Great Canadian River Shoreline Cleanup

Well, I had an interesting Sunday morning. I was asked to go out and take pictures of, well trash. A friend of mine is organizing a local Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup on a section of the 'mighty' Fraser river here in New Westminster, BC.

Trash that is ignorantly tossed, strewn, flung and dumped where it most obviously should NOT be. But people do it just the same. Like so many other rivers across this beautiful country of ours, careless, inconsiderate, ignorant people continue to pollute them. After how many years of awareness and education and still there are ignorant jerks who think their actions have no consequences!!! What's it going to take?

All I can say is we are lucky that there are so many energetic volunteers that each year take it upon themselves to clean up their river shorelines all across Canada. The annual event takes place September 17th to 25th.

If you think you'd like to help in the cleanup, why not check out their website and see where you can sign up and lend a hand in saving our shorelines. Go to Great Canadian River Shoreline Cleanup for more details.

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I'm not posting photos of the trash here. I wanted to post shots of 'nice' or interesting things I saw on Sunday instead.

the Fraser River is a very silty river

cut down for pulp and paper?

an early morning glimpse of the river from under an overpass

a higher up view of the river in the morning haze

formerly 'The Pen' now know as "Dublin Castle"

closer to home, a neighbour's calico

Sunday's Ladner Market was taken over by Chrome

Last Sunday was hot and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. We headed off to check out Ladner's Sunday Market. When we got there we were a little perturbed at first that the stalls were missing. But soon we were thrilled to find them replaced by endless rows of glistening polished chrome and white walls as far as the eye could see! Chrome and impeccable paint gleaming everywhere.

let's twist again, like we did last summer

There were "American Graffiti" speedsters, Capone era roadsters, 70's muscle cars, a Delorean from 'the Future',  and an enthusiastic singing group belting out 50s chart-topping tunes to the milling crowd of admirers from all walks of life. There were adorable babies and dogs everywhere. Again. a photographer's delight. At least this photographer's. It was a car enthusiasts dream and a photographer's playground. (I couldn't help notice just how many were shooting with Nikons.)

Immaculate paint after all these years

Pristine Packard

Roomy AND gorgeous

This little Boston Terrier enjoyed posing for the camera

Taking in the sights with 'dad'

Stunning British vintage

A couple of beauties saying hello

You can still imagine that 'new car smell' looking at this car

Dirt first, cool cars later

Sleek and luxurious

This was one of the weirdest sights there

Vintage fire truck

Why aren't today's cars this cool?

The good old days, eh?!

Classy detailing

Beautiful ornamentation from a different era

Get me to the church on time

I got to break in the new D90 last weekend and shot a wedding for a friend. I've been a guest at a couple of weddings over the years and liked some of the shots I'd taken from that 'angle'. This time I was kinda/sorta the 'hired' photographer. I think I managed to capture a few good memories for the bride and groom. I hope they think the same. If I didn't - I'm sure the hoards of guests that had point-and-shoots and camera-phones did. It was a challenge shooting with the new camera. And as a result, I've set aside time to learn more about white balance (which I *should* already know) and figure out the whole focusing system on the D90.
I'm posting a few of my shots here as a reminder to myself of the day. I don't have any 'model releases' so I posting a few I feel are safe to post publicly.

The wedding dress

Enhancing natural beauty

Last minute touch-ups on the sister-of-the-bride's sari

Earrings

Details on the brides maid's dress

Reception set up

The bouquet

From a Nikon D60 to a Nikon D90

Have upgraded to a Nikon D90. Sadly because the Nikon D60 that I carried with me every single day, everywhere I went for over the past four years, gave up the ghost. I will get it repaired when I can afford to and will cherish it as a solid 'back-up' unit. The D60 was a fantastic 'starter' DSLR for me. It was a kit that came with an 18-55 + 55-200 VR lenses. 
If it is still being manufactured, I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a decently priced DSLR camera (maybe even cheaper 2nd hand?)

I had a couple of shooting commitments looming in just over a week and faced with a six to eight weeks turn around time on 'possible' repairs, I started looking for a replacement. I thought I would stick with what I was comfortable with (and liked), so I pooled my savings, borrowing funds from a very generous friend and ended up picking up another 'kit' The D90 came with an 18-105 + 70-300 VR lenses.

Well, I charged up the battery, put on the UV filters and headed out this morning to see how user friendly it was. Okay, I have a few more of the bells and whistles to find and some combination button pressing to figure out but over all, I think I'm pleased with my choice!

I thought I'd park a few samples here of some of the test shots I took today. I was hoping to get a combo sunny/cloudy day but it was extremely overcast when I was out and the sky was a kind of blinding flat white. Of course I'm looking out my living room window right now and brilliant sun shine is taunting me. But for now, the very first images shot with a new Nikon D90.

Oh and as usual, down at the bottom - I encountered a critter or two while I was out....

Gazebo in Queen's Park Rose Garden, New Westminster, BC

 

Queen's Park petting zoo resident

Inter-species encounter

Murphy

Dakota one half of the stink sisters 15 yrs old