If you are not in Vancouver this summer, it is understandable if you think the photo above is staged. It is not. Photographer and past Price Tags editor Ken Ohrn was walking along English Bay in the evening with his wife Sylvia, who is an accomplished artist. Ken handed his cell phone to a “stranger” to take this photo.
Ken was asked if he found out who the “stranger” was that took this shot which is absolutely iconic and contains all the elements of our summers. There’s English Bay, the freighters in the background, a marvellously complex sky, people on the beach, a touch of the mountains, and the pathway into Stanley Park. And of course ice cream from one of the many local vendors in the area.
While Vancouverites will tell you that the rainy season goes from January to December, the summer does have a unique appeal with waterfront accessibility unlike other major cities in Canada. The beaches are public, with the City’s Greenways policy designed to link up all the shoreline for walking and biking.
You can go to a company barbeque on the beach and then go for a swim. You don’t need a car to get to the beach, you can take transit, a bike lane or walk. And best of all you can stand, hand your camera to a “stranger” and create images that absolutely capture the uniqueness of the place, and this golden moment in the city by the sea.
The photo below is one of Ken’s taken at English Bay Wednesday July 31, right before the Celebration of Light fireworks.
