John Harvey Photo

View From My Apartment

Go to Slide Show Smaller Images 9th floor and the buildings in front are height restricted


I'm definitely a bit of a view geek. I picked my previous (rental) apartment not because it was currently undergoing leaking condo renos or because that part of Vancouver was "up and coming" or even because I had friends that live near by, I picked my apartment because it had a view that punched above the rent. When I bought a condo, view figured large.

I came back from my trip to Hong Kong , New Zealand and India a day before Christmas. It took me a few days to get my bearings. I started taking photos off the deck at sunrise and because it was the darkest of winter, I really didn't have to get up that early.

Sunrise
Foggy Morning


My Planter
Vancouver being significantly North of the tropic of Cancer, the time of the year makes a significant difference in where the sun is in the sky. A North facing apartment may be quite dim during the winter but sun drenched in the summer as the northernly sun comes higher off the horizon and moves up the sky.


Mixed Light

God Rays

With the amount of rain we get, you would think we would have nothing but overcast weather. Surprisingly, much of the cloud cover is actually patchy and when there is water in the atmosphere (most of the time) it's quite easy to get sun beams or god rays.

God Rays Sun Beams Through Clouds Sunbeams Golden Reflection And Freighters
Heavy Weather

Rainbow Downtown
English Bay is effectively a large canyon - there are mountains to the north, a ridge to the south and it just so happens that much of the canyon is buried under the ocean. This large box helps add drama and scale to weather. Lightning is very rare here (maybe two small storms a year), but selective patches of rain (and rainbows) are quite common. If you are lucky enough to catch it, you can often see different parts of the valley experiencing different weather, all at the same time.

Stormy Sunset

You sometimes wonder what is happening at home when you sit in a rainstorm at the office - the variable weather changes quickly and is quite different in different parts of the city.

Vancouver With Rainbow
What surprises me is how rainbows change locations in the city. I was surprised to see a rainbow spanning the whole downtown peninsula, when other rainbows ended half way down Yaletown.
Golden City

For a few weeks after new years, Vancouver generally experiences fog. Often the fog is a thick blanket, but sometimes the sun manages to poke thorough.

Pigeon As Gargoyle You Want To Be Free
Sunsets

Sun Hitting The Horizon Towards Sun Sun Hitting The Horizon
As the sun moves from winter solstice to equinox to summer solstice, it moves from setting over UBC to the ocean to the sunshine coast mountains. Depending on where the sun sets, Vancouver gets lit up in different ways with different colours. Given the massive array of windows in Vancouver, you often get to see the sun setting from multiple angles.


Sun Just Setting
As the sun crawls north for a few weeks when the sun transitions from the South to the north, the light of sunset comes straight through my apartment. As the sun reaches it's furthest North, it start setting behind the coast mountains so you lose the direct light of the sun as it hits the horizon.
Kitchen At Sunset

All of this geography makes for beautiful variety of sunsets. If you are lucky the sun still shines on clouds when it isn't directly visible from behind the mountain giving a beautiful sky canvas.

Orange Blue Silhouette
Sometimes the canvas holds soft colours and soft details. Sometimes it's sharp and full of contrast.

Freighters In Pastel Light Sun Behind Mountains
Vibrant Sunset


Pink City

And as the sun goes down, the city lights get brighter.

City Lights

And then it is time for night.

Fireworks

For the first time in years, there are fireworks downtown for Canada day. Generally the fireworks in Vancouver are launched from English Bay or near science world, but for Canada day, they are generally launched nearest Canada Place (go figure). This year, there are two sites - one at Canada place and another at Ambleside in West Vancouver. Being lazy (and the weather predicted rain) I stayed home had a little party and took pictures off the deck:

Two Sets Of Fireworks

Pinwheels Over City Pink Fuzzy Behind Scotiabank
Being on the other side of the city, you can't see the lower fireworks. That said, the view of the city with fireworks is quite nice.

Blue Bursts Wide
The more common fireworks at the Celebration of Light in English Bay.

Wide Fireworks Shot

The Celebration of Light fireworks happen 4 nights in two weeks in the summer. It's one of those things you feel bad if you happen to be out of town for, but now that I own an apartment with a bit of a view, I seem to have no shortage of guests willing to come over. I suspect it will be a while before I go to another location to see the fireworks.

