A few photos captured with my iPhone 7 during my walk home from voting in the rain. Some nice fall colours to be seen before all the leaves fall off the trees.
Tag: ExploreBC
ZZ Chrome for Kids Truck Show & Shine at Mission Raceway
Some photos from the ZZ Chrome for Kids Truck Show & Shine at Mission Raceway
YVR Snow Removal 2019
Photos of snow removal equipment in action at YVR.
With the somewhat rare significant snowfall recently in the lower mainland I made my way out to YVR to capture some images of the snow removal operations at YVR.
YVR has some impressive machinery for snow removal which includes:
3 trucks capable of spreading solid and liquid materials to make sure the runways and taxiways do not freeze in cold winter conditions.
6 “Multi-Hogs” which can be equipped with a broom or a blower and or a chemical applicator.
5 Oshkosh P-Series/MB 4600 “All in One” trucks, that can each plough and sweep a 24 foot wide path on the airport runways and taxiways.
3 Oshkosh H-Series Sweepers that each have a 22 foot wide high speed broom attached.
5 Oshkosh H-Series Snow Blowers that can each launch 5,000 tons of snow 150 feet every hour. That is a combined capacity of 25,000 tons of snow being blown off runways and taxiways every hour!
3 Oshkosh P-Series Trucks that have a 24 foot wide high speed snow plough on the front end.
When a combination of this equipment is brought to bear to clear a runway or taxiway it is called an “echelon”. A full runway can be cleared in about 20 minutes.
The airport also has access to front end loaders and dump trucks to move and deposit collected snow to designated snow storage areas on the airport grounds.
Below are a few images of the various pieces of equipment in action during the recent snowfall. Click on a thumbnail to see a larger image.
Photography tip…
Photography tip: When taking photos through glass get as close as possible to the glass to reduce glare. Camera lens was almost touching window glass. Make sure flash is off. Photo of the ems truck taken through glass after sunset.
Evergreen Line Opening Day
I took a ride on the new Evergreen Skytrain Line extension on its opening day to check things out.
First impressions are mostly good. The new line uses the same mix of cars as the other lines, including the latest Mark III cars.
The stations are bright and shiny with all the standard and upgraded signage. There are large electronic signs that show how long before the next trains will be arriving and their destination along with other information. The stations seem larger than Canada Line stations as well, with room for a train with several cars.
The only negative from the trip on the train is that there is no cell phone service in the tunnel between Burquitlam and Moody Centre. I asked Translink if cell service would be available along the entire line including in the tunnel and the answer I got back was “Not at this time, but in the future that is a possibility.” So this was and is disappointing. Hopefully they do add the ability for people to use their cell phone on the train from end to end with no gaps. Maybe Telus will step up and invest in cell service on the new line?
At Coquitlam Station they had festivities and activities to celebrate the opening of the extension…food trucks, music, a vintage bus and various activities for the kids. There was a pretty good crowd on hand despite the heavy rain.
Time will tell how well the line is used.
Electric Buses
I had a chance to check out Greenpower Motor Company’s all electric zero emissions bus at the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Fall Conference and Expo held at the Vancouver Convention Centre. They have been in the news in B.C recently when they provided the world’s first double decker all electric bus to the transit authority in Victoria BC.
From a passenger perspective, the fit and finish of the bus on display looks good. There are slight differences to the buses we are used with Translink buses here in the Vancouver area; the seats are a formed plastic with no covering or padding and there was no bike rack on the front of the display bus. There are two spaces for wheelchairs or scooters (or baby buggies too I suppose). There are plenty of hand rails to hold on to while standing and there are ample next stop buttons throughout the bus. The bus is also equipped with multiple (8) security cameras on board. I almost forgot to mention how quiet the bus is. While I was there they had to start up and move the bus and it was pretty much silent. In talking to one of the company representatives this was a big issue for Victoria testing out these busses for the cruise ship industry. If you have several busses waiting dockside for cruise ship passengers all running their engines and air conditioning it can be quite loud. These busses should help address the noise issue as well as the issue of emissions.
From an operators perspective the company says there could be more than $50,000 a year saved in diesel fuel costs and less money needs to be spent on electric bus maintenance.
It will be interesting to see how well all-electric buses are received not only in BC but across the country and the world.
Greenpower Motor Company’s all electric zero emissions bus at the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Fall Conference and Expo held at the Vancouver Convention Centre
Greenpower Motor Company’s all electric zero emissions bus at the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Fall Conference and Expo held at the Vancouver Convention Centre
Greenpower Motor Company’s all electric zero emissions bus at the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Fall Conference and Expo held at the Vancouver Convention Centre
Greenpower Motor Company’s all electric zero emissions bus at the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Fall Conference and Expo held at the Vancouver Convention Centre
Greenpower Motor Company’s all electric zero emissions bus at the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Fall Conference and Expo held at the Vancouver Convention Centre
Greenpower Motor Company’s all electric zero emissions bus at the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Fall Conference and Expo held at the Vancouver Convention Centre
Greenpower Motor Company’s all electric zero emissions bus at the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Fall Conference and Expo held at the Vancouver Convention Centre
Fraser Atkinson, Chairman of Greenpower Motor Company in front of thier all electric zero emissions bus at the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Fall Conference and Expo held at the Vancouver Convention Centre
Horse racing season almost finished..
