Archive | Photography
Winter Olympics 2010 Vancouver In Pictures
So it turns out that I grew up in Vancouver BC, and it’s my favorite place to live out of everywhere I’ve been. Sure I haven’t lived anywhere amazing, but I have traveled around somewhat. Besides Vancouver, I have lived in Edmonton Alberta, Yellowknife NWT, Anchorage AK, Seattle WA, Portland OR and now Minneapolis MN.
I love Vancouver. But…. There are some huge drawbacks to living in Vancouver which include:
1- Horrible traffic everywhere, all the time. There are no highways leading to downtown, and Hwy 1 the Trans-Canada Hwy used to have a stoplight on it at a huge intersection right outside the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) grounds which is like a county fairgrounds here in the US. It could take you 30-45 minutes to get through that intersection at times!
2- It rains. A lot. The city is on the ocean and walled in by mountains, I guess that adds up to rain. I could look it up, but I think it rains over 200 days per year! If there are 2-3 days in a row without rain it’s a blessing.
3- Property crime is REALLY HIGH! My sister had an old beat up Nissan (or was it Datsun?) SX200 or something like that worth about $200. The one day she didn’t put her “Club” on it (remember those?) it got stolen and had the wheels and other parts removed and the car was found abandoned. Also I went to a hockey game one night knowing that leaving my Pathfinder at the “Skytrain” (elevated light rapid transit trains) station I ran a huge risk of having it broken into before I returned. Sure enough, a car just a few spots from mine had the windows shattered and anything of value stolen.
Would I live there again? Sure I would, it’s a great town. Do I wish I was there now? You bet I do!
Not only am I missing the Winter Olympics in Vancouver but I also missed the Worlds Fair – Expo ‘86 in Vancouver as well!
Thankfully with the internet and all this technology stuff today I can still see some Vancouver on TV (and in movies as many are filmed there) as well as the internet.
Here is today’s serving of images from the Olympics I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Winter Olympics 2010, Vancouver Canada
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/02/vancouver_2010_part_1_of_2.html
New Canon SD3500 IS Touchscreen Announced
The 3 biggest players in the digital camera business, Canon, Nikon and Sony, keep turning out new cameras all the time. It’s difficult for us to keep our site updated with Canon camera repair and parts info for all their new models let alone everybody else as well.
The newest from Canon is the SD3500 IS with 14 megapixel resolution, a 3.5″ touchscreen LCD and a nice 24mm (wide angle) lens with 5x optical zoom!
It’s a pretty nice looking camera, but until I can get my hands on one I can’t say if it will be worth the price of admission or not. Just remember to NOT get caught up in the megapixel hype; more MP is not a better picture, it’s just bigger that’s all.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10020803canonsd3500is.asp
See the story on the new Canon SD3500 IS via the link above.
Travel Photography in Minnesota
Minnesota is perhaps one of the greenest States in the United States. Its lakes and mountains make it a perfect place for nature enthusiasts and photographers as well.
If you love landscapes as a subject to your photography, here are some places that you may want to pay a visit on your next trip to Minnesota.
1. Jay Cooke State Park and Lake Superior State Park
This nature park is situated approximately 10 miles in the southwestern part of Duluth. You can try your luck by trying to capture photos of the following animal species:
46 different species of mammals (including bears, wolves and coyotes)
173 bird species
16 reptile species that are non – poisonous
Moreover, if rock formations are your thing, then you might enjoy the slate and greywacke bedrock of the St. Louis River that is adorned with several shale protrusions.
2. Super Hiking Trail (SHT)
Do you enjoy mountain climbing as much as you love photography? If you do, then the SHT is for you. If you are into that sort of thing, there is a 244 mile hiking trail that runs along side Lake Superior for you to enjoy. You on the hike, take plenty of photos of the lake and other awesome sights.
3. Voyageur National Park
The name came from the initial French – Canadian tourists who frequent this place via canoes. This park has about 30 different lakes and probably more than 1000 islands in those lakes. Boating, canoeing and fishing are among the activities you can enjoy. And don’t forget to take pictures of the islands along the way to record the trip.
4. Minnehaha (Laughing) Falls
This unassuming waterfall can be found in the southeastern part of Minneapolis. However, the Minnehaha Falls is not the only attraction that is photo worthy. Everybody finds they like to stop and pose with the Minnehaha and Hiawatha statues. Both of which are famous because of Longfellow’s “Song of Hiawatha”.
5. Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
If you are looking for a haven in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city, the {Como Park Zoo and Conservatory can be your best bet~When looking to take a break from the city life, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is a fantastic place to go}. The park is not only a sanctuary to big cats, other mammals and birds but in its midst, you can also find a Japanese garden where you can take photographs of manicured Zen garden and bonsais. For the most colorful photographs make sure to visit the “Enchanted Garden” which is full of many different types of butterfly.
I am lucky enough to be living in the St. Paul area so my wife and I take our two young children to Como fairly often. It can be difficult to try and capture the images that I see when we are there as a family, so I am scheduling my own excursion to the zoo, and only my camera is invited to go along with me!
Of course those are but a few sites that you can visit. If you are visiting for several days there are many more parks, hiking trails and other attractions that are worth photographing. If in the middle of your picture-taking trip, you find the need for some maintenance of your digital camera or DSLR, there are a few shops that actually perform digital camera repair in Minnesota. If you’re looking for Minnesota digital camera repair with a quick Google search and a couple phone calls in the Twin Cities you can easily find what you’re after. Elsewhere you may have to mail in your camera and have it mailed back home to you when your digital camera repair is complete.
I hope you enjoy your visit to Minnesota, and happy picture taking!