White Fireworks Reds And Blues Red Bursts

Thankfully, it's not fireworks season all year round (the parties would kill me!). In the winter it gets dark pretty early - sadly not dark enough to see stars, but dark enough that you can see the Christmas lights on someone elses deck a few km away. One day I figured there is probably one hundred thousand light bulbs that make the view possible.
Vancouver View With Christmas Lights

My neighborhood has some late night to 24 hour features. The sushi place across the street is open until midnight - even on holiday weekends (handy for after long hikes in the summer). There is a Tim Hortons and Wendy's open until 2am (never been). There is a 24 hour coffee shop across the corner from my house, along with the usual 7-11 and Dennys for your 24 hour cravings. It may be 5:22 am, but the city is still moving:

Good Morning Vancouver
I find that city glow lighting up the sunrise clouds orange pretty eerie. Light pollution - what can you do?




Vancouver View With Christmas Lights
Tags: city, panorama, Vancouver
Sun Behind Mountains
Tags: sunset, Vancouver
Sunbeams Golden Reflection And Freighters
Tags: sunset
Sun Hitting The Horizon
Tags: city
Vancouver With Rainbow
Tags: city, panorama, rainbow, Vancouver
Sun Just Setting
Tags: freighter, orange sky, sunset
My Planter
Tags: city, garden, Vancouver
Mixed Light
Tags: city, panorama, Vancouver, vista
God Rays
Tags: crepuscular rays, freighter
Good Morning Vancouver
Tags: long exposure, sunrise, Vancouver
Pigeon As Gargoyle
Species: Columba livia (Common Pigeon, Rock Dove)
Tags: bloom, city, crepuscular rays, fog, monochromatic, silhouette
White Fireworks
Tags: bridge, city, fireworks, Vancouver
Sun Hitting The Horizon Towards Sun
Tags: orange sky, sunset
Wide Fireworks Shot
Tags: bridge, city, fireworks, panorama, Vancouver
Rainbow Downtown
Tags: city, rainbow, Vancouver
Pink City
Tags: panorama, sunset, Vancouver
Two Sets Of Fireworks
Tags: fireworks, panorama, Vancouver
Stormy Sunset
Tags: dark clouds, light horizon, sunset, Vancouver
Blue Bursts Wide
Tags: city, fireworks, Vancouver
You Want To Be Free
Species: Columba livia (Common Pigeon, Rock Dove)
Tags: bloom, city, crepuscular rays, fog, monochromatic
Pinwheels Over City
Tags: city, fireworks, Vancouver
Pink Fuzzy Behind Scotiabank
Tags: city, fireworks, Vancouver
Kitchen At Sunset
Tags: sunset
Golden City
Tags: city, panorama, Vancouver
Sun Beams Through Clouds
Tags: city, crepuscular rays, dark clouds, light horizon
Orange Blue Silhouette
Tags: orange sky, silhouette
Sunrise
Tags: city, panorama, snow, sunrise, Vancouver
Red Bursts
Tags: bridge, city, fireworks, Vancouver
Foggy Morning
Tags: city, fog, panorama, Vancouver
Freighters In Pastel Light
Tags: atmospheric perspective, freighter, orange sky, ship, sunset
Reds And Blues
Tags: city, fireworks, Vancouver
Vibrant Sunset
Tags: dark clouds, light horizon, sunset, Vancouver
City Lights
Tags: city, panorama, Vancouver
Tags: Vancouver(22), city(20), panorama(10), sunset(9), fireworks(8), crepuscular rays(4)
From: John Harvey Photo > Photos of Vancouver > View of Vancouver From My Apartment

I really like your photos, excellent work.

Merry Christmas

OJ
Saturday, December 12th, 2009 at 13:05:45

Very nice photos of Vancouver - even better than many I see on the post cards, etc. in the shops. You should consider several avenues of how to sell these. And thanks for sharing these online. Happy Holidays.
Seth
Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 22:05:58

Nice work you really have a passion for capturing images. Thanks for sharing all your shots and travels with us. Happy New Year.
Eric
Saturday, December 26th, 2009 at 11:52:38

Beautiful photographs! You could sell these!
G Leitch
Sunday, January 10th, 2010 at 01:05:10

great scenery. great photography! you picked your condo right. everyone should envy. try sell your photos to tourism vancouver!
marcel
Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 03:52:16

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