Yann comes to canada

I had a great week this week as Yann came to visit from London, so finally got to do some of the things here that really need 2 people and that weren't photography or snowboarding.

Firstly we went dog sledding where they make you dress up in loverly outfits that resemble something from Dumb and dumber the movie (remember the scene on the motorbike?) I'm not sure he will be so happy I included this shot in my blog.

You find most of the time when sat in the sled that you get snow thrown in your face from the dogs running, it's certainly great to stand on the back and have some control though.

They had funny little kennels, this guy no longer worked as he was run over by a car, poor guy.

At the end of the tour of course they bring out the cute puppy. Did I hear an Awwwww?

Next we went zip-lingin over the Fitzsimmons creek which is on between Blackcomb and Whistler mountains, one of the lines was 2200 feet long! It was my first time and it was awesome, I recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind heights! On the last run they even had us hanging upside down.

We would go across the creek through woods and have this view along the way.

You can't be around snow and not build a snowman! At this point the snow was very slushy but luckily still stuck together and it was very easy to mold so we could get a perfect shape to him, I'm actually quite proud of it! It took over an hour, slushy snow isn't easy to gather up.

It was a beautiful day that we headed up the mountain to go on the Whistler Peak 2 Peak which is a gondola that goes from one mountain across to the other, you get quite a view along the way.

I finally got a nice shot of a view I had seen whilst boarding up here but it had always been cloudy, although I still think I need to get it later in the day for a better angle of light.

Finally a shot of me! Yes mum I'm wearing my xmas hat. My face was a little red by the end as it was very bright up there.

Sat on the lifts on the way back I grabbed this shot which show everything Whistler has, mountains, trees, ski lifts, skiers, lakes and the village.

During a relaxing visit to Harrison hot springs our hotel room had a great leak view that gave me the opportunity for long exposures whilst still relaxing, both on my Fotoman 617 the first one was a 1 hour shot of the sunset and the second a 3 hour shot in the hope to get star trails, I will post these pictures once I have them developed and scanned.

The next day we planned to visit some nearby waterfalls, the first we didn't make it to however as the road was full of sharp rocks and I got a flat tyre so didn't want t risk going any further, but the second was Beautiful, it was almost elegant and delicate the was a small amount fell down the rocks in a wide flow, the picture below was taken with a fast shutter but the great thing about the falls is it also looks naturally like a long exposure.

The great thing about Canada is they don't clear up the logs that fall naturally, so you winder upon parts of trails like this where a log has fallen across it and they have just cut a whole for the trail.

It was a great week that also involved loads of food, the last time I remember getting so full was in Los Angeles. The week was ended having a dinner at Seasonal 56 near Vancouver, Yann had booked the chefs table (the best table which means eating in the kitchen!) amd we had a tasting menu that involved various local dishes including Rabbit (sorry sis!)

"Super moon" photography

A clear night meant it was the perfect night to take some moon light pictures, especially with the so called super moon that mean there was 20% more light. I spotted this great shot of the Tantalus mountain range.
I also took it on my 617 camera for a 30 minute exposure which I can't wait to see how the stars turned out in it.

Whistler Day 11 - Finally a day with great weather!

Today was a great day, I took my medium format camera onto the slopes, I was able to store it in some lockers up there all day and then could just go and get it when clouds cleared and snowboard in between.
As soon as I got to the to of the Whistler gondola I saw a great shot as the sun was low and everyone was getting ready to hit the slopes.

I then went up to the peak for the first time, this is an area that is regularly closed due to bad weather as it's about 7000 feet high, you can see it in the shot above to the right which is the first time I've seen it since arriving. It's certainly cold up there, any exposed skin freezes quickly with the wind chill. It's amazing how different everything looks here to just 1000 feet lower, the trees were completely hidden in snow. On the way down I saw this great view. This is my favourite shot so far in Whistler, the perfect snowscape with the mountains in the background.

Before finishing for the day I took this shot of the canadian flat backlit by the sun, it's a shame the background isn't more interesting as that would make it a great shot.

Since it was only 4.45 by the time I got back to the car and had 2 hours of sun left I decided to drive around searching for a great spot for the mountains, but try as I might I just couldn't find it, there was always something in the way (usually trees!) It's a shame as it would have made a beautiful shot.

I'm completely pooped after the 2 days on the slopes, tomorrow will be a nice photo day in the valleys I think, hopefully another waterfall. Night night

Whistler Day 8 - I should have gone snowboarding!

With the summer time coming into effect I'm out of whack with my sleep and keep waking up late now, I figured I had got up too late to snowboard as I wouldn't get a full day but I wish I had gone anyway because it turned out to be quite a nice clear day with no snow falling so it would have been a great day on the slopes, I'm not a big fan of snowboarding with heavy snow and poor visibility in the flat light you get here.

