Archive for the “photos” Category

I had a chat with Wendy Rombough this week. She’s a photographer brought in by HP to show off their new Photosmart Studio Kiosks. You can print off pro styled photo books, calendars, cards and prints, in about an hour. The first kiosk is in Lougheed Mall.

Wendy also took some time to serve up photo tips for Spring Break. She’s a baby and kid photographer, has 2 of her own, and knows what to look for to get a great shot.

1. TURN OFF YOUR FLASH
If you love the way things look when you’re using your eyes, adding the flash will just wash things out. Instead of flashing, bump up the ISO on your camera.

2. LET THE KIDS BE KIDS
Get reactions from the kids, don’t pose them. If you want a big smile, have them goof off and make funny faces, then capture them laughing at themselves

3. GET TO THEIR LEVEL
They’ll be more comfortable (you may not be) when you’re on their level instead of shooting down on them.

4. ZOOM YOUR BODY, NOT YOUR LENS
Your body can move a lot faster than your camera can, so follow the kids around and don’t worry so much how you frame the pictures, you can always tighten up or crop a shot afterwards.

5. THE RULE OF THREE
When you’re managing your pictures afterwards, leave room in the frame for the subject to lead the shot. The rule of three divides the frame into thirds horizontally, and vertically. Try and get the main part of the image on one of the cross points.

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Sunny and 11. Thank you very much.

Jen wanted to go for our usual walk around the local creek, I like taking the weekends to go and check out something different, bring a camera and take some pics. Our last photowalking adventure was January 27, so it’s been awhile.

Today, we packed Zacharie in tight with his little lion pal, Martin (pronounced the french way).

Jen and I have named ALL of Zacharie’s toys. Leonard is a frog blanket, Sylvester is a teething crab, Lawrence is a blue lion, Reid is his horse, Morrison is his bear, Dixie is a little chicken… we even named the cartoon art on his walls. It makes for interesting conversations when we’re packing up to leave.

“Where’s Eduardo (monkey)?”

“I dunno, but I’ve got Sylvia, Sonny and Cher“ (crab, starfish and clam).
Ahhh the joys of parenting.

We started near the Bayshore, walked around Lost Lagoon, past the beach and down to English Bay. We saw raccoons and ducks and took a ride on the swings. Then we headed up Denman, hit Vera’s for a burger and poutine, before strolling back to the car.

map image and distance tracking from runningmap.com

3.5km. 2hrs. Good times.

Here’s what we saw today:

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Yes, it’s February 13, but it was damn sun shiney and beautiful today, so Jen and I went on down to our local Pure Nailbar and got our toes did.

Jen doesnt like me getting the toe nails painted, but since it’s included I always jump for it. I went for the Black Onyx (yes, I usually get pink - it’s toes, under socks - who cares?)

The nail polish may have been free, but the waxing of those hairy toes was an extra 10, and it didn’t happen.

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Trust is leaning out a window on the 4th floor of a burning building, holding your toddler in your arms and … letting go.

This situation played out in Germany yesterday. A father throwing his son from a burning building to the waiting arms of rescuers below.

Is that trust? Is that love? Is that courage?

All I know is I don’t think I could have done it. Jen and I talked about it. If it had been either of us, we would have jumped holding Zacharie, hoping that our body would break the fall.

I don’t know if that would have been the right decision. We both might die.

In this case, the father made the right choice, his son survived the fall. 9 others, 5 of them children, did not.

That, my friends, is trust.

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Today is the day before Lent, the Christian season remembering Jesus’ 40 days and nights in the desert being tempted by the devil. [wiki]

During this time, you’re supposed to go through your own personal torture by “giving something up for Lent.”

Back in the day that meant leaning down your meals and a lot of fasting. Since today was the last day to use up fattening groceries on hand, that usually meant pancakes. Hence the Pancake Tuesday title.

Mardi Gras translates from the french to fat tuesday. Again, a reference to the last chance to have the good stuff before “giving it up for Lent.”

How Mardi Gras turned into plastic beaded necklaces in exchange for a quick flash of boobies, I’ll leave you to discover on your own.

Jen and I aren’t religious, we’re not giving anything up for Lent, but we do love us some pancakes. So, instead of boobies - let us show you our pancakes!!

Jen rocks her stacks old school - plain butter and syrup.

Me? I like ‘em special, so I made a syrup with a squoosh of Aunt Jemima, a handful of frozen berries, a pat of butter, a cinnamon stick and orange zest.

