Vancouver area landscapes - advice

[Alan Davenport]

Victoria is one of my favorite desinations. If you're willing to have a bit 'o the "hand of man" in some of your photos, Fisgard Lighthouse is well worth the short trip from Victoria. Also (and this one is in Victoria) take a few minutes to tour Craigdarroch Castle, where there's more old-growth timber in the staircase alone than you'll find in most forests nowadays. }

[Deniz]

Hey Andrew,

I did get offered the job at Lens and shutter but i am going to Emily Carr instead. Maybe i will get a job at L&S later on and give all the vancouver area LFers good discounts you get the best one.. heheh

gotta hang out before you leave for Japan!

[Gary Nylander]

Hi Jack,

I grew up on the Island and still have family there, but I have been a resident of Kelowna, B.C. for the past twenty years or so, I can't give you many recommendations for the Vancouver/Whistler area but I have photographed a number of times in the Tofino Ucluclet area with Pacific Rim National Park located between the two towns.

I should warn you this time of year can be very busy with tourists, parking and accommodations can also be expensive, but it's a remarkable area, with breathtaking scenery, a very nice trail near the town of Ucluclet is the "Wild Pacific Trail" its quite level about 2 to 3 km in length and I would think suitable for your pregnant wife and two year old, it has some awesome and safe views of the crashing Pacific ocean waves on the beach below ( if its stormy ! ).

My website features a number of photographs from this area and other areas around Western Canada if you wish to check it out:

http://www.garynylander.com

Gary

[Dominique Labrosse]

Jack,

Beau Photo is for sure the place to get film. http://www.beauphoto.com/

Try calling or emailling ahead and they'll even have your order ready for you. If you give them enough time they'll be happy to special order anything that they might not have in stock.

In terms of locations, I would recommend visiting the main campus of the University of British Columbia. There you will find the Museum of Anthropology which has a great outdoor area, (even if you don't visit with your camera you should go just to see the excellent collection of North West coast native art), the Nitobe traditional Japanese garden (very inexpensive admission and very photographer friendly) and great padded trails in a little taste of Pacific rainforest. Be sure to get to UBC by way of North West Marine Drive, and stop to shoot at the end of Spanish Banks and/or Acadia beach.

Other great places to shoot in Vancouver would be Granville Island Public market (your 2 year old will love the Kids Only market there), Queen Elizabeth Park, Stanley Park (especially near the Lion's Gate bridge), Grouse Mountain, and Lynn Valley canyon (instead of the highly commercialized Capilano Suspension Bridge).

On your way up to Whistler be sure to rent a car, because the bus or train won't stop to let you take pictures. The Sea to Sky highway from Vancouver to Whislter is a photographers delight. Try to do the highway near golden hour (it's about a 1.5-2 hour drive), or bring an orange or red filter to shoot B&W during the day. Be sure to stop at Squamish to shoot The Chief (our version of Half Dome). Lots of rivers, mountains and trees along the way... all close to the road. Try exploring north along past Whistler to Pemberton and the valley beyond.

Good luck and happy shooting.