Okanagan Lake - Sailing - Vernon Yacht Club

We were on the shore of Okanagan Lake yesterday afternoon and early evening. The launch of the Vernon & North Okanagan Map Book & Visitor Planner, which we attended, took place a mere 300 meters from the Vernon Yacht Club. I grabbed the opportunity and a got a few keepers from the races. A splendid sight indeed.


Link to more sailing shots.

Map Book Launch - virtualvernon.com - Video Production

I always try to appreciate that we live in one the best parts of the world. When I have been away and drive or fly back into the Okanagan and see the rolling hills I am reminded of the beauty we have to offer. It is easy to understand why the Okanagan is such a popular tourist destination.

Over the past few years I have worked closely with MJO Communication and have supplied photos for the Vernon & North Okanagan Map Book & Visitor Planner. Later today I will attend the launch of the annual Map Book and look forward to meeting everyone involved in this project.

MJO Communications is also the engine behind virtualvernon.com, a popular 'go to site' for information on anything from events to attractions, golfing, accommodation, real estate, shopping and much more. Virtualvernon.com is now offering advertisers video montages of attractions or businesses. This is where we come in to the picture again. Last week we made a visit to Planet Bee where we shot a two minute spot about Planet Bee. The short video airs today.

View a larger version on the Planet Bee HD video via this link.

Communities in Bloom

If you haven't heard of this green initiative yet check out the web site at communitiesinbloom.ca. For the Vernon campaign Triboda Printing Company has designed and printed a large banner. I believe the banner is about six foot tall. I can proudly say that I have supplied all the photos except for #1 in the above display.

RC Executive Business Service Inc.

Ruth (above photo), Janice and Frances at RC were in a great mood yesterday as they took a well deserved break from the office work due to our visit. We stopped by to do business portraits, group shots and photos of the offices in Vernon. RC Executive Business Services Inc. specializes in accounting, bookkeeping, business consulting, finances and analysis, financial consulting and business help. For more information contact Frances Tourand at 250.306.3726 or email: frances@rcexecutive.ca

A Midsummer Night's Dream

I was at Seaton Secondary yesterday and captured the final rehearsal for Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (the fifties style musical version). As usual the students and teachers at Seaton have gone the extra mile and I would encourage you to go see the show. You can catch the action next week as the show runs Monday to Saturday, May 25-30 at the 27th Theater Company at W.L. Seaton Secondary in Vernon. Showtime 7:30 PM.


Parents and other fans can view or better yet purchase prints via my SmugMug site.

KYSA Cup, Runner Ups

Our Vernon United U-14 girls played themselves into the finals at the KYSA Cup in Kamloops over the long weekend. This was an excellent result after a 0-0 game vs. Nelson, winning games vs. Williams Lake and Abbotsford and a loss to Kelowna in group play. Kelowna was the tough opponent in this group and we met them again in the final on Monday. After a game which ended 0-0 after overtime we went to penalties. Perhaps a bit biased I thought Vernon had the best play in the actual game but the penalties went in Kelowna's favour. The girls can be proud of a well played tournament.



Check out more photos and a video via this link.

KYSA Cup, Day 1

We are off to a good start here in Kamloops. Vernon United tied Nelson 0-0 and won the match versus Williams Lake 3-0. Pictured above is the Williams Lake Keeper who did an admirable job despite letting the three goals in. More shots via this link.

911 - There's a fire

We are in Kamloops this weekend for the KYSA Cup soccer tournament. We arrived at our hotel at the end of the afternoon and just five minutes later we called 911 as we spotted a small brush fire along Hwy 1 right near our hotel. Three fire trucks arrived and the whole thing was taken care off within minutes.

After the Rain

Dark clouds rolled in over town today and created some dramatic light, which I just had to go chase. The first three shots in today's post are not quite what I had expected to capture but sometimes that is the beauty of photography.

Katherine & Chett's Wedding

I am thrilled to announce that I will be shooting Kathrine and Chett's wedding on August 15th. The wedding will be set at O'Keefe Ranch.

Eagle vs. Osprey Chase

My experience with wild life photography so far has been somewhat limited. So I thought I would enter the arena with some bird photos. Birding as we call it is extremely challenging as it take patience, practice and really good gear in order to obtain good results.


