Miscellaneous photographs

Twin Otter Crashes

admin — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:32:05 +0000

September 1971 — Just after taking off from Edmonton’s city airport a twin otter lost power forcing it to make an emergency landing in a schoolyard where it skidded through a fence ending up on a sidewalk in one of the city’s working class neighbourhoods. This would be big deal today but back then it was ho hum. Notice that residents are walking around the airplane, that there are no attempts by police to cordon off the area, and there wasn’t a mass evacuation of everyone living nearby.

I was in the news room of the Edmonton Journal and on my way to an advertising special assignment when word of the crash came over the police radio. The photo editor said to drive by the crash, grab a picture, and head over to the advertising shoot. For some reason I phoned the office while at the crash, maybe to get them to send a reporter out, and my editor was pissed off because I’d taken too long at the crash, 15 minutes. People were waiting for me at the advertising shoot and very annoyed I was late. He ordered me to leave now.

However, I did get the last laugh as the picture won Canadian Press Picture of the month and it was the first time the Edmonton Journal had won the award. The photo editor wasn’t pleased. He may have got back at me by telling CP that while taking the pictures I also rescued some small children from a nearby building which they included in a story about the award. I’d done no such thing and was very embarrassed having it in the story.

Almost forgot, no one was hurt and there was little damage to the plane.

Pulp Fiction book store

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:31:07 +0000

May 17th, 2013 — Window of the Pulp Fiction book store on Main Street in Vancouver.

Art Phillips and Jack Volrich

admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:42:49 +0000

1977 — We had a provincial election today and what a surprise. This picture of Art Phillips and Jack Volrich taken the night Volrich was elected mayor of Vancouver for the first time after Phillips decided not to run for a second term has nothing to do with today’s election except for the look on their faces, SURPRISE!

ATM

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:43:59 +0000

April 12th, 2013 — Is it just me or does this ATM machine at the seedier end of Vancouver’s Granville Mall lack for what one might call, trust.

Red Tide

admin — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 06:44:21 +0000

April 3rd, 2013 — Vesuvius Beach on Saltspring Island is famous for its sunsets but for the past few days the red has been in the water as an algae bloom, the infamous red tide which makes all the shell fish in the area poisonous if eaten by humans. Below there is a bloom of a different colour, this time on St. Mary Lake, the main source of drinking water on Saltspring Island, and caused by a combination of things to do with farming and septic fields being too close to the water’s edge. The water is actually drinkable, if you can stand the taste, once it’s through the local water treatment plant but definitely unswimable when it’s this colour.

Urban Garden

admin — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 05:55:44 +0000

March 10th, 2013 — A urban garden has been set up in the parking lot next to BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. It’s part of the Sole Food urban farm project started by Michael Ableman and Seann Dory. At two acres it’s the largest of their four farms. Thanks to Erica for correcting my original caption.

Cross road

admin — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:29:06 +0000

Circa 1976 — Looking for a particular picture in my negative archive is a time consuming project because there are so many distractions. Take this picture which was hidden among the many pictures I took while driving from Kingston, Ontario back to Vancouver. It’s possibly Arthur Blessitt who walked across Canada carrying a cross. I seem to remember passing him on highway 101 somewhere in northern Ontario, doing a quick U turn so I could get a picture, and then forgot all about the incident, never making a print.

Unicycle hockey

admin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:57:23 +0000

March 21st, 2013 — A pickup game of unicycle hockey under the north end of the Cambie Street Bridge in Vancouver.

Kathryn Kuhlman again

admin — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 02:53:54 +0000

July 1975 — There are three or four pictures on this blog which have always attracted comments over the years. One is the picture of Kathryn Kuhlman preaching at the Agrodome in Vancouver. You can see it here. Since many of the comments are requests by individuals doing research on Kuhlman’s life I’ve uploaded the rest of the pictures from that assignment.

News photo show

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:30:26 +0000

Feb 14th, 2013 — Satellite Gallery at 560 Seymour Street in Vancouver has a show of news photographs from the archives of the Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers. The opening last night was attended by many people including current and past staff photographers from both papers. They were lined up against a wall and shot by the official photographer and other guests with their cel phones. The show runs from Feb 15th to March 30th and is open Wednesday to Saturday 12:00 – 6:00 PM. Kate Bird and John Mackie of the Vancouver Sun helped curater Helga Pakasaar of Presentation Gallery select pictures for the show.

Jason Payne of the Vancouver Province and Steve Bosch of the Vancouver Sun at the opening.

Ward Perrin of the Vancouver Sun asks for just one more.

Ric Ernst of the Vancouver Province successfully blocks the photographer from photographing Steve Bosch while at the same time stealing the frame and focus from Mark van Manen.