Vancouver Sights and Sounds

The end of July... Summer is quickly coming to an end, but since this is Vancouver, it's going out with a bang. Literally.

Saturday night marks the end of the exceptional Celebration of Light fireworks competition showcased in English Bay; the event, which has an annual attendance of around 1.4 million, will culminate in the highly anticipated finale hosted by China. Huge crowds are expected to descend upon the usually laid-back West End, causing the streets to look as they did during the 2010 Olympics.

However, the fireworks are not the only place you will see a rainbow of colors this weekend; there will be Pride flags as far as the eye can see in preparation for Vancouver's Annual Pride Parade on Sunday. The parade, which will consist of floats, marching bands and various community groups, strives to educate the public and highlight the positive impact LGBT groups have on Vancouver. In addition to being a great cause, the parade itself is a treat for the eyes and ears; so bring your cameras, enjoy yourself and take lots of pictures (to be turned into Canvas Art, obviously) in the summer heat - that way, when the winter comes, you can reminisce about the dog days of summer.

Firework Photography

Watched the Celebration of Light last night, USA were the first to compete with their fireworks working in tune to music from the 40's such as Fever and Mambo Italiano. It was really spectacular.Fireworks at Festival of Lights show by USA at English Bay in Vancouver, B.C., on July 21, 2010.

As I was watching the fireworks from an apartment overlooking English Bay I was able to see the crowds of thousands lined up along the beach and parks watching the performance. At one point the crowd resembled that of a concert when the ballad comes on and everyone holds up their lighters, with the light from their display monitors on their cameras illuminating them. This got me thinking about the thousands of photographs that would be taken that night and firework photography. Below are some photographs I found online and really love (think the silhouettes really make some of the images):