Lost Lagoon Hyperfocal 05 Jul 19 2011

Lost Lagoon Hyperfocal 05 Jul 19 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

One of my favorite points along the trail that surrounds Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park. I've set the shooting location as close as I can to ground zero for this photo. This shot was taken in Infra Red light and post processed in High Dynamic Range using Photomatix Pro. I used the hyperfocal focusing technique (aka maximum depth of field) to get both the foreground and background as close to focus as possible. And "Yes" - there is an iPhone app to compute the hyperfocal settings for most brands of DSLRs and their lenses. Look for PhotoCalc in the iTunes app store.

The $50.38 Photo - Sunset Beach Macro 08 July 14 2011

The $50.38 Photo - Sunset Beach Macro 08 July 14 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Each year one or two photos I capture wind up capturing me and remind me that as photographers what we do, in essence, is act as a conduit for a moment in time. We use our camera to record the moments so we can then share them with others.

We are not the moment just it's custodian.

This was a moment in time one hazy summer day on a beach in Vancouver made all the more 'real' thanks to High Dynamic Range photography (Photomatix Pro) and me being in the right place, at the right time with the right equipment and a solid understanding of depth-of-field. A captured moment perfect enough for me to blow $50.38 to get a 24"x36" foam core mounted version for my living room.

Sunset Beach Macro 07 July 14 2011

Sunset Beach Macro 07 July 14 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

An HDR macro of budding flowers on Sunset Beach in Vancouver. Macro photography never ceases to amaze me it what it can reveal. A very "Alice in Wonderland" feel to this one.

Teasels Just Past Bloom

Teasels just past bloom, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Post processed via SnapSeed for the iPad. What I'd call the "Harry Potter School of Photo Post Processing" - pure freakin' magic.

Sunset Beach Macro 16 July 14 2011

Sunset Beach Macro 16 July 14 2011, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

One of my favorite flowers at Sunset Beach in downtown Vancouver. I've gone through my National Audubon Society field guide to west coast wild flowers but (currently) I've no idea what this cute little collection of seed pods waiting to burst forth is called.

HDR by Photomatix Pro, Sharpenning by Capture NX/2

Sunset Beach Macro 15 July 14 2011 - Wild Blue Teasel

Sunset Beach Macro 15 July 14 2011 - Wild Blue Teasel, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Here's a collection of wild teasels a few weeks past bloom at Sunset Beach Vancouver. While the moist spring and summer has been a constant source of disgruntle for us humans I'm pretty certain the local flowers have the reverse opinion.

Summer Raindrops 01 July 14 2011.jpg

Summer Raindrops 01 July 14 2011.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

This is one of those photos you can get lost in so be careful. :) Taken during a break in the clouds of Vancouver's bummersummer. Grrrr. On the upside though the macro water drop photo-ops are numerous.

VancouverDoug's photostream

VancouverDoug's photostream on Flickr.

A flash from the recent past - the Vancouver Sun held on Sunday April 17 2011. A great day for a run and with nice big puffy clouds hugging the north shore mountains a great morning for infra red photography was well.

If you look close enough you'll notice that all of the thousands of runners (nearly 50,000 in total that day) are all dressed in white. No Vancouver is not a cult city demanding it's citzens all wear the same clothing (except during Stanley Cup finals when the Canucks are playing). The mob of drones down below is an artifact of IR photography. Clothes reflect all infra red light and as such appear white and semi translucent. Creepy but cute in a cute creepy sort of way.

Reno View IR HDR with snapseed

Reno View IR HDR with snapseed, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Here's a bit of vintage processing on a 21st century image - infra red and high dynamic range photography combined then processed, on my iPad no less, with a new bit of software called snap seed. I expect in 2-3 years I'll being doing a lot of post production on the iPad.

West End IR HDR Jun 3 2011

West End IR HDR Jun 3 2011 01.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Vancouver's West End caught in the razor sharpness of infra red light. Thanks to the extended visual range of High Dynamic Range photography the shadow of one of the few clouds in the sky can be seen over the city.