Wow. Yum.

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Le Grand Monsieur and I got our passports this week. I dont know what all the fuss is, I waited less than 30 mins at the Richmond office, and it took less than 2 weeks to get them by mail.

Now the whole family can travel .. or can we?

Have you seen this family?

Wanted: 1 baby, 1 mom, 1 dad.
Do not approach the baby,
may be drooling and dangerous.

Those pictures are crazy. The “no smile” rule for passports brings out the crazy drug smuggler in all of us, even Zizou.

I’m thinking we could star in The Bishop Identity.

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So it snowed this morning. Lots of it too.

The schools are closed and people aren’t showing up to work and meetings are getting cancelled.

I arrived at the station 20 mins ahead of a scheduled meeting to find it cancelled. The out of town visitor was petrified to drive from downtown to Richmond and nixed it.

My ride in wasn’t that bad. The conditions really aren’t that nasty today, as confirmed by an email from Grouse Mountain encouraging people to spend the day off school up on the mountain skiing.

Wait a second. Your children can’t get the 5 blocks to the local elementary school safely, but you can haul the whole family up to the North Shore to carve up a few turns? Sounds a little suspicious to me.

The truth be told, on days like today the roads suck for a couple of hours and then it’s no big deal. The plows get the work done, the traffic finishes off the job, driving the salt into the snow. By the time I got on my way at noon, I had one of the shortest commutes ever. No worries whatsoever.

Last year there was a spooky ass ride home because it was iced up like nobody’s business. Took me 2+ hrs to get home. I even picked up a woman who was so scared she pulled over on Hwy 91 and just opened my passenger door and got in. She didnt speak much english, she was just so scared about the conditions she had more confidence placing her safety in the charge of a total stranger than weathering it alone.

Those days are few and far between in Vancouver. Today was not one of those days.

I would venture to say the mountains were a little busier than normal too. It wasnt that bad, yes the sidewalks weren’t shoveled and we got a little wet when we went for our walk today, but we still troddled around, the kids could have made it to campus too. Besides, the best part about being at school when it snows, is recess!

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On a crazy snow day like today, it’s time to take pause and think of the less fortunate.

Like the daffodil who got a little excited by the sun and poked through. Oops.

Or the Jack In the Box guy left on an antenna without a scarf, or a body.

Or the garbage can, dutifully put out the night before, now almost totally buried.

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The snow fell in thick cornflakes last night. It got a good 9 hours of tumbling from the sky without interruption. My chimney has a thick layer of butter frosting on it, like those in Whoville, or the North Pole, or Gingerbread Houses.

We’re taking Le Grand Monsieur for a sleigh ride in Lynn Creek Park this morning while I cross my fingers this stuff stops before I leave for work at noon.

It’s a day like today you bless the lord for bus service. Or do you?

When we really need it, I mean, really, really, really need it - on days like today - it’s hampered by shutdowns, delays and service interruptions.

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… cause, y’know, all the cool kids do it.

Jen and Zacharie and I woke up to a blizzard in our little corner of North Van this morning. We thought all the action we were going to see was a 2 block hike to Canadian Tire to get some salt for the driveway.

Then I read Miss 604’s post. Sure, it was blizzarding across the north and east of Metro Vancouver, but lookie at the KatKam from downtown!

The KatKam has been around forever, it’s pointed at the Burrard Bridge and is a lifesaver for those around the world who miss the Vancouver view (and those of us who live on the North Shore up against the mountains). While we were getting snowed in, downtown was in the sunshine!

We packed up the sled dogs, made it up and over the 2nd Narrows and wouldnt you know it… 5 kilometres from the 4 cm of snow our house was getting, it was a beautiful glorious Sunday.

We took a photowalk from Kits beach, around Vanier Park and over to Go Fish! at the wharves near Granville Island before taking the shortcut home. A 2hr stroll topped off with fish and chips, beats the heck out of sitting at home snowed in!

It was AWESOME to be a tourist in my own town today. Snapping pictures of things that I had never seen before, like the eagle at Vanier Park, or just didn’t pay attention to, like the the big Totem Pole under the Burrard Bridge.

I even got to be like John Chow, taking a picture of my food. Lol.

Clicking on an image will take you to the enlarged Flickr photo, where I have a set with these shots from our walk.

Thank you, Miss 604!

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