Happy solstice! I’m actually writing this on Christmas Eve, but I want to keep the retrospectives in multiples of 5 days. Gotta follow the rules! Even rules I made for myself months ago. 2018 will probably different. Still haven’t decided how.
We’re starting out with more night shots: some wet fallen leaves; some cool fountains I discovered while taking a walk; a lovely shot of Strathcona and an alley in Gastown while culture crawling. The Strathcona one’s among my favourites. It’s fairly dark, but it looks like something out of a postcard, all warm colours and welcoming windows. Strathcona’s a lovely neighbourhood, day or night.
And on November 19, I replaced my pokey, cracked old Samsung Galaxy S5 with a snazzy new Pixel 2. And oh my fecking gawd, the pictures that thing takes! Much better resolution, and amazing light sensitivity. Look at this photo, taken right outside Pacific Centre where I made my purchase. Look at this other photo taken the next day, of downtown from near Canada Place. Look at False Creek from Granville Bridge! Look at the Gastown steam clock!
I know, it’s a poor player who blames their instrument, but this phone is a quantum leap forward for me. And I’m not the only one who thinks so: I’ve noticed a consistent increase in the number of likes and comments on my IG since I switched. Not huge, since it was never that big to begin with, but it’s there. It feels nice.
It’s not just night pics, though. I’ve taken foggy morning pics and sunny morning pics and delicious sushi. I’ve captured the partying at the VGVA Xmas party at Junction, complete with drag queen entertainment and live singing by our resident golden-voiced star.
(I guess the Junction counts as night shots too. The light’s dim enough, and I remember having a hell of a time with my old phone. I could never done Stephen or Miss Blaze justice five weeks ago. I liked the experience of putting people front and centre in my photos: shoutout to my vision board, it’s a rare mix of the Social and the Artistic.)
On December 21, the solstice, I popped over to Granville Island to do all my Christmas shopping in one go. The Kids’ Market closed at 6 (when everything else closed at 7) but I managed to get great presents for everyone, plus a delish salmon chowder pot pie + strawberry bubble tea for myself. Not slush, it’s strawberry + green tea. Wasn’t 100% sure, but it’s yummy.
Coming up soon: the rest of my daily 2017 photos, a selection of my faves (and why, in some cases), and a look back at the year. Haven’t done one of those in a while.