*sheepishly raises hand*
The fireworks photo set is here, by the way:
Celebration of Light - Canada
Realaworld (also in Vandigicam, but I haven't met him yet) took some fantastic shots from the Burrard Bridge. Go check out his set. Go!
Last Wednesday afternoon I was thinking about shooting the fireworks from the Burrard Bridge. I've walked across it many times on the way home, admiring the view of English Bay and imagining how great the photos would be from such a vantage point. I recall last summer thinking 'OK this is the year I'll shoot from the bridge', unaware at the time that it would be my last year to watch the fireworks from my Beach Avenue apartment. In the end I watched the first night of fireworks (China) on the roof of my friend's place near Stanley Park, with a steller view of the fireworks barge. I think those were my best fireworks shots ever, even with the camera being hand-held.
This year my first idea was to shoot in four different locations, starting with the Burrard Bridge. Then on Wednesday afternoon I thought, hey -- why not get Vandigicam people together for a picnic at Kits Point? For some reason, I had it in my head that there was a lighthouse we could use as a meeting place, and I searched all through Flickr in vain for a pic so people could locate it. Then I had to hurry off to meet Lana in Richmond, so I crossed my fingers that my memory wasn't playing tricks on me and that little beacon of light I'd been living across for nearly eight years was indeed a lighthouse.
When I arrived at Kits Point from the aquabus, however, the lighthouse turned out to be a beacon on a rusty white frame structure. Hardly a lighthouse at all! Despite my glorified definition, people still managed to get there and we had a fine time of it, picnicking and relaxing and socialising before the fireworks.
It was Canada's night to let our pyromaniacs shine, and I must say this year's effort was a far cry better than the last outing in 2003. China and the Czech Republic walked all over Canada, whose display was kiboshed by technical difficulties, as I recall. They pulled up their collective socks this year with song selection, choosing the theme "Jazz in the Sky" and using different eras to accompany the fireworks, featuring classic Louis Armstrong -- "What a Wonderful World" -- and a modern version of "Summertime" by Peter Gabriel.
At the moment I'm at the Painted Turtle Guesthouse in Nanaimo, BC, thanks to Harbour Lynx and the tourism industry people in Nanaimo who organised this fam trip to promote central Vancouver Island. It's been a full evening, and tomorrow will be even busier, with a morning activity followed by a lunch at a fine dining restaurant followed by an afternoon activity.
There's a martini lounge directly beneath me which I have a voucher for, but I'm thinking I should call it a night since the activities begin rather early tomorrow. I also forgot my USB cable, so no uploading tonight!
I signed up on the fam trip too late to get on the scenic flight with Baxter Air -- they only take six people! phooey! -- but I'll be on Newcastle Island in the morning and Gabriola Island in the afternoon.
