Fotoeins Fotografie

3rd edition: 16-hour Canada Day marathon in Vancouver (2015)

By HL fotoeins on 6 Jul 2015

Canada Day 2015.

16-plus hours, over 200 kilometres on the road, over 560 frames made.

For the 3rd consecutive year, I’ve embarked on another marathon to photograph some of the places and activities during Canada Day in the greater Vancouver area. In this 2015 edition, I’ve collected 20 photographs throughout the holiday, including photographs at sunrise and sunset. This year’s marathon follows my effort last year (2014) and the debut effort in 2013.

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1.   501-600am, near Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver

Arriving at Lonsdale Quay at about 515am, there are understandably few people and little traffic around. Docked at the Burrard Dry Dock Pier is the HMCS Calgary, in town and open later in the day for the holiday’s festivities. The HMCS Calgary (FFH335) is a Halifax-class frigate in the Royal Canadian Navy, assigned to Maritime Pacific (MARPAC) operations from the home port and base at CFB Esquimalt.

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2.   FIRST LIGHT at 540am, near Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver

The sun rises in the northeast, and with mountains lining the North Shore of Burrard Inlet, “local” sunrise occurs about 30 minutes after the official 511am sunrise time which assumes a flat horizon. First light illuminates downtown Vancouver, particularly Canada Place (white sails), also known as Vancouver Convention Centre East. Note that Convention Centre West at right remains under shadow at the time this photo was made. A corresponding shot from downtown Vancouver towards sunrise would look like this (from 2014).

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3.   601-700am, near Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver

There’s no rest for the weary, even on a national holiday, and it’s no different with early-morning ship traffic in Vancouver Harbour. Operated by Regent Seven Seas, the Seven Seas Navigator cruise-ship enters Burrard Inlet, preparing to dock at Canada Place East by 7am. You can compare the size of the ship against the multiple towers in the background and a Seaspan tugboat in the foreground.

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4.   701-800am, Deep Cove Lookout in North Vancouver

At this early hour, there are intrepid bicyclists climbing the mountain on Mount Seymour Road. There are also occasionally speedy motorcycles and pickup-trucks. But for the most part it’s a quiet morning on the road through Mount Seymour Provincial Park. Here at Deep Cove Lookout the name is slightly misleading, with the sightline to Deep Cove obstructed by trees immediately below the lookout. But the rest of the view is real nice in the morning. For another view in beautiful morning light, I head across to Burnaby Mountain Park (labeled) in the next hour.

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5.   801-900am, Burnaby Mountain Park

This ‘reverse’ view from Burnaby Mountain Park north towards Mount Seymour highlights some of the North Shore mountains, as well some light boat traffic at the eastern end of Burrard Inlet and northeast into Indian Arm. Why have I labeled these two photos? It’s the obsessive-compulsive scientist-by-training that must know what is what and where is where …

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6.   901-1000am, Burnaby Mountain Park

There are a couple dozen cars at the park at this early hour, because it’s quiet in holiday morning light. With the sun due east at this hour, downtown Vancouver and the North Shore mountains are under direct illumination. Under a slight breeze, the national flag unfolded just right for this photo highlights both the simplicity and universality of the flag’s design. The flag celebrated its 50th birthday earlier this year.

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7.   1001-1100am, Burnaby Mountain Park

Sporting her red Canada t-shirt for the day, my friend, Rebecca Coleman, is kind to take time out of her day and meet me at Burnaby Mountain. She jumps in celebration of the national holiday in front of Kamui Mintara’s sculpture installation “Playground of the gods”. It is a playground, and we are momentarily gods. But only for a moment …

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8.   1101am-1200pm, Burnaby Heights

At the very north end of Boundary Road separating Vancouver (left) and Burnaby (right), big mansions for houses stand guard over the view. Electrical lines appear to vanish into the trees and mountains in the distance, and the yellow sign of a steep slope highlights a possible warning about our continuous and often harmful interaction with the world around us. The deliberate obscuration of the Grouse Mountain summit by the electrical tower (like giving it a very big ‘bird’) accompanied by the ‘diversion’ traffic sign below summarize my thoughts about a particular Grind …

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9.   1201-100pm, Canada Place

In 2013, the Canadian Travel Commission, DDB Canada, and Chairman Ting came together to create the Canada mural on the west side of Canada Place. In the shape of a large red maple leaf, the mural consists of over 60 Canadian icons representing aspects of the nation. Vignetting in the upper corners is caused by a circular polarizing filter. The combination of the polarizer, minimum ISO and aperture, and 1/4-second exposures allowed for blur-motion shots without blowing out the highlights. That the woman at right remains fixed with a tiny Canada flag is superbly coincidental …

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10.   101-200pm, Canada Place

As always on a holiday with great conditions outside, there are a lot of people oot and aboot, including this couple who are wearing matching Canadian hats and flags.

