evening

Ambleside Pier in West Vancouver

West Vancouver and the Ambleside Pier in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

ambleside pier west vancouver evening

Evening at the Ambleside Pier in West Vancouver (Purchase)

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   A few weeks ago I headed into Vancouver to see what fall foliage I could find. This was not a stellar year for foliage around Vancouver or in the Fraser Valley, at least not in the areas where I ventured. I found some good colour in Queen Elizabeth Park, but I have photographed there a lot before. I decided to go to areas that I hadn’t really visited often after that. After going through downtown I went to Ambleside Park in West Vancouver. I had only photographed this location once, and there were promises of a decent sunset and a few subjects I wanted to photograph again with my newer, higher resolution, camera.

   I had seen photographs of the pier before, but didn’t realize how close it was to Ambleside Park – probably less than a 10 minute walk from where I’d parked. On the way to the pier I photographed a few things along the beach, ships in English Bay, and the Lions Gate Bridge. When arriving at the Ambleside Fishing Pier, much of the sunset was gone but it was perfect timing for a blue hour photograph of the pier and parts of West Vancouver to the north. I had to compose around a construction crane but otherwise things went as planned. Ambleside Pier itself is a nice spot to view the surrounding area, and is set up with a table and hose to cut bait for fishing or crab traps, and to clean one’s catch.

sunset ambleside pier west vancouver

Ambleside Pier at Sunset (Purchase)

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   This second photograph of Ambleside Pier is from Ambleside Beach looking west. When I visited the pier there were several groups there fishing and crabbing. One of the crabbers was waiting to pull up their trap as there was a seal hanging out in the area and apparently it is adept at raiding the traps as they come to the surface!

For more photographs of this area visit my Gallery.

An Evening at the White Rock Pier

Tourists watching the sunset at the White Rock Pier in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada. Photographed from White Rock Beach looking west across Boundary Bay towards the mountains on Vancouver Island.

people watching the sunset from white rock pier

Watching the Sunset at White Rock Pier (Purchase)

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   The first outing I made with my new camera was to photograph a few different locations in South Surrey and White Rock. I’ve walked along the White Rock Pier several times in the past, but I haven’t tried to photograph there in any serious way in almost 10 years so it was clearly time to change that. The White Rock Pier is one of the focal points of tourist (and local) activity for the City of White Rock. Officially opened in 1914, it was constructed to create a deep water wharf and as a tourist attraction. The first photograph here shows 3 young people enjoying the sunset (or the birds you can see in the larger version) from the pier. Beyond the pier you can see Boundary Bay and the mountains on Vancouver Island to the west.

view of white rock pier from marine drive in the evening

White Rock Pier and Semiamhoo Bay (Purchase)

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   Just above the entrance from Marine Drive you can see this view of the pier, Boundary Bay, and Semiamhoo Bay in Washington State. The San Juan Islands (also in Washington State) are visible in the distance. This is one of the busiest spots along Marine Drive as it is the entrance to the pier but also where many of the more popular restaurants and ice cream shops are located.

walking along the white rock pier

Walking along the White Rock Pier (Purchase)

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   The pier remains busy even after sunset during warmer evenings – it took some waiting to have just a few people in the photographs like this one as the pier was busy. I also noticed that people walking by made the planks bounce, so I had to photograph mostly when people weren’t nearby. The above photograph is the view along the pier looking south towards the United States.

boats in the marina at white rock pier

Boats Anchored at the White Rock Pier Marina (Purchase)

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   At the south end of the White Rock Pier there is a small marina which usually has about 15-20 small sailboats moored there. I am not sure if it has an official name or not, but I have seen it referred to generically as the “White Rock Pier Marina” which may merely be descriptive rather than an actual designation.

view from end of white rock pier looking back towards city at night

Looking back at City of White Rock from the end of the pier (Purchase)

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   This is the view from the end of the pier looking back towards the City of White Rock.

For more photographs of White Rock and other nearby areas please visit my Vancouver Coast and Mountains Gallery.

An Evening at Kits Beach in Vancouver

Wide panorama from Vancouver’s Kits Beach including Stanley Park, Crown and Grouse Mountains (left) and Mount Seymour (right), and the West End downtown towers.

panorama of vancouver english bay and kitsilano buildings and city

Vancouver Coast & Mountains: View of English Bay and City of Vancouver (Purchase)

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   Last week I posted a photograph of the M.V. Fortune and Crown Mountain that I pointed out was just one portion of a much larger panorama shot from Kits Beach. Above you’ll find my finished panorama a view of the anchored M.V. Fortune, Crown/Grouse Mountains and Stanley Park, and the West End of Vancouver and its apartment and condo towers. The two taller buildings on the right of downtown Vancouver are the new Trump Tower and Living Shangri-La. I made this photograph standing just outside the boundary of Kits Beach Park along the seawall path on the west side of the Kitsilano Yacht Club. I think this photo really exemplifies the name “Vancouver Coast & Mountains” which is the tourism region Vancouver is located in.

