think of, they were there.

I could have spent a month there and not scratched the surface in terms of art, architecture and history. Perhaps, one day, I will get the chance.

The alternate image is, once again, a colour version.

The Baptistry of St. John

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:44 -0700

Update: The print of this looks ridiculously good, if I do say so myself. Make everyone happy and pick one up by clicking "order a print" above.

While we didn't climb the leaning tower, we did go into the duomo and baptistry. There's no real significance to our choices - the line to get into the tower was considerable and the heat was oppressive. Inside was much, much cooler. All of that marble definitely has an effect.

I live in the middle of a city with many skyscrapers (it's no Hong Kong, but still) and, today, we can make then tall but we can't make them impressive. Not like this.

The alternate image is a colour version.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:19 -0700

For over eight hundred years the Tower of Pisa has stood, leaning over the Piazza del Duomo. In case you were wondering, it's 56.70 m at it's highest point - that includes the lean.

I've noted before, here, that Pisa is Galileo's birthplace but I felt that it was worth mentioning again.

The alternate image is a shot of the base of the tower which, I believe, gives a greater sense of just how much the tower does lean. Well worth hovering over the little "+" sign to see.

The Cathedral and its Baptistery

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:30 -0700

Man, it's been a long time since I've posted something. Far too long.

This is another view of the gigantic cathedral in Pisa - this time showing the baptistery as well. The baptistery looks quite small compared to the cathedral but you can see people milling around its base for a sense of scale.

Enormous is how I'd describe it.

The alternate image is a black and white view. I've finally resolved the issues around that add-on and it should be working right for all browsers - still not for RSS though so you'll have to click through. The alternate image is found by mousing over the little "+" icon under the image title.

The Cathedral and its Campanile

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:57 -0700

Update III: The alternate image is a close-up of the cathedral.

Update II: Fixed, whew. Now if only I had time to throw some new photos up...

Update:: Seems I have totally broken the Browse page while messing around with the internals. LAME. Will try to fix asap.

Brilliantly painted buildings, pretty horses and charming carriages aside, I guess this is the reason that everyone knows about Pisa. A seriously flawed bell tower.

Then again, look at it. How amazing is that - and I don't just mean the tower, the Duomo is incredible as well.

The strange thing is that not only is the tower leaning but it kind of curves as well.. The tower was built over nearly two hundred years despite the fact that it started to lean almost from the beginning. So, knowing that it leaned and unwilling to start again from scratch, they made one side higher than the other to compensate. They did this as they built the fourth through eighth stories. It didn't really help but it's a testament to something. What that is, I don't know, but it's something.

The true architect is something of a mystery. I wouldn't have taken credit for it at the time either. Then again, it was started in 1173, has been leaning for more than eight hundred years and no effective effort to stabilize it was tried until 1990. Not bad, really.

They speculate that Galileo Galilei dropped two different weights from the tower in his famous mass and gravity experiment. Perhaps cannon balls to take the speculation even further. Unfortunately, he never recorded the experiment so it most likely was only discussed. One thing that we do know for sure is that he was born in Pisa.

It does strange things to my head to know that I have walked the same streets as Galileo Galilei. Not only that but I've done it in at least four different cities.

Piazza dei Cavalieri

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:12 -0700

The pain of leaving the Italian coast was dulled a little bit by the thought that we were going to Tuscany. An area of no small fame and beauty. Pisa is close to the coast but not that close and it looks like Livorno takes most of the sea traffic from this area.

Most of stories I've heard about Pisa involve people having about a half an hours stop in between trains, sprinting the distance to the tower, taking the obligatory holding-up-the-tower-shot and then racing back. We were driving so we had a bit more time and were able to casually stroll to the city's most famous landmark. Not having a map, but finding the train station, I knew that the tower was fairly close.

There wasn't a single sign that pointed to the tower in the entire town.

We headed in what turned out to be the right direction but did have to eventually ask. We were only two or three blocks away, but the buildings are so close together that it was impossible to see the tower. It gave us a bit of a chance to look around but the heat was a little oppressive. Notice how the carriage is in the shade?

By accident, or by ancient design of of the city, we passed through the Piazza dei Cavalieri which was the original heart of the city. I guess at times there are public markets there but we showed up during what must have been siesta because most businesses in town were closed until the late afternoon and then would stay open until eight in the evening.

Interesting business plan you've got there.

Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:00 -0700

There isn't much of a focal point in this shot so you kind of end up aimlessly panning around but I'm putting it up for documentary reasons - this is the Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta in Portofino, a beautiful place to see - and this was the end of our trip to the Italian Riviera.

Sad, but there were still so many places to go and amazing things to see.

Castello Brown and Portofino Harbour

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:44 -0700

Yesterday I talked about Castello Brown and today's shot features it. There, on that unbelievably lush hillside, overlooking the harbour and keeping guard for seven hundred years is the castle itself. We didn't spend much time in Portofino and we didn't get a chance to go up there and I really wish I had. I've seen pictures from up there and the view over the bay is amazing. I'd also have loved to check out some of the history it contains. Apparently, there is some evidence of a Roman camp and perhaps a watchtower nearby. Portofino or Portus Delphini (Port of the Dolphin) to use it's Roman name, has been around a long time.

UPDATE: HA! I've somehow broken the feature described below and I'm not sure what I did. I'm trying to fix it. Will update when it's all ok.

UPDATE II: It's only broken on webkit browsers now. Totally at a loss how to fix it.

**UPDATE III: Fixed it. Holy crap, what an ordeal.

There are times when I'm working on photos and I can't decide whether or not I like the colour version or the black and white version - or something completely different. So, for such occasions, I've brought back a feature that I had on here a while ago, didn't really use and then got rid of. ~~In the top right near the RSS link~~ Just under the image title is a little red icon that, if you hover your mouse over, will give you the an alternate version of the photo. It will allow me to show both versions without having to put out an extra post that really is just the same image.

I'd really like to hear your opinions on the matter as that might show me what you guys like. Want more black and white? Let me know. Think I should stick to colour? Let me know.

This won't work at all with RSS so, if you're interested in seeing the alternate, you'll have to click through to the site and check it out there. If this all goes horribly wrong in your browser, drop me a line and I'll see if I can fix it. That said, I'm not busting my hump for Internet Explorer. Please for the love of everything pixelated, get a real browser. Firefox works. Safari is swell. Live on the edge with Chrome. But IE is dead and just doesn't know it yet.

Port of the Dolphin

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:42 -0700

Portofino is rather famous and has been for quite a while so it's surprising to see how small it really is. What is not surprising is how beautiful it is. We drove along the prototypical Mediterranean seaside road and I just stared out the window at all of the ancient houses, manors, churches and hotels.

Once you get there, the piazza and harbour are lined with the typical, pastel Italian three or four story apartments, most with cafés or stores on the main floor, and the hills are spotted with some more impressive manors and at least one castle, the 14th century Castello Brown. The British managed to take Portofino from Napoleon - who had renamed Portofino, "Porto Napoleone" - and after everything settled out the British Consul bought the castle and named it after himself.

It's obviously a spot of some strategic importance because there was no shortage of invading fleets to fend off and the castle seemed to manage quite well over the years but you can't win them all.

The harbour itself is too small to host most of the ridiculously huge yachts that frequent the area but they are moored not far off shore and I'm assuming that these nice boats ferry people back and forth. It's no wonder everyone boats in as parking prices are insane. Then again, this isn't the crowd that complains about that sort of thing. I'm not part of that crowd, so I'll complain.

The Abbey of San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:40 -0700

Apparently, the beach is a fairly recent addition to this tiny little bay - showing up in 1915 after a particularly large storm (Jeebus?!). Until then, people were able to moor their boats to the foundation of the abbey. And when I say people, I mean pirates. I should probably point out that I've always hated the whole internet pirate meme (and seriously, zombies can go s#$! a b#@ of d%$#@) but to actually be in a place where actual pirates lived - that's cool as all hell.

1915 is a recent addition because construction of the church started in the 10th century. I doubt that they hauled all of the construction materials over the hills, so everything was brought in by boat. Even that doesn't seem easy. As I said yesterday, if you check out the map feature - see link below and check the satellite option - you can get a sense of how tiny this little village is. There can't be more than ten buildings total. The amazing thing is that there are probably five restaurants there. I think only one of them has the name on the awning, so really they all just look like crowded balconies.

In the Den of Pirates

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:02 -0700

This little inlet with it's unreal turquoise waters used to hide Mediterranean pirates.

I can totally imagine a vessel like this one nestled into the bay with pirates ferrying their loot in small boats over to the old abandoned (seized?) abbey of San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte. It's crazy to think about.

Eventually the abbey was brought back to respectability by the Genoese Doria Princes and they built fortifications to ward off any marauders.

