2011 WEEK 13 pt1: ODDS 'n ENDS

With spring comes the big clean! I have so many bits of different things all over the place... Time to sort things out, put things in their correct place (and that includes the trash) and get ready for new growth and wonderful summer opportunities.

I barely feel like I've scratched the surface of the clean-up pile but in terms of photo and video files I did find a whole bunch of random pictures, that although not part of a particular project or challenge I set for myself, are nonetheless worth sharing. Or maybe not... You tell me.

This first one was on a memory card I thought I had lost/erased long ago. This little fur ball is known around these parts as "Rambo". Taken with the Canon EF 50-255mm @ f/5.6 ISO 3200. I really like the soft filtered light coming in through my office window that you can see reflected in his eyes.

Also on the found memory card, were a whole bunch of pictures I took of my cousin Andrea's beautiful baby, Lucy. This photo was taken just before Christmas and she's grown a LOT since then.

While we're on the subject of "bundles of joy" and just so Rambo's turn in the spotlight doesn't go to his head, here's one of our other resident fur ball, Warhammer. Both this one and the shot of Lucy above were taken with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4

These next few were captured on Saturday night between courses of a delicious meal at Tramonto at the River Rock Casino in Richmond.

Even though I waited with my camera raised for ten minutes while a really tasty smelling appetizer plate went cold, I still feel I really got lucky on this next one. I may have to go back to this area again sometime soon and do an aviation-themed photo challenge.

The wine was excellent... So good I managed to make it last a little longer by exposing it for 3 seconds after spinning it around!

A mysterious lady waited in the shadows while the lights of the big city beckoned from afar...

Bokeh-riffic baby, bokeh-riffic! Shot taken with the ever-reliable Pentax Asahi SMC Takumar.

Part II to come in a couple of days. Two posts in one week? I know! Crazy!

2011 WEEK 12: Super Moon!

And wasn't it just?

Despite planning ahead and deciding to hit the Coal Harbour side of Stanley Park for the big moonrise I made a huge error and learned an important lesson...

Always, I repeat, ALWAYS check and double check what you have in your kit bag and don't assume that your memory regarding what was is in it the last time you used it is correct in terms of what's in it now.

It was quite a walk to the area on the seawall where I decided to set-up, especially lugging my camera bag and my tripod. My spirits were buoyed when I saw many, many more photogs set-up along the path, all their cameras trained towards the sails of Canada Place. "Ah-ha!" I thought, "My guess of this being a good vantage point was obviously spot-on given how many pros and ernest-looking hobbyists there are!"

So imagine my crushing disappointment when I cracked open my kit bag and found that sometime in the last 48hrs I had removed my 250mm lens... The longest lens I had with me was a piddly little 50mm (albeit, the awesome Pentax Takumar 50mm). Oh well... Lesson learned. I'd just have to make the most of a bad situation.

This was my view across Coal Harbour at around 7.45pm. Shot with the Sigma 10-20mm at f/4, ISO 400 with a long exposure.

As 8pm came and went and everyone was looking from watches to camera to Canada Place the frowns began appearing at the lack of moon. I was furthest along the line towards the eastern point of the park and glancing further around the seawall through the trees lining Park Drive I suddenly noticed a peculiar orange glow steadily increasing behind Burnaby Mountain. Nobody else seemed to have noticed it. Nor did they notice when I picked up my gear and hurried around the corner for a better view.

The rise of the super moon was spectacular as it rose up through the low cloud over the distant mountains. In fact it looked less like the moon and more like a bright orange planet. This was my best shot using the Takumar 50mm at f/4, ISO 400

It's very, very challenging shooting the moon even when armed with the right lenses because it's so damn bright - to expose the moon correctly you then underexpose everything else in the frame.

Since this was my first time out at night with the camera, tripod and remote switch, I took full advantage of it and got a few other long exposure shots as I made my way home. The famous Stanley Park totem poles look far more interesting at night.

This is what those better prepared than me looked like as they gazed skyward.

This next one is I think my favourite of the whole night. Taken with my trusty Sigma 30mm.

I love the starry lens flare from the light atop the skyscraper under construction in this next one.

This is what happens when you take a picture with the shutter open for 2 seconds... In fact it was so dark it took 8 attempts because I couldn't actually see the tree through the camera in order to frame it right! Check out the Tron-like light streams in the background from the traffic heading towards Lions Gate Bridge. I've always wanted to try this and now that I know I can, I think I'll make a future blog just on long exposure night movement. Oh, and those white specs? Not dirt or grain but STARS!

Given how many lights are on in these apartments I'm guessing Earth Hour had passed by the time I took this picture.

Last but not least, when I got home I grabbed the 55-250mm and took this from the alley behind my building. Thanks Super Moon, see you again in 2029.

2011 WEEK 11: Bloedel Observatory

I don't know about you but I've definitely been feeling the effects of a bad case of the "grey glooms". So when the opportunity arose this week to join my awesome brother-in-law, Joel and his amazing lady, Jen on a trip to The Bloedel Conservatory, I jumped at the chance.

Opened in 1969 the Conservatory was made possible thanks to a donation by Prentice Bloedel, a pioneer in the logging industry who was one of the first people to champion forest conservation and the practice of reforestation. The Conservatory has faced tough times in the last few years thanks to the recession and drastically reduced visitor traffic from the Skytrain Canada Line construction along Cambie Street. In 2010 the city announced that the facility would be forced to close due to a budget shortfall and a desperate need for maintenance. Thanks to the Friends of the Bloedel Association in conjunction with the Van Dusen Gardens, money was raised and a development plan was unanimously approved by the city in September 2010.

Outside things were pretty gloomy, cold and wet, but inside we were greeted by warmth and best of all, colour!