Vancouver Downtown Jun 07 2011 HDR Diana 06

Vancouver Downtown Jun 07 2011 HDR Diana 06, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

A collection of heritage homes on Pacfic St, downtown Vancouver, just around sunset on June 7 2011. Shot using a Diana lens and HDR. I really like this combination of photographic treatments - the fuzziness of the Diana lens mingled with the hyper-sharpness and color saturation of High Dynamic Range processing. The Ansel Adams inside however wants to throttle me. :)

Vancouver Downtown Jun 07 2011 HDR Diana 06

Vancouver Downtown Jun 07 2011 HDR Diana 06, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

A collection of heritage homes on Pacfic St, downtown Vancouver, just around sunset on June 7 2011. Shot using a Diana lens and HDR. I really like this combination of photographic treatments - the fuzziness of the Diana lens mingled with the hyper-sharpness and color saturation of High Dynamic Range processing. The Ansel Adams inside however wants to throttle me. :)

Vancouver Pacific and Burrard June 04 2011 IRHDR

Vancouver Pacific and Burrard June 04 2011 IRHDR, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

Here's a shot of the intersection of Pacific and Burrard streets in the frosty cool glow of infra red light. The clarity of High Dynamic Range Infra Red shots never ceases to amaze me. Since IR light is less sensitive to distortion due to water in the air the shots that use this process have an almost "scale model" feel to them. In the top right corner you can see Mt. Baker off in the distance. Mt Baker National Park is roughly 150 km from downtown Vancouver (as the crow flies).

Wall Centre Vancouver at Sunrise June 05 2011 HDR

Wall Centre Vancouver at Sunrise June 05 2011 HDR, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

The morning after the night before, in this case the night of the Vancouver Canuck's nerve wracking 3 to 2 win over the Boston Bruins (11 seconds into overtime no less) the city was treated to a soft and gentle sunrise. For the one Canuck's fan in the city concious and mentally sharp enough at 5:00 AM to shoot a collection of HDR sequences (me) it was worth it - as was going back to bed to sleep for another 3 hours. :)

Here's one of Vancouver's signature buildings - the Wall Centre - framed in the warm glow of a late spring sunrise.

Thurlow St Vancouver May 23 2011 HDR01

Thurlow St Vancouver May 23 2011 HDR01.jpg, a photo by VancouverDoug on Flickr.

While sunshine has been a rare commodity this spring we have been blessed with a few blasts near the end of the day. Here's a view of Vancouver's West End looking north up Thurlow St on May 23 2011.

Sunset Beach Spring Blossom iPhone May 5 2011.jpg

Sunset Beach Spring Blossom iPhone May 5 2011.jpg, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

I walk along the Stanley Park/Vancouver West-End Seawall 3 to 4 times per week and as a photographer I'm always looking for something new and different. Today I spotted these flowers ones that after 20 years in Vancouver's West End, I'd never seen. My guess - they last a day and as luck would have it our paths finally overlapped. However as un-luck would have it my camera gear was kms away. iPhone 4 to the rescue. Photography is 1/3rd equipment, 1/3rd talent and 1/3rd being in the right place at the right time. Thanks to the marvels of modern technology (5 mega pixel cameras in phones) our future will no doubt be filled with millions of drop-dead-gorgeous images.

Gull In Motion IR Apr 08 2011.jpg

Gull In Motion IR Apr 08 2011.jpg, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

A seagull surfing along a thermal 15 floors above Beach Avenue in Vancouver Canada.

Stanley Park Seawall IR HDR 01 Apr 08 2011.jpg

Stanley Park Seawall IR HDR 01 Apr 08 2011.jpg, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

Here's a nice shot of the new and improved stretch of the Stanley Park Vancouver Seawall between Second and English Bay Beach. Looking all nice and glowing in the early spring blush only seen in high dynamic range infra red light.