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11.   201-300pm, University of British Columbia

One summer day some number of years ago, we gathered high up on the cliffs of Point Grey on the campus of the University of British Columbia to a renovated summer home dating back to 1912. Here at the Cecil Green House we gathered to watch my sister marry a fine gentleman; they’re now proud parents to a girl. It’s completely true, my niece is adorable.

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12.   301-400pm, University of British Columbia

Like all settled places in this country, the land was first inhabited for millennia by First Nations. One active way I remain connected and remind myself about their culture which long predates any and all European settlement is the Museum of Anthropology. At the back of the museum is an open green space with the replicas of a northern BC coastal village (Haida Gwaii, UNESCO site) and a number of totem poles, adjacent to the Yosef Wosk Reflecting Pond.

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13.   401-500pm, University of British Columbia

Some of my earliest memories as a boy in Vancouver are tied with my Dad. Dad loved fishing, but he also loved flowers, particularly roses. I distinctly remember holding our parents’ hands, among the rose gardens in Stanley Park and Queen Elizabeth Park. The elevated view of the UBC Rose Garden out towards the Salish Sea (Georgia Strait, Howe Sound) and to the mountains beyond provide tangible reminders of my past and the area’s natural beauty.

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14.   501-600pm, Cypress Mountain

I’m up on the flank of Cypress Mountain in time to witness the departure of the Regent Seven Seas Navigator cruise ship, whose arrival I also witnessed at 7am this morning; see picture 3 above. The ship is seen here on English Bay, with Stanley Park and the downtown Vancouver skyline in the background.

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15.   601-700pm, Horseshoe Bay

The dive boat “Topline” for Sea Dragon Charters heads out from Sewell’s Marina into Howe Sound. I too have thought about diving in Howe Sound; not a bad way to end a summer day, or?

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16.   701-800pm, Dundarave in West Vancouver

On the west side of the Shoppers Drug Mart building at the corner of Marine Drive and 25th Street in West Vancouver is Jim McKenzie’s 1986 mural “Vancouver, 1792”. He draws a bird’s-eye eastward view of the area witnessed by Captain Vancouver in 1792, as the English ships sailed east into what is now English Bay and their crew made their first encounters with the First Nations’ people at villages dotting the coastline.

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17. & 18.   801-900pm, Dundarave Park

As the summer sun descends and shadows grow, the air temperature drops slightly, aided in large part by the strong onshore breeze. Many have stayed at Dundarave Park, enjoying the last rays and the waters of English Bay at the adjacent beach. Others are taking their evening strolls to the end of Dundarave Pier.

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19.   LAST LIGHT at 901pm, from Cypress Mountain

Lighthouse Park was where I had decided to witness the last light of the day, but having gone up to Cypress a couple hours earlier, I knew I was going to reascend Cypress. I made the right decision, judging by these last two shots. Lit in an orange glow, the skyscrapers in downtown Vancouver seem to reach up and out, holding onto the final rays of the day.

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20.   In fading dusk light, from Cypress Mountain

Full moon occurring on 1 July provides a perfect coincidence: as the sun sets to the west, the full moon must rise to the east (on the ecliptic). Moreover, given the path of the ecliptic across the sky, the full moon rises over Mount Baker in the hour after sunset with still sufficient light illuminating the summit of the dormant volcano.

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Every photo above is marked with its corresponding location pin in the map below.

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Oh Canada!

•   2nd marathon – Canada Day 2014, Vancouver
•   1st marathon – Canada Day 2013, Vancouver
•   The National Anthem with the Heritage Horns, 12pm daily in Vancouver
•   The National Flag, around since 1965

On a hot & sunny Canada Day (1 July 2015), I made all of the photos above with a Canon 6D camera and two zoom-lenses: EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM and EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-6Vt.