Granville Island, Vancouver

Our Natural Light photography class took a field trip this morning to Granville Island in Vancouver. This island is largely man-made, having been built up over the decades for industry and then substantially rebuilt by government funding to create a place of refuge for artists, a place where the city's largest indoor market can thrive, and an island on around which people can walk for kilometers.

It was a cold morning, with temperatures hovering just below freezing. The sky was overcast with a consistent cloud cover which lifted after we left. We strolled in small groups, observing what others saw and photographed. Each student is sees different things, which can be very stimulating and encouraging.

Reflections of reflections

Looking up at snow on a glass roof

Reflection of Granville Bridge (inverted so the image seems right side up).

Melted snow flakes on a boat propeller

Friendly worker chatting with photographers

Distrustful goose after lunch

Getting coffee inside Granville Market

Meeting friends in Granville Market

Horizontals

Boat wash on the island

Stairs to water

Sunsets overlooking Vancouver's Strait of Georgia

January 30, 2009, 4:39 p.m.

4:49 p.m.

4:55 p.m.

4:59 p.m.

5:20 p.m.

5:24 p.m. with a sliver of a moon (click to enlarge)

On January 30th, 2009, Vancouver finally entertained the hope that there would be a sunset, one of the first of this year. I had made tentative arrangements to take pictures from Peter's condo, but by late afternoon the sky reverted to its usual overcast nature. Giving up all hope of there being any sunset to photograph, I phoned Peter to ask for a rain check. He was was delighted I phoned because from his 17th floor condo at UBC he could tell that the sky was going to create openings in the cloud cover within minutes. He urged that I come immediately.

There were no speed traps. Over the next hour or so, I took 150 pictures. These give just a glimpse of the wonderful changes of sky and colour over the Strait of Georgia, looking to the SW toward Galiano Island. Poor Peter has to deal with these sunrises and sunsets daily from his perch above the bald eagles.