Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar...

A few months ago a very dear friend of KL brought over her favorite chocolate bar from Japan...mixed with some unique flavors. Of course, we can always count on the Japanese to invent the unimaginable, such as glow-in-the-dark mice, obstacle course game shows, cartoons, etc....you get my point. They definitely don't disappoint with these Kit Kat bars. So before KL devours them, she wanted me to document them, not knowing when she'll be able to taste them again. For these photos, I used my DIY lightbox with some light from the left and with a diffused flash.

Flavors include: Green Tea, Raspberry, Cherry Blossom, Raspberry Passionfruit

Vancouver: Richmond Olympic Oval 24/52

The Richmond Olympic Oval was the site for speedskating events during the 2010 Winter Olympics. It's unique feature is the wooden wave roof comprised primarily of Pine-beetle wood. Pine beetles bore into a tree and cause the trees to starve to death. As a result of the building's innovative use of pine beetle wood and long spanning roof, it was given an award of excellence by the Royal Architectural Insitute of Canada. After the olympics, the Oval was converted into a sports facility that includes 2 Olympic sized hockey rinks, hard-wood floors for other sports and a gym for elite athletes. The speedskating track is covered by removable flooring and can be easily converted to host speedskating events if needed. The Oval is currently the centerpiece of a new waterfront area featuring residential and commercial developments. This set was taken just after the facility had closed, so I wasn't able to explore the inside completely. The images are also a bit grainy because they were taken at ISO1600.

Pine-beetle kill wood roof

Front of Oval

Side of Oval

Vancouver: Gastown HDR 23/52

Gastown is a national historic site (since 2009) in Vancouver, BC located in the northeast area of downtown Vancouver. It was named after Jack "Gassy" Deighton (wonder how he got that nickname), a steamboat captain who opened the area's first saloon. Gastown soon became a center for trade and commerce for fishermen and loggers alike. At one point, Gastown was scheduled for demolition to build a major freeway, but local businessmen and property owners fought to have the area preserved as a historic site. Today, it is a thriving contemporary area with nightclubs, bars and fashion stores. It's famous landmark is the Gastown steam clock which was built to harness the steam power from Vancouver's steam-heating system and supposedly to prevent bums from sleeping on the grate during the winter.

F-11, ISO 200, 1/40, 1/25, 1/10 sec exposures.

BLIZZARD

After waiting for the much-anticipated blizzard today, I decided to to head outside and survey the damage. Weather channels reported 12-18 inches of snow which was pretty accurate on the lower end...I was hoping to see more snow. Anyhow, enjoying the day off work as Beantown digs out. Here are a few shots of Boston in the South End.

Vancouver: Van Dusen Botanical Gardens Festival of Lights 21/52

F-16, 30 sec exposure, ISO100

F-16, 20 sec exposure, ISO100

F-14, 20 sec exposure, ISO200

F-16, 30 sec exposure, ISO100

F-16, 10 sec exposure, ISO100

Vancouver: Olympic Cauldron HDR 20/52

I will be starting a series of Vancouver, Canada over the next several weeks starting with the Olympic Cauldron which has now become a permanent landmark on the Vancouver waterfront. If you don't know already, Vancouver was the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. With the Winter Games now complete, the chain-linked fence (source of controversy during the games) has now been removed and visitors are now able to take a closer look at the cauldron. Despised by some and loved by others, it's five flame concept was considered unique.

Happy Holidays!

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday and also an awesome 2011. This is our mini Christmas tree. I recently picked up the Yonguo Remote Flash trigger (~$30). The flash is behind the tree reflecting against the blinds. It is probably a bit too strong, but I realized later that you can dial down the power of your flash. Most external flashes in Manual mode have the ability to change the strength of your flashes (Eg. 1/2 to 1/64th)

Tree (F-13, 5 sec. exposure, ISO 400)
Ornament (F-5, 1/5 sec exposure, ISO1600)