Landscape/Skyline

Canada Day marked the one year anniversary of the photoblog! This year you saw 121 posts and 144 photos. It’s been a fantastic year of photography, and it’s only getting better with a new summer of possibilities.

Last year, I tried to capture the fireworks on my own and I got some neat up close shots of the fireworks, but nothing exceptionally breathtaking… though it was a great way to start the blog.  So to celebrate the 143rd birthday of Canada and the 1st birthday of my blog, I wanted to capture the Canada Day fireworks from the most fantastic and unique view of Calgary I could find. Of course, for those of you that know me, I am severely directionally challenged (thank you two x chromosomes!), but my brother, Fouad, is a walking Google Maps. So I set the mission upon him.

And he delivered. I truly have the most patient and supportive brother in the world. He took me to a part of Calgary I had never been before, and up this random, somewhat sketchy, hill on the opposite side of the Elbow River which bounds the northern aspect of Calgary’s downtown. We braved a plague of mosquitos (which are undescribably attracted to Fouad’s blood… sorry!), throngs of cars then people, and a steep hillish escarpment which felt horribly unsafe to rest my tripod and camera upon. Worth it - the view was fantastic!

But the photos… FAIL. What we didn’t see coming was probably the worst Canada Day fireworks display in the country. Seriously, Calgary does not believe in ’go big or go home’ and is probably saving all its good fireworks for the Stampede (fantastic fireworks every night!). The fireworks were not of the classic grande exploding variety, but these disappointing streaks that barely exploded, nor did the majority even clear the height of the smallest buildings in Calgary downtown (and they launched from the top of a building, not the ground!). Worse, from our view there was a tree blocking whatever we could see! The above photo is the best of the bunch – the highest and brightest Calgary had to offer. Tsk tsk Calgary.

But my oh my how Calgary downtown has grown since I left for university over six years ago.

Went a few weeks ago with Fouad and my mom to Niagara Falls for the fireworks show they were having that night. Of course, as my luck would have it, the fireworks got cancelled literally 5 minutes before the show was supposed to begin. I was all set up with my camera and tripod and we had accomplished the difficult task of staking out the perfect location amongst the hectic throngs of American tourists that had all come, too, for the show.

Well, no fireworks-over-the-falls pictures but, of course, here is one of the obligatory night shots.

Taken in Stanley Park facing downtown Vancouver.

Warning: Some of you may have to whip out your loupes for this pic!

(It’s tiny, I know, but I love panoramas. The above is a four image composite stitch which printed is the size of a wall! Click the pic for a larger not-so-ocular-straining version.)