Spring has sprung at Garry Point Park in Steveston. Every year, we are treated to a beautiful display of cherry blossoms from the 255 Akebono cherry trees. This garden was dedicated to the pioneering immigrants and ancestors who emigrated from Wakayama prefecture in Japan, and to the memory of the generations that followed. Wakayama is also Richmond's sister city.
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The cast and crew of the hit ABC show, Once Upon A Time, have returned to Steveston this month to continue filming the fifth season. This time there was a phone booth (TARDIS? Lol) that Snow White and Prince Charming entered in with the rest of the townspeople behind them, a fallen clock tower, some random destruction and chaos, and a gorgeous car prop - a 1975 Chevrolet Camaro LT. *drool* Who drives that beautiful piece of American metal in the show? (I'm thinking it's Ruby's) The annual Festival of Lights at Van Dusen Gardens, Vancouver, BC. The garden is a beautiful place to enjoy some of BC's botanicals, but it's even more beautiful when you add over a million lights to it. The cast and crew of ABC's hit show, Once Upon A Time, is back in town filming their 100th episode! SPOILER ALERT! Well, not really since it was out in public space and the peeps there said it was all good. I could not resist taking some pics of the chaos and new shops in Steveston/Storybrooke. Click on thumbnails to view full-size images One of my favorite things to take photos of is the night's skydom. Stars like this are always hard to see in the lower mainland due to the light pollution. One will have to trek out in the darker areas to be able to get a view like this. A fast lens helps too. Here I used a 50mm lens to get these shots from Hope, BC. (The moon was added from another shot in post-production - just to give it that little something extra) Click on thumbnails to view full-size images Tonight I had the privilege of viewing the Supermoon Eclipse, and it won't happen again until 2033. Unfortunately, the haze (let's blame pollution) prevented me from taking decent pictures during the orange hue and peak, but when the skies cleared, I was able to get the end of the eclipse and the full moon itself at 300mm. Later I woke up early to check out the leftovers at 6:30am. Although times like these make me wish I had a faster and longer lens so I can get more detail. Even though I didn't get all the shots I was hoping for, I still enjoyed watching this rare celestial event. Click on thumbnails to view full-size images The moon looked just as amazing tonight! Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to shoot the full "blue moon" last night, but when I went outside about an hour ago, it looked like this and I immediately grabbed my camera and tripod. We had an amazing orange sunset earlier this evening and at midnight the moon was orange. Normally, I only see this shade during moonrise and moonset, but there was some serious refraction tonight. No colour edits were made - what you see is what it looked like in the sky. Richmond, BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Canon 70D f/5.6 - 1/40s ISO 400 75-300@300mm  Last week and yesterday, the cast and crew came back to Steveston to start filming the fifth season of Once Upon A Time. It's always exciting to have them back in town. The season will premiere this Fall (September 27) with the first episode, "The Dark Swan". No worries, there aren't any spoilers here. Out of respect for the show, the cast, and the crew, I don't take photos during the filming moments. But I have to admit, the crew is pretty good at keeping the magic a secret. In one of the scenes, they had to make the ground look wet. This meant bringing in a city truck to spray water on the ground. The lower mainland is currently on a level three water restriction, but before anyone could complain about the city not following their own rules, they took a pro-active approach and used ditch/recycled water instead (and put signs on their truck saying so). I bet the city didn't give them a Nestle deal for that one. See more OUAT photos from last season here: http://www.leahthomphotography.com/blog/once-upon-a-time Click on thumbnails to view full-size images "Every exit is an entry somewhere else." —Tom Stoppard Killarney Lake Trail Bowen Island, BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Canon 70D f/5.6 - 1/50s ISO 100 18-135@18mm  $5 PRINTS FOR SALE - 100% of the funds will go to O.W.L. - FUNDRAISER ENDS 02/12/15 There is an amazing place in the community of Delta, BC called O.W.L. - Orphaned Wildlife Rehablitiation Society. They are a non-profit organization, whose volunteers are dedicated to public education and the rehabilitation and release of injured and orphaned birds. I have been lucky to view the release of not only bald eagles, but other birds of prey. As some of you know, the avian flu is on the rise and more diligence is being taken to avoid further outbreak in our province. The staff at O.W.L. in particular, are taking every step possible to protect their birds of prey to make sure none get infected with the avian flu. One of these steps, was to close its doors to the public. This means no public tours, no school field trips, and no main source of income. Their funds are now nearly depleated and they need our help. (Check out the news story link below) Below are some photos I took there during my last visit, and to help raise funds, I am offering 5x7 size prints for $5.00* each. 100% of those proceeds raised will go directly to O.W.L. Rehabilitation Society. If you would like to help and purchase a print, please contact me. And when they lift the public closure, please do go and check them out. Meet some of my winged friends like Snoopy, Nelson, Daddy, Sara, and many more! O.W.L.'s website and Facebook page Donate to O.W.L. directly HERE READ MORE: Global BC news story *shipping and handling not included |