As my good friend Henrik however states; "Everything is relative". Relative to what I say taking a look at his long 500mm lens, which is about a foot longer than my lens. And I am thinking he is going to get really nice shots with that thing. I am convinced Henrik is a bad influence. I think I may have gotten the wild life bug from him.


We went out to shoot on Friday afternoon and while we had a great time in a group of four the action was not fantastic. Henrik and I returned to the same spot Saturday afternoon. It was a clear sunny day with a bit of harsh sunlight but all in all okay. Our expectations were low due to the low activity level the day before.


After shooting for a little while it all took a cool twist. The osprey had left the nest and came back with a fish. A couple of eagles and crows figured that they would steal the fish and the greatest chase scene occurred right above our heads. We were scrambling with our lenses and tripods on shore, bumped into each other, changed memory cards, ran out of battery just as it started but in the end I was pleased with the outcome considering it was one of my first outings.


Henrik stated that he'd never seen anything quite like this shooting wild life for quite some time. Thanks Henrik for dragging me out. It was also great meeting Sherry and Mark on the shoot Friday afternoon but where were you guys Saturday :-)

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Granville Street Bridge, Vancouver

It was another exciting evening on Friday with fellow shooters Henrik and Sherry. After a great Thai Dinner in North Van we ventured downtown Vancouver for a night shoot at Granville Island. There is so much to see and explore here, even after dark. The shot above is of the Granville Street Bridge. Wikipedia states: The Granville Street Bridge is an eight lane bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia. It spans 27.4 meters above False Creek and Granville Island. It is part of Highway 99.

The best part of the evening/night was a fresh baked loaf of sourdough bread, which we managed to buy after midnight at the bakery on Granville Island. It was the perfect way to wrap up a busy day of shooting.

Cool Kid Connor

One of the many highlights from my visit in Vancouver was a stop with my friends Mike, Linda and Connor. Connor at almost 18 months stole the show and I probably took a couple hundred photos while out for a walk in the neighborhood. It was great catching up with Mike and Linda and seeing how well Connor is doing. He had just woken up from a nap and was in top shape. As a matter of fact Connor now has his own agent and I am sure he is bound for success. Read more here.

Vancouver Evening

I find myself in Vancouver this weekend visiting with friends. One of these friends, Henrik Nilsson, is a very talented photographer and further more a great pizza cook and knowledgeable tour guide. Last night after watching playoff hockey we ventured out to do a bit of evening / night photography around Stanley Park predominately. It had been a rainy day in Vancouver but that of course did not stop me from lying down on the bike path, getting wet and still not really getting the shot I was looking for. I did get few frames I would like to share with you in today's post. Full credits go to Art Director Henrik for knowing where to go, including shining his iPhone light on the runner statue for the thirty second exposure.

Go here for more Vancouver shots.

Postcard from England, June 1919

My translating project is coming along well. I am about ten letters into the story of a young Danish lady's journey from Denmark to Canada in 1919. At the moment they newlyweds are in Cambridge, England and the stories are rich with descriptions of endless tea parties, military balls and boat rides on the river. It is very interesting being tossed ninety years back in time reading about the day to day life. She is sending home photos and and receiving photos from Denmark in the mail and it is very obvious how special and cherished these photos are at the time. In the stack of letters I came across the postcard seen in the picture above. A wonderful composition and quite detailed in the original. I can only imagine the care and planing which must have gone into capturing this photo. On the flip side of the card it was also interesting to read the very brief address written. It simply went, Mr. Wolff, Viborg, Jylland, Denmark. The equivalent to that in Canada would be something like, Mr. Wolff, Kelowna, BC, Canada.

Getting Out The Bikes

It has been a long wait this year but spring is here (for sure this time) and yesterday we finally got the bikes out. A couple of years ago we spoiled ourselves and both got new hybrid bikes. Hybrid does not stand for more miles per gallon but for a blend between a mountain bike and a road bike. These bike are flat out awesome and I always enjoy going out for a ride. Last night we picked a route from the newly released Vernon Map Book. The route took us up Middleton Mountain. We sat down (but only for a minute) and took in a gorgeous evening view of Kalamalka Lake.


Then we rolled back via Sarsons Road which has a great view of Hillview Golf Course. Last but least the route took us through the quiet areas around of East Vernon Road. I brought a small back pack with the camera and couple of lenses along for the ride.