This morning I got the opportunity to photograph Canadian Olympic Hopefuls Hannah Meers (skipper) and Erin Flanagan (crew) as they practiced in the cold waters off Oak Bay. We started the morning by getting the boat ready (I drank my latte) at 7:45 and we were on the water by 8:20. The air was frigid, the clouds were dark and the sun wasn’t fully awake yet. It started to rain. Thankfully, the rain did hold off for the most part, but it was still way colder than it needed to be. I think we were on the water for about 2 hours in total while the girls trained (Hannah with bare feet). It’s been a while since I was on the water when it was this cold and photographically speaking, my hands were too numb to fully grab my lens. Not to mention that my knees are bruised from being bounced around the zodiac, I’ll remember to bring knee pads next time.
They sail the international 470 dinghy in the women’s division. The 470 first became an Olympic class in 1976, and is one of nine types of sailboats raced in the Olympics. Both Hannah and Erin grew up in southern Alberta and thus, their team name is Wild Rose Girls. You can find them and follow them on Facebook here or follow them on twitter with @Meers_Flanagan. The two are on their way to Miami in the following weeks to continue their training.
Adventure
26
Oct 11
Olympic Sailing – Victoria, BC
22
Jun 11
Expiration
So, I was over in Vancouver a couple weeks ago (not for a hockey game) and was able to spend the morning with my lady and a friend of her family-friend who oddly enough went to the same photography school as I did. We wandered down to Granville Island and had some lunch in the market and then cruised on over the bridge. I, for the first time (just before the wedding) took my Minolta out to play. These are two of my favourite shots from that trip.
We didn’t just go over for Granville Island market food, we actually went over to see the musical Wicked. If you ever, ever get a chance to see it, I recommend it with the highest of all recommendations.
I like this. Thoughts? Post them in the comments box!
5
May 11
New Zealand
I started watching The Lord of the Rings the other day and I remembered when I rode a horse through what was, Rohan. Yes, I am a nerd.
28
Feb 11
Photography from the Mountain
So, I missed the Tasty Tuesday this week. And that would be because I was packing for a ski trip in which I left on Tuesday. Whatever, it’s a poor excuse. Other than the ski trip, I don’t have much to report on this week. I will be posting a Tasty Tuesday this week and it will be something from way back.
In the meantime, here’s the video from the weekend. It was really cold while we were up there (-20°C in the morning and a balmy -17°C in the sun) at Mount Washington. The video is from all over the mountainside. Make sure to watch it in HD. If you’re on a mobile device, here’s the youtube link
18
Feb 11
Bondi
I hoped to have some fashion pictures for you this week but they won’t be ready for at least another month. Why? Simple, they haven’t been taken yet. In any case, here is a panoramic stitch that I took while I was in Australia. This is a composition of probably 6 pictures. What do you think?
Click to enlarge
4
Feb 11
Inukshuk
Near the beginning of my trip through New Zealand, my girlfriend and I took a train down the north island from Auckland to Wellington (12 hours) and then, the next day, hopped on a ferry that took us to the south island (4 hours) and then another train, on the same day, to Christchurch. The following day we were on a bus, for about 9 hours that took us all the way to Queenstown. It was a long trip, and me being as sick as a dog made it feel even longer. We stopped at Lake Tekapo (seen in the “Northern Hemisphere” post). I took some time down at the lake front to reflect. It was then that I took a few pictures of the area and then started to make my way back to the bus. However, on my way back I noticed that the rocks were perfect stacking rocks. I stopped and had a quick look around and found 4 or 5 great spots to leave a bit of Canada behind. So, I started stacking and made an inukshuk.
I hope that in doing this, another Canadian, on another bus, found this and thought of home. I know that I would.
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