Dotted throughout the conservatory are many, many species of orchid.

And of course there are several feathered folk living amongst the fauna... I tried really hard to not take their photos and even harder to resist posting them here but, they're just too beautiful to not share with you!

This guy was completely preoccupied with nibbling away the edge of a plastic plant pot while the one below was enjoying an afternoon nap.

Not a Norwegian Blue but "beautiful plumage!" A prize goes to the first person to comment with what that references. :)

Speaking of beautiful plumage, this very proud Golden Pheasant was well aware of her beauty and strutted around like she was on a catwalk in Milan.

Huge thanks to Jen and Joel for inviting me along on their adventure. Safe travels Jen and hopefully we'll see you sooner rather than later.

THE GEEKY STUFF: All of these pictures were taken using the Canon 60D. Lenses used were the Sigma 10-20 f/3.5, Canon EF-S 55-250mm and Pentax Asahi Super Takumar 135mm f/3.5. Post-processing was done in Aperture 3.

2011 WEEK 10: Reifel Bird Sanctuary

I know, I know... More birds! It wasn't intentional and no, you do not need to launch an intervention regarding what probably looks like an obsession. At least, not yet...

This week I found myself on Westham Island which is an awesome place to visit. Located on the outskirts of Ladner in Delta, B.C., Westham Island is accesible by a single lane bridge. If you follow the road to its natural end you will pass by miles and miles of farmland and some farmhouses that have wonderful character. In the summer months there are numerous fruit stands along the way and in the Fall there are pumpkins in many of these fields.

Eventually you'll arrive at the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Named after real estate and brewery tycoon George C. Reifel, the land was bought in 1927 when it was isolated from the rest of Westham Island by Ewen, Robertson and Fuller sloughs, natural river channels that dissected the island. Barging in equipment and building materials, by 1929 a large recreational family retreat had been constructed along with numerous dykes and causeways to create waterfowl habitats.

In the 1960's George's son, (also named George) granted a lease to the British Columbia Waterfowl Association and by 1972 the Reifel family transferred the sanctuary and surrounding land to the people of Canada on the condition it be managed in perpetuity for the benefit of waterfowl. It soon became a Ramsar site, designating it as an area of international significance.

Visit the sanctuary between October and April and you'll see thousands of Snow Geese. I got some pictures but none of them turned out as well as I'd hoped. But there were plenty of other things to see.

Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck! Goose! Well, almost.

This amazingly colored fella is a Wood Duck. Normally they're quite shy and keep their distance but this one was having far too much fun hanging out in a bird house filled with tasty bird feed.

Further down the trail we found a small cluster of people armed with iphones, point and shoots and some serious high-end gear (yes, I suffered a little lens envy). All of them were gazing in wide-eyed awe into the branches of a tree where this little bundle of feathered fun was napping.

This is a Northern Saw-Whet owl and he was so small (about 6" in diameter) and well hidden I would never have seen him had it not been for the bird-watching experts present. One would think owls would be high up in a tree but this Saw-Whet (as well as three others we saw during the afternoon) was nestled in the branches just a couple of feet above our heads.

On the northern edge of the Sanctuary there are wetlands as far as the eye can see and dotted along the outer-most trail there are a several bird hides. This one had a terrific atmosphere as the sun rays found their way in through the cracks in the dusty planking.

A short distance from the bird hide we came across this Blue Heron. I wonder if he's a chum of the fine feathered friend who let me take his picture a few weeks ago? I love the reflection in the water and the foreground bullrushes.

Sometimes the camera captures actions and poses we wouldn't ordinarily see.

I love the colors of this Red-winged Blackbird. Quite the fashion statement!

Driving out of the bird sanctuary I glimpsed a large shape perched atop a roadside tree... Needless to say I just had to pull over and snap a few pictures. So regal and wise looking.

Whether you're a photography enthusiast, bird-watcher, nature lover or just enjoy a nice stroll, I highly recommend a visit to Westham Island. Even just driving around there are lots of unique sights to take in and there really isn't anywhere else in the Lower Mainland quite like it.

On a related note, Casa Mia, the luxury Spanish-style villa built by the Reifel family in 1932 and located on Southwest Marine Drive is back up for sale again... Clocking in at a meagre 20,782 square feet it'll only set you back a cool $10.5 million to make it your new home!

2011 WEEK 9: Comforting Skin

Nothing makes me prouder than to be able to introduce and hype some talented friends of mine who are in the process of putting the finishing touches to their first feature film, "Comforting Skin".

The films director, Derek Franson, and producer, Justin James, have busted their butts and made many sacrifices over the years to get the movie made but not only have they accomplished that but they've got a very, very cool movie on their hands.

Derek really does look the part. Both he and Justin are growing "play-off beards" until the movie is completed.

This past Sunday I was invited over to Blue Wave Productions for the final recording session of the score for "Comforting Skin". Running the show was another friend of mine, Alain Mayrand who is rapidly becoming one of the most talented composers in Canada. Alain is one of those rare people who is affable, passionate, dedicated to his work and very, very good at what he does. I was lucky enough to have Alain compose the score for my short film "Say Yes"; Alain also composed the score to "The Legend of Silkboy" the animated feature I wrote and the soundtrack album has been picking up rave reviews all over the place.

Huge thanks go to Mitchell Politeski who was generous enough to come out for the day and shoot stills and video alongside me. Yes, video! Stay tuned... There'll be more on the "Comforting Skin" recording session coming soon. In the meantime here are some more images to whet your appetite.

Pianist Amy Lee.

Violinist Dominic Woo.

The view from the bridge- I mean, sound booth.

Sound Engineer Elisa and Assistant Engineer Josh keeping a watchful eye on recording levels.

How anyone can keep track of all those buttons is beyond me.

Until next time folks.