Canadian Snowbirds

A few shots from the Snowbirds performance



...with amazing backdrop of mountains and ocean


...and over the downtown


...while these guys sleepily observe the spectators

A city bird

For quite a few years there was a colony of Great Blue Herons in the downtown park. Couple years ago two bald eagles gve them hard time eventually making them relocate. A few stayed behind.

It's a popular place among both locals and tourists, and these birds are a subject of constant attention. I swear, seeing people with cameras they start posing! Look for yourself.

Here comes one of 'em photographers, let's comb:

I am on alert:

Hey, take another one, I am quite photogenic from this side too:

Wait, let's stage one. I'll stand here, and you'll call your photo Waiting for a Bus. Cool eh?

Look at me... I think I need to try myself at the ballet:

Yes, definitely ballet:

Fireworks

Fun to watch, fun to shoot. Butchart Gardens put quite a show every summer Saturday. 30 minutes fly by, you feel like a kid. Took a lot of will to pick 8 shots out of dozens. Those below were taken last summer. I have another show to attend soon, when accompanying visiting friends.

Couple words about technique. Shooting fireworks is not that difficult - White Balance to Sunny, Picture more to Vivid, Aperture to 8-11, Shutter Speed 3-5 seconds to catch a few burtsts (I seem to get the best results at 4 sec), Mirror Delay on to diminish vibration... if you shoot RAW, first couple settings are irrelevant of course. And tripod, by default, right? Well... all shots below are taken without. Some show it, most don't. Anyway, this year I will take a tripod and do it for real.