Vancouver West End South Shore HDR Diana Lens Mar 31 2011.jpg

Vancouver West End South Shore HDR Diana Lens Mar 31 2011.jpg, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

Vancouver's West End as seen from Vanier Park just south of the big beehive. Done with an over the top high dynamic range treatment since, heh ... it's the big city ... we wrote da book on over da top. :)

MacMillan Space Center Fish Eye 04 Mar 31 2011.jpg

MacMillan Space Center Fish Eye 04 Mar 31 2011.jpg, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

One of my favorite locations for early spring photos - the courtyard of the HR MacMillan Space Center and Planetarium in Vanier Park. Once your done shooting the blossoms, flowers, sculpture, architecture, etc. it's a short walk north to a picture post card view of the West End of Vancouver and the Burrard Street Bridge

MacMillan Space Centre Fish Eye HDR 01 Mar 31 2011.jpg

MacMillan Space Centre Fish Eye HDR 01 Mar 31 2011.jpg, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

Nothing says photo-coolness more than a fish-eye lens shot of funky architecture, blooming trees and in-your-face sunbeams.

MacMillan Space Centre HDR Diana Lens 02 Mar 31 2011.jpg

MacMillan Space Centre HDR Diana Lens 02 Mar 31 2011.jpg, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

The HR MacMillan Space Centre is a signature piece of architecture in downtown Vancouver. Separated from the West End of Vancouver by a micro-ferry ride across False Creek it acts as a 60'ish landmark at the Kitsilano entrance to English Bay. Here's a shot in High Dynamic Range on a slightly windy day (thus the peculiar smudges behind some of the blossoming branches) using my ever-fun Diana lens.

MacMillan Space Centre HDR 06 Mar 31 2011.jpg

MacMillan Space Centre HDR 06 Mar 31 2011.jpg, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

The blossoms have finally arrived here in Vancouver with the city erupting with color, fragrance and, literally, flowers falling from the sky. One of my favorite locations early on in the bloom is the backyard of the HR MacMillan Space Center in Vanier Park just south west of the Burrard Street Bridge. This hidden gem's combination of unique architecture and numerous blooming trees provides any photographic technique (HDR, Infra Red, Macro, Ultra Wide Angle, B&W, etc.) infinite possibilities.

Springs First Blush 02 Sunset Beach Mar 23 2011.jpg

Springs First Blush 02 Sunset Beach Mar 23 2011.jpg, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

Spring has finally arrived here in Vancouver after a wet and cool winter that at times seemed to never end. Winter's been banished and at last the eclectic mix of annual flowers at Sunset Beach in downtown Vancouver have started to bloom. Here's one of the early blossoms - what I think is a pair of Spotted Langloisia right at their unfurling.

English Bay Tidal Pool HDR Rock Study 01 Mar 23 2011

English Bay Tidal Pool HDR Rock Study 01 Mar 23 2011, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

Tidal pools rock. One theory about evolution is that given the low tide/high tide nature of tidal pools (caused by the moon's gravitational tug) the minerals and such in the pool would, day in day out - millienium in and millenium out - spend half their time in a concentrated state.

This concentration cycle lead to the creation of proto-DNA that eventually led to the emergence of my cats and me. So says the theory. In essence then, if true (which I think it most likely is), we owe our very existence to the moon - source of the tides that in turn give life to her pools.

Seawall at Second Beach HDR Mar 23 2011

Seawall at Second Beach HDR Mar 23 2011, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

Here's a nice shot of the Vancouver Stanley Park Seawall .. the seawall part. :)

Over the past 18 months the economic recession of 2008 to 2010 has provided this very yummy stash of cash called the stimulus fund (among other names). It's for "shovel ready" projects (read construction) that will benefit Canadians. As luck would have it we Seawall walking Vancouverittes would up with a multi-million chunk of this cash. Major reno on the Seawall but with a respect to it's heritage masonry (see photo above) form and flow. One day, God whiling, they will finish the reno and we can walk on it. :)

Spring's First Blush 01b Sunset Beach Mar 23 2011

Spring's First Blush 01b Sunset Beach Mar 23 2011, originally uploaded by VancouverDoug.

Flower A: Finally. ... Sunshine.

Flower B: 'bout freakin' time.