As with so many places that I went to, I wanted to be able to just stand there and wind back time, seeing everything that had gone on and all the lives that had passed through that point. Totally fascinating.

The odd piece sticking up from the bottom of the smaller of the two boats is an underwater viewer. Just at the mouth of the inlet is Il Cristo degli Abissi, an underwater statue of Jesus put there in 1954 as a memorial to all those from this area that have died at sea and, if you aren't into diving, you can take one of these rowboats to see it.

We didn't, preferring to lounge on the beach, explore the site and have a little lunch.

I totally recommend clicking on the "show this photo on a map" link below.

On a Boat, In the Mediterranean

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:05 -0700

This is the Italian Riviera and more specifically, the Riviera di Levante.

But this is looking at it from a boat in the Mediterranean. I can't tell you how good that feels to say.

Not as good as being there though.

It was really nice to get out onto the water to escape the heat a while and get a different perspective of the coast. There are some amazing houses - mansions? hotels? could go either way really – on top of the hills as well as right down near the water. There are no roads to the water so the only way in or out is by boat.

We were on our way to a small bay that has a tiny fishing village and an old abbey. An old abbey that was, for years, a den for various pirates. Seriously.

San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte. Just rolls off the tongue, no?

Colours of Camogli

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:21 -0700

This shot breaks my heart.

I love Vancouver, I really do. But how can you compete with colours like this? I'm seriously lucky that I didn't have to return from this to west coast winter grey. That might have killed me.

This is just east of Genova in a town called Camogli. The hillsides are crowded with these houses (they give the town it's name) - and it's no wonder because they all have fantastic views of the Mediterranean.

After some exploration, it was time to get out on the water.

Poking around the net, I found this site, camogli3d, and it's exactly what the name says. It's a 3D interactive walkthrough of Camogli. Crazy.

You'll need shockwave to view it. I'm not a fan of shockwave (stuck it on my pc at work, no way it's going on my mac) but this is actually really damn cool.

Paradise Between the Mountains and the Sea

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:41 -0700

When we drove from Germany to the Cinque Terre, we headed south to Genova and then headed south-east. One of the things that amazed me was the ridiculous number of tunnels that we went through as we headed along the coast.

It's steep there and going through is the only way - over and around might take days.

For me, this shot really conveys just how nestled into the hills these little towns are. If it wasn't so beautiful, you could call it trapped between the mountains and the sea.

As it stands, it's more like paradise found...

The Harbour in Vernazza

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:19 -0700

Back to the colours of Italy with this shot of the harbour of Vernazza. This seems to be the one town of the Cinque Terre that people talk about the most with the seaside Doria Castle and 14th century Church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia. The church is in this shot, the castle is not.

We went there twice and I easily could have spent a week there just relaxing and taking photos. The water was fantastically clear and the colour of emeralds.

I love the fact that, amongst all of the tourists swimming, there are fisherman who still take their bright little boats out and work the sea.

It's a fantastic harbour to be in and I'd go back there anytime.

Going Back In Time

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:57 -0700

Sometimes, when you go to an amazing place, amazing things happen.

We made the trek from Manarola to Corniglia, climbed the many stairs up to the village - the only one in the Cinque Terre not right down at the water - and looked back at where we had been.

I'm not sure where the schooner came from but it sure fit the scene.

I already felt like I'd gone back in time without having a tall ship drift into the story.

Perfect.

UPDATE: Through some crack google sleuthing, Jeff was able to track down the name of this handsome vessel. It was the Brigantine (and not schooner) Swan fan Makkum and is now under an italian flag and name: The Nave Italia. Built in Poland in 1993 and now operated by the italian navy and the Genoa Yacht Club.

It is the worlds largest brigantine (a vessel with two masts, only the forward one being square rigged). It's also the worlds largest two masted sailing vessel.

Thanks Jeff and Wikipedia.

Ah interweb, is there nothing you can't do.

From The Vineyards Above Manarola

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:44 -0700

We took a path that cut through the hillside and the vineyards overlooking Manarola and spent some time looking out over the village, the harbour and the mediterranean.

It's amazing to me how the people have carved out their lives - for generations - in these steep hills by the sea. Beyond a doubt, it's a beautiful place but it must be an extremely difficult place to farm.

The Old Man and the Church

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:08 -0700

In Manarola, the second town in the Cinque Terra that we went to, there is this magnificent old church that is surprisingly large for a village this small. It's the Church of San Lorenzo and it was built - or started - in 1338. This photo makes it look much more utilitarian than it really is as it shows no windows at all and only an imposing front facade.

