Random Photo Friday - Fick Fog

It's not often that we get fog in Vancouver, even less frequent is thick fog - a real 'pea-souper' as we'd say in England, but we've enjoyed that exception to the rule a few times in the past couple of weeks and it makes for some difficult yet potentially amazing photography. Not least because of the way it obscures the fantastic views for which this city is so famous, but also, thanks to the 'inversion' effect, you can take the highway up towards the higher levels e.g. Cypress Bowl etc. and find yourself in bright sunshine above the clouds, where you can catch the most amazing views back down across the city and right out as far as the airport and beyond to Vancouver Island. If you're lucky, you might spot an airplane suddenly rising out from the fog as it climbs higher into the sky above.

Unfortunately most of the fog seems to be hanging around during the week and largely gone on the weekend so I've not been able to get to Cypress and take in the views back down to the fogged-in city but, one day last week, I decided finally to bring my camera to work with me and popped out during my lunch-break to capture photos from around the area where I work i.e. downtown near the water, not far from Canada Place.

I was thankful the fog was still hanging around and smothering many of the buildings. The scenery was quite eerie, enhanced moreso by brief glimpses of sunlight that endeavoured to break through just enough to reflect magnificently off the windows of nearby glass office towers and hotels, bouncing right back into the fog and lighting it up with incredible drama. I wasn't sure if I'd capture that same atmosphere on my images but, when I looked at them at home, I confess I am quite happy with many of them, of which this is my personal favourite:

Captured at the bottom of Howe Street,
near the Pan Pacific Hotel.

 I posted a group of them on my Flickr site and have had lovely feedback - some of the other favourites being this view of the Harbour Centre's revolving restaurant, looming ominously like a UFO over a neighbouring office tower - reminiscent of something from The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951):

Harbour Centre or UFO?

A lone seagull tries navigating its way through the thick fog.

Vancouver is a city of many disguises - it's amazing how radically different it can look - and feel - simply under a change of weather. Note to self also: It's always worth bringing my camera.