The Olympic Cauldron shines across the Vancouver Harbour from Jack Poole Plaza to the 9 O'Clock Gun in Stanley Park, to celebrate Brian McKeever's gold medal in the 2014 Winter Paralympics.
I'd been looking for some unusual vantage points to capture the Olympic Flame, and had tried to take this shot in February, but the weather conspired against me, with cloudy skies that were lit up by the flame, giving a strange appearance. When I saw the forecast was clear and the cauldron was due to be lit, I had to try again.
Even though the flame is quite distant here, I was amazed by how much it lit up the surrounding buildings, give them a warm glow. The flame also reflected beautifully on the water, highlighting its location despite it being quite small in the overall photo.
On the left of the photo is Canada Place, with the Convention Centre centrally framed, and the buildings of downtown Vancouver beyond. The floating Chevron station is sitting at a slight list on the water, and in the foreground, the light inside the enclosure for the 9 O'Clock Gun lights up the Stanley Park seawall path.
I'm a British software developer and photographer living in Vancouver, BC. I mainly photograph landscapes, cityscapes, night scenes, and water.
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I am impressed with the planning that goes into your shots. The fact that you conceived this several months before capturing it is indicative of your attention to detail in every respect. A beautiful image with just enough ambient to get the magical sky and perfect highlights. Out of interest, did you put a strobe in the building in order to get the great shadows? Fav.
@grahambudd Thanks Graham! The building is already lit at night, but it was the shadows on the ground cast by the light which drew me to this composition! I aligned my tripod so that the light itself was obstructed by one of the pillars, to avoid too much overexposure.
Your composition here is remarkable. All of the pieces come together in a whole that feels perfect. The lighting in the foreground around the cannon is spectacular. Amazing clarity throughout, close and far. Fav!