The inside however is classic, old, italian and catholic.

The man sitting was not there when we entered the church but was when we came out. It was good for me because he adds a much needed human element to what would otherwise be an imposing wall of stone. His relaxed pose contrasts with the formality of the meticulously placed blocks.

The Case Torri of Riomaggiore

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:13 -0700

Several of my friends had been to the Cinqua Terra and they had all raved about how beautiful it is. They weren't lying.

Staying outside of the five actual villages that make up Cinqua Terra, in a town called Framura, we took a short train ride to Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the five, and started our walk back along the coast, stopping in each village as we went. Having seen pictures, I knew a little of what to expect but they can't compare to being there and experiencing it. That feeling was ever present during the five weeks I was in Europe.

In an early sign of something else that was constant, I had to go as wide as possible with my camera and take three shots to get the scene I wanted. These towns are so tight that to get an overall shot I had to stitch panoramas. Later, in Rome and Paris, the monuments and sights are so huge that a single shot won't work. If I had a wider lens I might have got it in two instead of three but there would be more distortion. I am surprised at how little I used my 70-300 during this trip. The only times I brought it out was when we went up to the top of towers or mountains.

This was my first close up view of the Mediterranean and it is fantastically clear and green. So inviting on a day as hot as this one was - about 35C or perhaps more.

The Flag Flies Downtown

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:29 -0700

July 1st, Canada Day. We're taking the day off.

The View From Burg Neuenstein

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:09 -0700

I am finally back and the vacation is truly over. It was a fantastic trip and counts as some of the best time that I've ever had. To everyone that I met, you we're all extremely nice and turned a great trip into a spectacular trip. Thank you very, very much. It would not have been the same without you.

This is a shot taken from a castle in Badenweiler called Burg Neuenstein, built in 1122, and overlooks Müllheim, the Rhine Valley and Alsace. We sat there for at least an hour watching the sun set.

That whole area in Germany, Baden-Württemberg, is amazingly green - at least as green as Vancouver if not more - and watching the colours change as the sun went down was magical. This was one of the first places that I went after arriving and, impossibly, it only got better from there.

Frieiburg im Breisgau

Mon, 18 May 2009 08:47 -0700

So, I arrived in Freiburg on the 13th. This photo is from my first small walk around the city and, further to my earlier tweet, this is the patio of the restaurant that is two flights below where I am staying. There is a small stream that runs past and, mixed with the quiet conversations from the patio and the birds, form the archetypal soundtrack to europe.

The rock in the middle of the stream isn't a rock but a stone alligator and I've been told the story of it's meaning but have forgotten it. I will update when given the info again.

The weather has been typical inland spring weather: sunny and warm mixed with some blistering early-evening thunder/lightning showers. My first evening here we went to the river and had a beer on the grass - until the skies opened up and completely drenched us. It didn't matter. I'd made it to europe and, possibly aside from a direct lightning strike (and even then only possibly), I was happy to be here.

I've been here for five days or so and have been to France twice and Switzerland once - and all three countries (including Germany) in one day. Freiburg is less than an hour away from both of those countries and going there is like hitting the states if you live in greater Vancouver. It's even easier because there is no border stop. I was a little disappointed about that as this passport needs some stamps.

The building in the middle of this shot is a brewery and you can go there with a big glass container and fill it with beer. It's kind of like Steamworks except you can take it to the Augustinerplatz, sit down and enjoy it. Oh yeah, and two litres of beer is five euros. To put it another way TWO LITRES OF REALLY GOOD BEER IS FIVE EUROS! Sorry for the wiki image link, I'll have my own photos up here soon enough.

On wednesday we leave for Italy and Paris and I can't believe any of this is real. I feel like I'm visiting Cinderella's home town.

Everyone I've met here has been amazingly nice and it is embarrassing (a) how many people know english and (b) how little german I know. I am the typical north american - can barely speak a word of german or french.

I'm going to be in Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Venice, Paris and Berlin - if anyone has any tips feel free to comment - but I will only have net access until the 20th.

Another Plane Ride

Mon, 11 May 2009 16:28 -0700

So, I'm getting on a plane again - tomorrow - but this time I'll be gone for five weeks. Going to try to photograph Europe. All of it.

Updates here are going to be rare. I'll have some net access but the reality is that if I spend my time there buried in my computer, I'll get killed.

You can probably get more updates from me on twitter including my iPhone photos of the day - which happen almost every day.

