Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, I have enjoyed living in a city blessed with both natural beauty and rich cultural diversity. With the ocean and mountains at its doorstep, Vancouver’s splendor is showcased by an abundant array of wondrous vistas. For the photography challenge “Where I Live”, I chose to explore the many facets of Vancouver, which have shaped my life as a ‘born and raised’ Vancouverite. Within my immediate community of West Vancouver, I photographed the beautiful seascapes from the coastline, Dundarave Village and the Dundarave Pier, and landscapes of the seawall, as I felt they encapsulated the identity of the community. My other images featured the night lights at Park Royal Shopping Centre, Collingwood School as well as iconic homes along West Vancouver’s waterfront. I also chose to photograph the historic Cypress Park gas station in lower Caulfield, a vestige to West Vancouver’s heritage where you can see cars of a bygone era being restored. Having family and friends in different neighborhoods across the North Shore, I decided to photograph other places, which embodied the region. Notably I ventured out to scenic Deep Cove, capturing an image of the marina, which juxtaposed the sailboats in the calm ocean inlet against the towering North Shore mountains in the backdrop. I also took a photograph of the snow-kissed peaks of Grouse Mountain, as they serve as a prominent landmark of Vancouver, and are home to fond memories of my childhood skiing adventures. Traversing over the Lions Gate bridge connected me to the heart of downtown Vancouver. The vibrant energy of the city has served as a backdrop of where I have lived, and I chose to include downtown Vancouver for this assignment. From the iconic Hotel Georgia, to a scene of the hustling Vancouver cityscape at dusk to the urban decay of Vancouver’s downtown eastside alleys, there was a wide array of scenes for my lens to capture. One of my favorite pictures was the photograph I took of the bold red building on the edge of Gastown, complete with its longstanding fire escapes, as it captured the old-charm of Vancouver’s architectural heritage buildings. I also enjoyed photographing the warehouse building in the downtown eastside, as it embodied the urban decay on the outskirts of Vancouver’s lively downtown core. Other photographs including Vancouver’s west-side tree-lined boulevards and skyline of Vancouver from Jericho Beach created postcard memories of living in Vancouver.
In terms of the technicalities of the photography, I used both my digital SLR camera and my iPhone 6 camera, as I shot this assignment over multiple days to acquire a collection of photographs which showed a diversity of perspectives of Vancouver. I also shot at various times of the day (dawn, morning, afternoon, sunset, and night) to offer insight into how my vision of Vancouver evolves during different times of the day. I also employed black and white photography to accentuate and highlight photographs to allow the captured scenes to become more prominent yet simplistic. I also varied the depth of field, image composition, and color enhancement, as well as used reflection of water (technique from a previous blog challenge) to craft my photographs. My collection of images of Vancouver reflect my perspective on the beautiful city ‘Where I Live’ and call home.
My surroundings have indeed influenced my identity; I attribute Vancouver’s natural beauty in imbuing in me a love of the outdoors and adventure (from skiing the powered peaks to sailing in the beauteous blue ocean). I love where I live and cherish all that Vancouver has to offer. I enjoyed how this assignment pushed me to venture out into the many areas of Vancouver and enjoy appreciate its magnificence.
In terms of the technicalities of the photography, I used both my digital SLR camera and my iPhone 6 camera, as I shot this assignment over multiple days to acquire a collection of photographs which showed a diversity of perspectives of Vancouver. I also shot at various times of the day (dawn, morning, afternoon, sunset, and night) to offer insight into how my vision of Vancouver evolves during different times of the day. I also employed black and white photography to accentuate and highlight photographs to allow the captured scenes to become more prominent yet simplistic. I also varied the depth of field, image composition, and color enhancement, as well as used reflection of water (technique from a previous blog challenge) to craft my photographs. My collection of images of Vancouver reflect my perspective on the beautiful city ‘Where I Live’ and call home.
My surroundings have indeed influenced my identity; I attribute Vancouver’s natural beauty in imbuing in me a love of the outdoors and adventure (from skiing the powered peaks to sailing in the beauteous blue ocean). I love where I live and cherish all that Vancouver has to offer. I enjoyed how this assignment pushed me to venture out into the many areas of Vancouver and enjoy appreciate its magnificence.