Did I actually manage to keep my streak for two whole years? I sure did!
Blogging: up 62% (47 posts in 2018 vs 29 in 2017); confidence in my photographic skills: up 577.4% and I have a much better feel for what makes a good photo. Let’s check out my favourites from this year!
Burrard sunrise, January 15
HDR, baby! I really need to take more morning pictures.
Perspective Street, January 31
This was just one of several pics I took on the way to a dinner in Yaletown, and at first I didn’t really get why people loved it so much. I think I do now, though: single point perspective makes the photo perfectly balanced and harmonious, not to mention the colours are killer.
Shattered selfie, February 4
I stumbled upon this in an alley just around the corner from my place. How could I resist?
West of Denman, February 18
From the Inukshuk I spied this view: fluffy clouds and snow-covered beach, a perfect mirror image of each other.
Lost Lagoon sunset, March 6
The evening sky looked beautiful, so after work I trekked all the way to Lost Lagoon to catch the sunset. I’d say it was worth the trip!
Cooper’s Park and Yaletown, March 11
I’d planned to shoot from Cambie Bridge for a while. Though the east side was a disappointment, with no really good views of the towers or Science World, the west side offered me this gorgeous 21st century cityscape.
Two towers, May 10
Here’s a throwback to a picture I took in 2005, on Pride weekend. Don’t remember what I was doing exactly though I’m pretty sure it wasn’t anything social. Quite the suburban hermit, I was then, severely disconnected from the gay community except for playing volleyball.
Fast forward thirteen years: the exact same shot except with better resolution, better light, better atmosphere… and me in a way better place. It does get better.
Day 500, May 15
When I started this challenge 2 years ago, I honestly didn’t believe I’d last. 10 days in a row would be nice. A month would be amazing. Five hundred days? Inconceivable!
Davie Street sunset, May 28
I’ll always associate this gorgeous view with the super-challenging volleyball clinic I took at the Roundhouse in May.
Dramatic sky, June 14
The clouds matched my mood that week. I was struggling with social exhaustion and various self-doubts I let ballon in my head… doubts that turned out to be molehills after all. The sky cleared up overnight, too. Symbolism!
Underbrella, June 18
This city has lots of excellent public art, and this is just one piece. Is it actually a Pride thing? Don’t really care.
The city and the city, July 8
The last photo I took after a walk along the Seawall, and I was lucky to get it too since my phone battery was almost dead.
Fireworks, August 4
I am still gagging over how amazing my Pixel 2 is for night shots.
Smoke Lagoon, August 22
This is the new normal, I guess. I wanted to see how Lost Lagoon was doing since the smoke was a lot worse than previous years. I love this shot: the symmetry, the muted colours… I just hate what it means.
Coming in for a landing, September 1
Here’s the real kicker: this photo’s exposure time was 1 / 3906 sec, leaving the bee’s wings only a little bit blurry — according to Wikipedia, a bee’s wings beat 230 times / sec, so I captured less than 6% of a cycle.
A vegetarian spider, October 2
Shut up, I think she’s beautiful.
Towers of gold, October 17
The perfect time of day to light it all up.
A case of the Mondays, October 29
Beauty comes in all shapes and colours. Case in point: this carpet of wet rotting leaves on Thurlow Street.
Ducks and crows and a heron, November 4
That whole morning strolling through Jericho Park was magical. Beautiful sunshine, great views, crunchy orange leaves underfoot… and lots of friendly wildlife. Then I went back to the gym and managed to drop in Advanced volleyball! A nice cap to a fun photo outing.
Frosty garden, December 7
This is as cold as it’s gotten so far—we probably won’t see snow downtown this year. I don’t mind though, frost is just as pretty.
Big Island, December 21
Yet another throwback photo, this time to the last time I flew out east in the summer. From my window seat I shot lakes and rivers and little towns and loved every minute of it. This time most of the country was overcast but I did get another beautiful shot of Big Island. If I could have, that’s the one I would have picked!
Sparks Street, Wellington Street and the Centennial Flame, December 28
I was meeting some friends for dinner downtown, got there early, and decided to go on a photo spree. So hey, more single-point perspective! Also a bit of tourist fun in my home town, some nice holiday colours and foggy mystery, and an homage to the province I now call home.