Oh yeah, I implemented Fotomoto on this site a few weeks ago. It allows you to order prints of my images or just send simple (and free) e-cards. The reason I point this out is that Fotomoto required me to upload a high-res version of my images for print and I haven't had time to do that for most (almost all) of my images. If you feel the need to order one, I won't be able to get a high res shot up to Fotomoto until I return in mid-june.

Thank you for your patience.

Giant

Sun, 10 May 2009 20:49 -0700

Not much time for talk, just wanted to post something.

One of the many amazing mountains along the sea to sky highway.

Cruising Away

Fri, 08 May 2009 10:58 -0700

So this ship, the Norwegian Sun, is not going to be doing the Vancouver-Alaska run any more. It's pulling out and going to Europe. Kind of an appropriate photo now, I guess.

The cruise line says it's because of a new $50 per person head tax that Alaska has enacted.

I blame Palin. Thanks a lot, snowbilly.

Total cost to BC economy: thirty eight million dollars.

Tourism is nice, but I've always looked at cruises as the lazy-boy of travel.

Downtown Vancouver

Thu, 07 May 2009 11:16 -0700

Downtown Vancouver from Jericho Beach.

Metrotown

Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25 -0700

Further to my point from the other day, this photo might illustrate it better.

How can you forget that Vancouver is in the middle of the mountains when they are right there?

Because most of the time, you are running around the valley, looking at buildings that seem tall but, on the grand scheme of things, aren't.

So, this is Metrotown, a mini city-centre in a Vancouver suburb. You know how I feel about suburbs.

Intersection

Mon, 04 May 2009 10:24 -0700

Walking past this intersection every day, I never would have known that the top of that parking lot has a large patio(?) space.

I wonder how much it gets used.

Tokyo Marine

Fri, 01 May 2009 13:02 -0700

A hazy summer evening view of English Bay

Evening Downtown Glows

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:22 -0700

UPDATE: To answer the commented question, it was stitched in Photoshop. Would love to have some crazy fisheye lens, but I don't.

I was just lamenting how little time I have to process photos and how they are all stacking up into a gigantic pile. I have about a months worth still on cards. This is going to get worse before it gets better.

So this shot is from the fall. Same day as this one.

Highest Mountain Around

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:46 -0700

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's easy to forget that Vancouver is right in the middle of a huge range of mountains.

Yes the north shore is always there but you never see that, behind it, it's just mountains as far as the eye can see.

Until you fly.

Edit: druclimb pointed out that this image was incorrectly geotagged and... he was right. If you check out his photos, clearly he knows his mountains. Since you're not really allowed (I think) to use GPS while on the plane, I was manually adding the info and this one was really hard to figure out. Too hard as it turns out. So it's now corrected. Thanks druclimb.

So, the new tag is kind of where I think the photo was actually taken, not right at the location of the peak.

A Cheap Flight to Space

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:38 -0700

And then, amazingly, we left earth entirely...

Castle Mountain

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:48 -0700

Just "above" my last photo - and what confirmed to me that that was Sunshine Village - is Castle Mountain.

One thing I didn't know was that the utterly ridiculous WWI Ukrainian internment camp was located near there.

When I went to Winnipeg I photographed a statue at the legislature that commemorates those that were interned.

The mountain looks big when you drive past it - it's on highway 1 - but it just looks huge from the air. The large peak at the bottom right is... STORM MOUNTAIN!

The name might be melodramatic but I swear that every time I drove past that mountain it snowed. Even in summer. During the day. Without a cloud in the sky. Wow, blizzard much?

Looking Down on Sunshine

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:11 -0700

I almost missed it, but I managed to just catch Sunshine Village in this shot. If you're familiar with looking at maps of ski hills, then you'll recognize the patterns on the slopes at the top of this shot. If you're familiar with Sunshine, you'll recognize Goat's Eye Mountian, the backside of Delirium Dive, the Eagles, Lookout Mountain and Mount Standish.

I used to have a season pass there and, for a while, I was able to go boarding five days a week. Man, I miss that powder.

Thirty three feet of snow annually, three and a half thousand board-able acres on three mountains.

Not the greatest photo, but it has a sentimental value for me.

I believe in Science

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:30 -0700

800 km/h, 12,000 metres in the air.

Science.

Flight

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:51 -0700

Man went millennia before ever seeing anything like this.

Not Much Foot In Those Hills

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:45 -0700

The foothills fade away pretty fast north of Calgary.

Looks better on the white background if you ask me.