My two thoroughbred race horses, Shooting Jacket and Merlot, are finished racing at Hastings Racecourse for this season. They are wintering in Aldergrove, BC. Merlot will be back in 2017 but not sure about Shooting Jacket.
Shooting Jacket had 9 starts. Finished first twice, second three times and third twice. Finishing top 3 in 7 of 9 starts. Pretty good if you ask me.
Merlot had 9 starts. Finished first once, second three times and third four times. Finished top 3 in 8 of 9 starts. Again, pretty good if you ask me.
It was a lot of fun being a race horse owner. Seeing a bit of what happens behind the scenes, talking with jockeys and trainers, visiting the paddock area and getting into the winners circle a few times was a lot of fun. I am not sure if I will sign up as an owner again next season but I have a few weeks to make that decision and will let you know what I decide to do going forward.
Merlot finishing 2nd at Hastings Racecourse, 2016.
Shooting Jacket winning a race at Hastings Racecourse. 2016
Mobi Bike Share Vancouver
Mobi Bike Share started up in Vancouver recently. Think car share but with bikes. Full details on how to sign up, access and return the bikes are available on their website but basically you sign up, fill in some information to create an account, pick your plan, receive your user code and you are good to go. The service is geared for trips lasting less than an hour. If you plan on riding for longer than an hour or in a group like with family it is recommended you go to a traditional bike rental business (they have a list of places to rent biked for longer periods of time on their website).
I was walking by Canada Place recently and passed one of the Mobi Bike Share dock stations. (Eventually there will be 150 dock stations and 1500 bikes in the sytem.) When I passed by the station at around 3:30 pm it was pretty much full with bikes available to rent. On my way home around 6:30pm I passed the same dock station and most of the bikes available for rent were gone. (See photos.) The fact that most of the bikes were not at the station seems like a good sign that the idea and business are off to a good start.
So if you are in the downtown core and need a bike for short trips check them out.
Mobi Bike Share Vancouver
Mobi Bike Share Vancouver
Another Race Day
One of my two horses Merlot, number 3 in the photos, ran this past holiday Monday. It didn’t start as a close race with the field strung out in a line, but the end of the race added some excitement in seeing who would come in 3rd and 4th. A win would elude us this day and we would finish a very close 4th. That’s racing.
Merlot (3) finished a close 4th
Merlot in the paddock before the race.
Merlot in the paddock before the race.
Merlot in the paddock before the race.
Photographing fireworks basics
If you missed the fireworks on Canada Day or July 4 or want try your hand at photographing fireworks you have another chance during the http://hondacelebrationoflight.com/ in the Vancouver area July 23, 27 and 30th.
So here are some basic tips on how to photograph fireworks.
Try to scout out your location before the event. Know where the fireworks display will be and where you will shoot in relation to that location. Finding a location that will give you an unobstructed view of the fireworks is key. With popular fireworks shows there will be A LOT of people at the event so plan for this. You do not want to set up in a spot nice and early only to have people end up in front of you blocking your view. And it is best to get into your position as early as possible. I usually try and be at my spot at least 3 hours prior to the show starting.
As far as gear is concerned I use a Sony A77ii DSLR but you could use a point and shoot camera with manual settings or a “Fireworks” setting. No matter what camera you use, it is best to have and use a good sturdy tripod. The shutter stays open for relatively long periods of time when shooting fireworks and if you try to hand hold the camera you will end up with blurry pictures. Using a sturdy tripod can help eliminate camera shake and blurry pictures.
If you can, use a cable release to activate the shutter to take the photos. If you do not have a cable release or the camera does not support a cable release then use the self-timer function to activate the shutter. Using a cable release minimizes how much the camera moves to activate the shutter…your finger doesn’t touch the camera it touches the cable. Using the self-timer gives the camera time to settle down after your finger pushes the shutter button. Many cameras have a self-timer function that lets you delay the shutter by 2-3-4 or 10 seconds. I have used the 2 second delay with good results when I have forgotten the cable release.
The camera settings that I find work best for photographing fireworks are pretty straight forward. Most often I use shutter speeds of between 2 and 6 seconds, an aperture of between f7 and f11 and ISO of between 100 and 400. You will need to play around with the settings to see what works best for you and your situation but these settings can be used as a decent starting point. I will change camera settings during the show if segments of the show are brighter or less bright to try and get the best results but don’t get carried away with changing settings during the show.
Next tip. Shoot a lot. Especially when you are starting out. Don’t expect all your photos of a fireworks display to be award winners. If you take more photos you increase the chances of you getting some really pleasing images. Like anything else, if you keep at it and do it enough you will find that you will have more and more good images from each display you photograph.
A few words about composition. You can focus tight on the fireworks and that is perfectly ok or you can try and add other elements to the composition to try and give the photos a sense of place. If you add in your city skyline or maybe a prominent building or bridge to the fireworks photos it can really add something special to the final photograph.
There are other more “advanced” techniques to photographing fireworks but I hope these few tips help you’re your next fireworks photos a little better. Below are a few fireworks photos I have taken over the years.
SONY DSC
Creativescans 