Captain Cook and The Empress

Well, the challenge here was to see if I could get Captain Cook and the Empress Hotel in the same shot. Captain Cook's statue is directly across the street from the hotel but it is up on quite a high pedestal, making it difficult to get both the captain and the hotel in the same shot. I quite like the sort of minimalist view above and the headless statue, but the shot below is perhaps more representative. Cook never actually stopped in Victoria though he did sail past it a few times.

Lens Distortion 3

Stefan Jansson suggested in a comment on yesterday's post that a good experiment would be to shoot a panorama using a standard lens and that was precisely the thought that occurred to me as the next step. The photo above of the Empress Hotel was shot using a 35-70mm zoom at 35mm. The panorama consists of 9 shots altogether - 5 across the bottom and four on top. I wish I had included a bit more foreground but most of the foreground was Government Street with busy traffic and wouldn't have improved the photo. Also I would probably have needed a third strip of photos across the top if I had aimed lower for the bottom strip of photos. Aside from that, the distortion in the above photo certainly is less than in the single 10mm wide shot below, although the latter (shot several years ago) is much more dramatic. However, when all is said and done, it seems to me that some level of distortion is inevitable because of the nature of lenses. Even our eyes distort reality. In fact, we probably never know what anything really looks like. However, it behooves a photographer to at least have some awareness of how his or her equipment is affecting the image being created. This series has helped me to understand a bit of what happens when you point a lens at something.

After Dark 3 - The Fairmont Empress Hotel

Here is the third Rattenbury-designed building that frames Victoria's Inner Harbour, the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Like the Legislative Assembly Building and the Bateman Centre it's also monumental, but with a completely different style. I suspect the differences in style between these three buildings may contribute to the feeling of many visitors that they are in some kind of theme park - here is Greekland (the Bateman Centre), over there is Romanland (The Legislative Assembly Building) and on the other side is a bit of French Chateau-land (the Fairmont Empress). Toss in the vaguely Art Nouveau Visitors' Centre (formerly a Mobil Gas Station) on the extreme left of the above photo and the mix becomes truly eclectic.

The Inner Harbour

These two look like they have found a very nice way to enjoy the harbour haven't they? - Fern

The Hands of Time 9 - Raising a Teacup

Here's another in the Hands of Time sculpture series by Crystal Przybille, this one entitled "Raising a Teacup". It is installed on a lamp standard on the corner of Government and Humboldt Streets with the Empress Hotel and its world famous afternoon tea service providing the perfect backdrop. "This sculpture references Victoria's traditional customary and historical connections to Britain."

Evening

Not only does the sun set earlier these days but it seems to set faster so there is less twilight. Darkness falls very quickly. Today's photo was taken barely five minutes after the photo I posted yesterday, looking towards the Legislature and the Empress Hotel.

Roger

Here is a Victoria resident who is very special for a several reasons. First, he's got what is arguably the classiest address in the city. He lives in a small rock garden on one corner of the block occupied by the Fairmont Empress Hotel on Victoria's Inner Harbour Causeway. He's been living there for four years. Secondly, like most of us, he's not a native of the city. In fact, he's probably the only Yellow-bellied Marmot on Vancouver Island. There are other marmots on the island but they are a different species. It's thought he may have hitched a ride here on a car or truck coming from the interior of the province or from Alberta. I've looked for Roger a number of times since I first heard about him but was only lucky enough to catch these photos on Sunday. Thanks to regular visitors Dean and Cheryl for alerting me to Roger's presence in our fair city and to Roger for posing so nicely.

Fair Weather Friends

On almost any afternoon in July and August this scene would have a thousand people in it, strolling, eating and drinking, taking pictures, busking, selling crafts and artwork, performing or just having a good time. It's about as quiet as it can get at this time of year and although it makes a nice change from the summer crowds, I'll be glad to see the bustling throng return in the spring.

Street Whales

On the corner of Humboldt and Government Streets is this fanciful bit of topiary art, an Orca (Killer Whale) and her calf shaped in plants. That's the Fairmont Empress Hotel in the background.

Morning Fog

Victoria, like its namesake, is a very civilized, genteel city but it is situated on the edge of the vast forests of the Pacific Northwest and thus shares some of the wildness that lies all around. I have been reminded of this on my morning walks lately, with last week's raccoon and this morning's Great Blue Heron, fishing for his breakfast with the Inner Harbour and the Fairmont Empress Hotel dimly visible in the background.

Inner Harbour Causeway

Here is what is probably Victoria's most photographed view, not surprisingly since it is an attractive vista. The three most prominent buildings, despite their different styles and purposes, were all designed by Francis Rattenbury. The three are the Fairmont Empress Hotel (on the left), the Legislative Assembly Buildings (slightly right of center) and the quite Grecian-looking Royal London Wax Museum (right). The first two are still used for their original purposes. The wax museum was originally designed for use as a steamship terminal. In the midst of these striking buildings, the Inner Harbour Causeway offers a colorful pedestrian walkway with musicians and artists, craftspeople and jugglers providing entertainment to the tens of thousands of visitors and locals who enjoy it every summer. This reads like a Tourism Victoria blurb but there's no denying it's a friendly, beautiful and interesting place.

Fairmont Empress Hotel

It recently occurred to me that though I have often included the Fairmont Empress Hotel in the background to shots of the Inner Harbour, I have not featured it on its own. Like two other landmark buildings that face the Inner Harbour, the Legislative Assembly and the Royal London Wax Museum, this hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury and opened in 1908. As can be seen, it's an imposing monument of that chateau style of hotel built by the large railway/steamship corporations a hundred years ago. I've called it the Fairmont Empress Hotel in deference to the new owners but to those of us who live here, it will always be just "The Empress."

Deux Magnifiques Vieilles Dames

The title of this post is in French because it sounds better than "two lovely old ladies." The two are The Fairmont Empress Hotel and The North Star of Herschel Island. The Empress is the elder of the two and has occupied her commanding situation at the head of Victoria's Inner Harbour since 1908, making her just over 100 years old. However, millions of dollars have been poured into restorations over the years and she is now probably even more beautiful and hospitable than when she was first erected. If you come to Victoria, even if you don't stay in the Empress, do stop in for a visit. Relax in colonial splendor in the Bengal Bar or take afternoon tea in style in the glorious tea room. Some of Victoria's finest shops and galleries are also located in the Empress.

The second grand old lady is The North Star of Herschel Island. "North Star of Herschel Island is the last of the sailing Arctic cargo ships. She is the only fully rigged ship in Canada, meaning that she crosses square sails on each of her three masts." She was built in 1935 in San Francisco and then transported to the arctic circle to begin her life in the fur trade. She is no longer in commercial use and graces Victoria's waterways as the residence of her current owners. You can find out more about her fascinating history from the North Star website by clicking here.