Oh well, I got some nice shots anyway east of Pemberton around Joffre lakes.

It's amazing how all the little rivers and streams (creeks as they call them here) seal themselves off over winter with snow and ice and slowly reveal themselves as spring comes. I may re-visit this shot in 2 weeks to see ho it's changed.

Whilst I was setting up this shot the geese started to fly around, but once ready I had to wait 15 minutes before they started again.

Whistler Day 7- 3rd time lucky at Lucille lake

It was snowing very heavy today so I took a chance and went back to Lucille lake to see if there was more snow on the trees and it was my lucky day, this is definitely my favourite of the 3.

Whistler Day 6 - Nairn Falls

Today I headed to Nairn Falls about 30km north, I tried to go here at the beginning of the week but park rangers were there and said it was too dangerous to hike to the falls this time of year. I'm not usually one to follow rules so I found myself on the slowest 1 mile hike ever towards the falls with the path mostly like this with lots of ice.

The pathway is slanted to the left and with the ice made it quite a scary walk as you could quite easy slip and find yourself in the river.

It was worth all the effort though as the falls was one of the nicest I've seen thanks to the way it's carved through the rocks.

I didn't expect a 2 for 1 deal here, lower down there was another part to the falls. Both shots had an 8 second exposure for a soft flowing waterfall, I have always preferred a waterfall like this, makes them look more magical.

Whistler Day 5 - On the slopes!

I finally donned the snowboarding gear and hit the slopes today, there was some light snow falling and visibility was poor but I took my GF1 camera anyway to see if any shots presented themselves on my way down the runs.

The day mostly looked like this above, but at around 2pm some clouds parted and revealed some blue sky along with the peaks of Blackcomb across the valley, this is my favourite shot so far as finally it captures the mountains, I will definitely be coming back with my medium format kit on a guaranteed clear day to capture this again.

It was a good test for this camera today as it got covered in snow through the day and I was constantly cleaning off the lens, by the end of the day it was drenched but worked flawlessly, and it fits nicely in my jacket pocket and isn't a burden whilst snowboarding.

Whistler Day 4

I woke to heavy snow this morning with low visibility and lots of closed lifts on the mountains, the last time I boarded with this much snow I didn't enjoy it much so I went to look for more shots.

Yesterday there was no snow on any of the trees but this morning there was plenty.

I found myself driving on many back roads that looked like this to get these shots.

But just after I took the shot the snow began to turn into rain and I could see quite quickly the snow was going from the trees so I dashed back to Lucille lake where I was yesterday, which do you prefer?

I definitely prefer the snow on the trees, although I wish there was more as it is still quite subtle.

Whistler Day 3

I woke this morning to a cloudy day with some light snow, I was torn between snowboarding and more exploring, I decided to go with exploring hoping to get some nice winter snow shots.

This shot would have been perfect if the trees had snow on them.

I'm finding it tough to find shots that really capture the area, most likely due to not being able to get too high up. I think I will have to venture up the lifts of Whistler with camera soon when it is a clear day and get some great shots of the mountains all around.

Whistler Day 2

It's a beautiful day again so I headed out exploring looking for good vantage points and light on the mountains. It's tough this time of year as many of the back roads are closed leaving you with only main roads, and hiking isn't really an option as the snow is too deep still (unless I get some snow shoes which I will try later this week). I still found some nice locations but I always feel like I'm chasing the great view but never quite finding it!

I also spotted this view, which made me think of my editing agent Satu back in england as she loves Horses.

For sunset I found a spot which would capture the mountains nicely I missed yesterday, but unfortunately clouds meant it wasn't as spectacular.

Heading to Whistler

I've rented an apartment in Whistler for a month so I can explore the area more and get in some serious snowboarding, but I arrived to this at the entrance -

Although I could get into the flat, it was quite hazardous so it took me an hour to dig it out and create a proper path to my door, any more snow and I won't be able to see out the windows! Clearly the 3 swedish girls who lived in this 1 bed apartment before me were very lazy.

Once I was in I headed out since it was a nice day to see what sunset shot I could get.

There was some amazing light forming on the mountains near Pemberton, 30km north of Whistler, so I was searching for a good position for a shot, but in the end I was too late and just captured the last whisps of light. I will have to come back again with more time to find a spot as mintutes before the whole mountain was glowing red.

I was on time to catch this shot though, which was the reverse angle from the previous one, so I just hopped across the bridge.

Another rainy night of scabble

It was another rainy night and time to play scrabble with my Aunt Linda, we managed to get in 2 games this time, the first one I won by just 27 points, slowly I am learning from the master.

But the second game I won by 121, all because I was very lucky and got 2 seven letter words in a row, I would have had a 3rd if I hadn't been block by Linda's go!

Here is the score card as proof!