panorama of vancouver english bay and kitsilano buildings and city

Panorama of Vancouver’s West End and Kitsilano (Purchase)

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   I made a number of panoramas from the Kits Beach area. The one above is similar to the first, but shot from the eastern side of the Kitsilano Yacht Club. I tried to focus on Mount Seymour and the downtown area and included the Kits Beach Boathouse Restaurant in this one. This panorama was made about 15 minutes after the first one so you see many more of the lights on in the city buildings which I prefer over the look of the first panorama.

vancouver condo towers and mount seymour blue hour from kits beach

Vancouver’s West End and and Mount Seymour (Purchase)

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   On this evening I was out to photograph the city with snowy mountains in the background, so I made some single exposures that focused on just these subjects. This photograph shows Mount Seymour and the towers in the West End. The tallest of the buildings in this photo is the Empire Landmark Hotel. In the foreground we have the lights of vehicle traffic on Beach Avenue and the sandy shore of Sunset Beach.

kits beach and the boathouse restaurant at sunset

Kitsilano Beach and the Boathouse Restaurant in the evening (Purchase)

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   This is the Boathouse Restaurant on Kits Beach photographed after sunset. I like the reflections on English Bay in this scene and the rare opportunity to photograph without a crowd on the beach.

For more Cityscapes of Vancouver take a look at my Cities and Buildings Gallery in my Image Library.

Kalamalka Lake Evening Panorama

Panorama of Kalamalka, Vernon, and Coldstream in the evening from Vernon, British Columbia, Canada.

panorama of kalamalka lake, vernon, and coldstream in the evening from vernon british columbia canada

Kalamalka Lake Evening Panorama (Purchase)

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   After shooting some great sunset light near Vernon, British Columbia about a month ago I headed to this vantage point just off Hwy 97. The Monashee Mountains can be seen far in the distance behind the District of Coldstream. The houses and lights to the left are in Vernon, and the water in the foreground is of course, Kalamalka Lake.

For more photographs of this area visit my Thompson Okanagan Gallery.

Mount Cheam Panorama

Panorama of Mount Cheam in the evening from Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada.

panorama of mount cheam during blue your from agassiz british columbia canada

Panorama of Mount Cheam in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia (Purchase)

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This is a panorama of Mount Cheam, a familiar sight to anyone living or often traveling through the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. I made this photo by the banks of the Fraser River in Agassiz just after sunset in January. The time right after sunset is often referred to as “Blue hour” and you can see why. I often like to photograph buildings in downtown Vancouver at this time as you can still see the outlines of the buildings against the sky (unlike when the sky is darker). I find this is also a great time to photograph mountains – so it is worth hanging around after any potential sunset light or alpenglow has faded. Always wait until the light is completely gone!

Downtown Vancouver During Blue Hour

Downtown Vancouver at dusk from Stanley Park – including Canada Place (left) and the new Trade and Convention Center.

downtown vancouver at dusk panorama from stanley park

Downtown Vancouver Panorama photographed during Blue Hour (Purchase)

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   I have photographed downtown Vancouver from Stanley Park a few times in the past – with fair but not spectacular results. When my first DSLR was new I would try to photograph the skyline well after sunset. At that time of day there isn’t much contrast between the dark buildings and the sky, so these photographs did not turn out very well. I learned that if you photograph during “Blue Hour” there will be much better contrast between the dark buildings and the sky – with much better results! Blue Hour is the period of time between total darkness in the sky and sunrise or sunset. Just like the “Golden Hour” this may not actually last an hour. In Vancouver at this time of year I think the blue hour lasted about 20 minutes facing southeast though there was still good blue light facing west for about another 10 minutes after that.

   This Panorama, taken during the blue hour after sunset, shows a dark sky but you can still see the profile of all the buildings. Much better than a photo taken when the sky is really dark!

   FYI – if you ever photograph downtown from Stanley Park near the Nine O’Clock Gun is the location I made this photograph. I was still there at 9 o’clock… with a few others who had gathered to hear its blast. Well, this isn’t a cap gun, the shockwave was dramatic even though I was standing 50 feet away. There were some tourists and teenagers who were standing right next to the wire cage that houses the gun, and one passerby tried to get them to plug their ears or step away from the thing as it was almost 9. This sage advice was ignored and when the gun went off there was a lot of screaming and even some tears due to the noise. If you are out there photographing near 9 o’clock and the red flashing lights go off – plug your ears!