This post is part of a series about our #Canada2012 trip to British Columbia & Alberta, Canada.
I usually stick to wildlife and landscape photography, but I do try for some urban cityscapes on my travels too.
On this occasion, we were in the historic neighbourhood of Gastown, in downtown Vancouver. It’s a really characterful area, with loads of period features. The cobbled streets, street lamps, and shop façades all retain the feel of the city’s ‘wild-west’ origins. We spent our first evening in Vancouver in the Gastown area where I saw this view without having my camera with me! Oh the horror. So I made the effort to get back to the same spot the following night, and try my hand at this kind of night-time street photography.
It’s not something I’d tried before, but I had an idea of how to go about it. Set ISO to 100, set narrow aperture, and I guessed at an exposure of 20 seconds. To my delight, the very fist photo came out perfectly exposed. It picked up all the amber colour cast from the street lights, and even some light reflected from the clouds.
I took around 10 photos in total; 5 portrait, and 5 landscape. Each one was unique, as the passing traffic left different light trails in the foreground. I’m really happy with how they came out. Just as I’d hoped on that first night. I’ve picked the best of each for my website.
I’m pretty sure we’re going to get one of these printed for home. It’ll probably go up in the kitchen, as the area will always remind me of good food. If you ever visit the neighbourhood, you must stop by at Peckinpah’s BBQ Restaurant and the cowboy shop next door. Fantastic food and spectacular boots, respectively :-)
–
George
