As luck would have it my second Granville Island visit this year in Vancouver was again a rainy day.
I suppose any Vancouverite would tell me I shouldn’t be surprised. Rain is normal in both spring and fall in that part of the province.
One could rationalize and say, “well, the colours are deeper on wet over-cast days”.
That is so true, but I still worried about getting my little Panasonic mirrorless camera wet as I strolled with wet hair between the colourful buildings, dodging people clad in rain coats and hiding under umbrellas.
My friend Laurie and had I spent previous day at the Vancouver Camera Show and Sale. Laurie had brought a camera that needed repair and we were waiting until after 1’oclock for a camera technician to return home.
There was no discussion for a photographer; Granville Island rain or shine was the prefect place to kill time and wander with a camera.
Buildings filled with expensive artwork, a food fair, farmer’s market, artist studios and, of course the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, are all great places to take pictures. Laurie was forever losing site of, and then catching up to me as I meandered along only thinking about the next photograph.
Heck, I knew where our truck was, and I was sure he’d find his way there when we both were tired of getting wet in the constant drizzle.
But I did have my camera.
I always find a reason to go there before or after the camera show. It’s also a grand place to shop if one has money in their pocket. And in spite of the sometimes long wait, buying lunch or breakfast and relaxing among the excited and busy throngs of people from all over the world is fun.
I searched for some information on Granville Island, and the city’s info page says that Granville Island draws 10.5 million people each year, and that the island’s architecture, much of which comprises remodeled warehouses, still show the island’s industrial past.
“Granville Island is a peninsula and shopping district in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is located across False Creek from Downtown Vancouver.”
“The peninsula was once an industrial manufacturing area, but today it is a hot spot for tourism and entertainment. The area was named after Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville.”
That is great trivia, but for me, the lure of the place is photography. Sure, I enjoy an early morning coffee and bagel, but the urge to keep photographing the place doesn’t allow me to sit for long.
I think the famous American photographer Annie Leibovitz describes my wanderings in Vancouver’s Granville Island when she said, “The camera makes you forget you’re there. It’s not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.”
These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net. Stop by Enman’s Camera at 423 Tranquille Road in Kamloops. I sell an interesting selection of used photographic equipment. Don’t hesitate to call me at 250-371-3069.
