Canvas to the Imagination

These photos are from two weeks ago when Vancouver had a few days of frost on the ground. I love the look of frost on leaves and grass, the way every detail is outlined and highlighted.

I’m often pleasantly surprised at the images I can capture with the iPhone camera. It’s not exactly speedy but somehow this week I managed to time my picture taking well enough to catch crows in flight.

The above two shots of a juvenile crow were taken one after the other, and they are beautifully crisp images. I snuck up on this little guy because I know crows get antsy about having their photo taken. I was pretending not to notice it as I got the camera app opened up (which sometimes happens so slowly) and then I turned and took a few photos before it flew away. I am pleased I caught it as it jumped from the wire and opened it’s wings.

The photo below was taken yesterday morning on my way to work, again in the same area of Main Street in Chinatown. A large group of crows was flying back and forth over Pender Street between two trees, and I stopped to take a few photos.

I’m so glad to have a camera with me at all times, thanks to the iPhone.

All three photos were taken with the native iPhone camera app and processed using Instagram.

One of the things I love most about living in East Vancouver is that we have a staggering amount of public art in the form of murals. They make the neighbourhood a colourful place to wander, and in many ways they tell the story of life in East Van.

The latest of these murals is on a large stretch of wall behind Britannia High School along the McLean Drive bike route, between Parker and William Street. It depicts a flock of crows in flight, with decorative details of ferns, beetles, and other native flora and fauna. It’s a radical transformation from drab concrete wall to one with so much colour and life. I love it.

The mural is a community project lead by artist Richard Tetrault, and is painted by an team of volunteer students and residents from the area. It was still in progress when I came across it last week.

For more photos of the mural please visit Richard Tetrault’s web site.