Fotoeins Fotografie

location bifurcation, place vs. home

Posts tagged ‘Lions Gate Bridge’

Inukshuk, First Beach, English Bay, ayyulshun, Salish Sea, West End, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Vancouver city by day

I was born and raised in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I left Vancouver in 1994, and for the next 17 years, I hadn’t spent more than one to two weeks in any subsequent visit.

I returned to Vancouver on 2012 January 4 after leaving job, career, and country of residence behind. In the six following weeks, I discovered new aspects to my hometown, and rediscovered “old” things I hadn’t encountered in over 20 years.

With this gallery, I’m showing parts to Vancouver which make the city beautiful and compelling. Anyone can find these gems for themselves at no charge, apart from the cost of public transit, because, really, why are you driving around town? Another gallery showing Vancouver at night will be posted very soon.

Here is some more photo goodness from Vancouver:

I made the photos above on January 2011, January 2012, and February 2012. This post is published on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.

Love story number 2

Kitsilano is a neighbourhood state of mind.

Even in good-natured (or ill-tempered) jibing between east and west, Kits distinguishes itself from other neighbourhoods in the city of Vancouver, Canada with its residents, unique shops, cafés, and restaurants.

But given what there is now, is it “Kitschilano”? Look hard enough, and the answer thankfully is no.

I spent a couple of hours walking in and out of various streets, and I found myself back at the waterfront.

Kitsilano is also well-known for its beach, particularly in the summer, when people lay out on the sand tanning from all-natural rays, gazing out into the water and imagining what lies beyond over the horizon.

In the winter, however, Kits is generally less hectic. It’s quiet time for locals who live here, for those riding bicycles north over the bridges onto the downtown peninsula, for people out walking their dogs, or for the proud parents with their toddlers or babies in their strollers.

When it’s grey, cool, and wet, there are fewer tourists around – the same can be said anywhere you go in Vancouver.

I am neither short-term tourist nor long-time resident.

But I was born here.

I spent over 25 years in breathing, living, and loving this cityspace.

One need not fear winter in Vancouver, although I’ve long since tired of rainfall. Even if conditions aren’t ideal, the place is always beautiful. It’s a simple but important reminder – all it takes is one look towards the North Shore mountains when the sun comes out to play.

Kitsilano, West End, VancouverKitsilano, West End, VancouverParked in the (Salish) sea.

Kitsilano, West End, VancouverIn the middle of five points.

Kitsilano, West End, VancouverKitsilano, West End, VancouverFront-lit illumination and forward scattering which makes rain appear “white”.

Kitsilano, West End, North Shore, VancouverWest End, towards the intersection of Davie, Denman, and Beach.

I made all of the photos above at a spot between the Kitsilano Yacht Club and the Kitsilano Beach Pool in Vancouver, Canada on 8 January 2011. I used the Canon EOS450D camera and 70-300mm zoom-lens. This post is published originally on Fotoeins Fotopress (fotoeins.com).

My other “love stories” include:

25-thousand with the 450D (XSi), Vancouver

January 6 is known as Three Kings’ Day or the day of Epiphany.

A slow epiphany surely came about over the last few years (hence, the present RTW!), but walking around Vancouver’s famous Stanley Park on this cool grey morning made me realize two things:

  • I really am back in the city where I was born and raised. Since leaving Vancouver in 1994, coming back to visit has always bordered on the surreal. But this time, I’m sticking around for a few weeks, which adds a little more flavour and substance to the present visit.
  • The four-digit number-counter on my camera was close to ‘5000’, which meant exposure number 25000 after rolling over the counter twice already.

After clicking a few frames for the signage around the lighthouse nearby, the following is the 25000th exposure with my Canon 450D:

Lions Gate Bridge, First Narrows, Burrard Inlet, Stanley Park, Vancouver

  • 1202h PST, 6 January 2011
  • Brockton Point, Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada
  • EOS 450D camera + EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens : 1/100s, f/5, ISO100

For a bonus, how about two more of my hometown …

Canada Place, Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, CanadaNorth Shore, Stanley Park, Burrard Inlet, Vancouver

I made the three photos above with the Canon EOS450D (XSi) and the Canon EF 50mm prime-lens. This post appears originally on Fotoeins Fotopress (fotoeins.com).

By the way, I also marked the 15000th exposure with a blog post here and the 20000th exposure on Flickr.

The Lions, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC, Canada, fotoeins.com

Vancouver: an enduring royal symbol

Every time I’m “home”, I’m amused as I travel around the city like a “tourist” to places I’ve known since I was a young boy.

I make my way to Stanley Park, which as an urban green-space expanding out to 1000-acres is one of the largest and most scenic city-parks in the world. A well-visited spot for locals and tourists alike, Prospect Point offers on a clear day a spectacular view of the mountains on the North Shore, English Bay and the Gulf Islands to the west, and Burrard Inlet and Burnaby Mountain to the east.

The Stanley Park Causeway bisects the park in half, and leads directly to the Lions Gate Bridge. Over the Causeway at Prospect Point is a small overpass, where statues of lions stand, noble and proud, their serene gaze a hint to the beautiful sight across the way.

Lions Gate Bridge Vancouver

Although there are a number of bridge crossings throughout the metropolitan area, the Lions Gate Bridge is an important well-photographed landmark and icon of the city. With the direct financial backing of the Guinness family (yes, the one and the same Guinness), the bridge was built in 1938 to cross over First Narrows and to provide access from the city proper with the growing residential development on the northern shores of Burrard Inlet (Salish Sea).

Ever since I was a boy when dad drove us over the Bridge, the colours have always remained, burned into memory. I think dad loved bridges, and I suspect he loved the view, too.

Green painted bridge.
Evergreen trees.
Silver grey skies.
Blue patches between clouds, and in the waters of First Narrows below.

The Lions, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC, Canada, fotoeins.com

Lions Gate Bridge Vancouver

Douglas Coupland once wrote in an essay:

I want you to imagine you are driving north, across the Lions Gate Bridge, and the sky is steely grey and the sugar-dusted mountains loom blackly in the distance. Imagine what lies behind those mountains – realize that there are only more mountains – mountains until the North Pole, mountains until the end of the world, mountains taller than a thousand me’s, mountains taller than a thousand you’s.

Here is where civilization ends; here is where time ends and where eternity begins. Here is what Lions Gate Bridge is: one last grand gesture of beauty, of charm, and of grace before we enter the hinterlands, before the air becomes too brittle and too cold to breathe, before we enter that place where life becomes harsh, where we must become animals in order to survive.

(p. 119, “City of Glass – Doug Coupland’s Vancouver”, 2000)

It’s hard to imagine Vancouver without “The Bridge.” And when I drink Guinness, I’ll raise my glass and cheer the family for building what has become a definitive landmark for the city.

For views of the Lions Gate Bridge similar to the photos above, head to the western edge of the downtown peninsula and into Stanley Park, and make your way to Prospect Point Lookout at the northern tip of the park.

I made the three photos shown above on 7 January 2011 with the Canon EOS450D camera, the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, and the EF 700-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens. This post is published on Fotoeins Fotopress on fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-Mm.