Departure

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:03 -0700

This flight was the first one in many that I wasn't asleep before the plane got in the air. Nine times out of ten, I used to make the Calgary-Vancouver trip asleep.

The nice part about being awake this time - the weather was perfect.

Calgary International Airport

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:09 -0700

Sitting in the plane, waiting to taxi out to the runway.

Approach for Landing

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:15 -0700

After my whirlwind tour of Dave's house and Ramsay, it was off to the airport.

Device In Ramsay

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:38 -0700

Not a coincidence really, I was pretty set on seeing Device To Root Out Evil in it's new location.

Ramsay has changed a lot since I moved away from Calgary and it looks like there are some massive changes yet to come for that area. The Device doesn't look ridiculously out of place where it is but it's certainly not going to get very much casual traffic passing by. If you don't work or live in that neighborhood, you're not going to be any where near there.

I guess that's the shame of it - that no one will really see it unless they have other business on 24th Ave SE. When it was near the seawall, countless people walked or jogged past it every day.

I am glad that it's not packed up in a warehouse though.

Here are all of my other Device posts.

Suburbia

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:40 -0700

This is my own little Radiant City moment from last weekend in Calgary.

I lived there for six years and worked in all of the areas talked about and shown in Radiant City so there was some extra fun for me in that movie.

This is the barrier that separates (The Village of!!!) Prestwick and the highway shot looking north and south.

Smaller version on Flickr.

On the Coquihalla

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 01:07 -0700

Drove out to Calgary this past weekend for a friend's birthday. I had a great time but the drive out was a little sketchy.

It reminded me of the fact that it's still winter in most of the country and it's definitely still winter on the Coquihalla highway.

On the plus side, there is no toll any more.

Granville Island Industrial

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:52 -0700

The Ocean Cement plant on Granville Island taken on the first nice day of the spring.

Cement manufacturing is the second largest producer of greenhouse gasses so, take that! Granville Island!

Paddling out of Alder Bay

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:18 -0700

The little bay, to the east of Granville Island? That's Alder Bay.

I saw a bunch of people paddle out into False Creek. Not a bad way to spend a spring afternoon. Watching or paddling, I guess.

Emergency

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:18 -0700

Vancouver Fire Department off to another emergency.

Would You Like Fries With That?

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:34 -0700

I get the feeling that when Ansel Adams was taking those amazing shots of mountains and nature, he wasn't standing in the parking lot of an A&W.

Kind of wrecks the majesty now, doesn't it?

A&W parking lot, Squamish, BC.

You Can't Fly

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:14 -0700

Since the one Billion (notice the capital B) dollars we are spending on security for the olympics (notice the small o) is really only meant to be used against protesters and the downtown east-side, these guys won't be able to fly during "the event".

The reasoning is that most flights that end up in the inner harbour start off in tiny, security deficient airports and therefor are a threat. But, lord knows, we couldn't dig into our taser, pepper spray and baton budget to fund some, you know, security. It is only a billion dollars and those protesters won't tase themselves...

I hear Poland is sending a whole team of people.

So Harbour Air, Saltspring Air, and whomever else are going to have to eat a half-month of revenue.

Can you hear that? That's the trickle down of money that these games are going to shower all over BC.

BC, The Best Place On Earth™ (Ha!)

Red Van, Empty Lot

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:52 -0700

I'm so glad that we have an entire infrastructure in place just so that this van has a place to sit.

All day. Every day.

Forever.

Perfect Little Red Classic

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:59 -0700

You don't see many of these around anymore and you certainly don't see many in this good a condition.

Friday Night

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:50 -0700

It's friday. I'm getting out of here.

Rooting for Evil

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:33 -0700

Since Device to Root Out Evil has gone, there has been a surplus of evil roaming around Vancouver.

Some will call it coincidence, some know better. I, for one, welcome our new, evil overlords.

EDIT: Haha! seems I've posted a version of this photo before here. Truth be told, I like the new processing better. So this photo will replace the old one and I'm putting up a completely different one here. So, hey, BONUS!

If you're showing up here after all this is done, none of this will make any sense. Suffice to say, this photo used to be on this page.

False Creek and the Red Ferry

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:03 -0700

Looking forward to walking the seawall when spring starts and it's all warm and sunny and nice.

The Helicopter and the Moon

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:18 -0700

A few weeks ago, when they were doing all of the olympic security tests downtown and in the harbour, a CTV news helicopter was circling around. I wanted to get a shot of it right over the moon, but this is as close as it got.