Photo Locations

This page is being constructed to list members' recommendations for local places and subjects to photograph.

01 Mosquito Creek, North VancouverNSPS Location

What: Mossy boulders, rushing water, in a wooded canyon filled with lush foliage. Opportunities to experiment with long exposures to capture water moving over boulders.  If you have a neutral density and/or polarizing filter, bring it along with your tripod.

When: Springtime for high volumes of snow melt water and fresh green foliage.

Access: Steps down beside the small bridge that crosses over Mosquito Creek on Montroyal Blvd.   See map for details. The bridge is located just beside the Montroyal Fire Station (550 Montroyal Blvd.).  Parking is available on Skyline Dr. or Glencanyon Dr. on either sides of the bridge.

02  Lighthouse Park, West VancouverLighthouse Park,West Vancouver,Location

What: Temperate rain-forest with giant Douglas Firs. Dramatic coast line of pink granite bluffs, small sandy coves and tide-pools. Distant views of the Vancouver skyline  to the east with Mount Baker beyond.  Point Atkinson lighthouse at the southern tip of the park.

When: Summer evenings when the granite on the western coastline is bathed in golden light.

Access: Look for the sign to Lighthouse Park off Marine Dr, 250 metres west of Caulfield. Public parking lot on Beacon Lane at the park entrance. 15 minute walk down Beacon Lane to Point Atkinson.  Numerous forest and coastline trails.  Free trail maps available at the parking lot.

03 Shannon Falls, Squamish Shannon Falls,Squamish,Location

What: Shannon Creek slides down the glacially carved walls of upper Howe Sound for what seems like forever then crashes into piles of huge boulders. The official height of Shannon Falls is 336.8 meters, or 1105 feet. From the base of the falls, however, it appears that no more than 850 feet of waterfall is visible. This is caused by a massive foreshortening effect, which is so deceiving because the falls slide down a rock face pitched such that it's very close to perpendicular to the angle that people look up at the falls.

When: This is an impressive, world-class waterfall, which can be photographed at any time of the year, especially in spring.  No special lenses are required when walking to the base of the falls, but if you plan on taking a long exposure, you might want to consider bringing a GND filter, because the sky is difficult to keep out of the frame here.

Access: This waterfall is located 4.5 km south of Squamish, along Highway 99. The falls are very visible from the highway, and short trails lead to several excellent views of the falls from the parking lot in Shannon Falls Provincial Park. The upper part of the falls can't be seen very well from anywhere between the base of the falls and Highway 99. A good place to try is the parking lot of the Klehanie Restaurant on the hill immediately across the highway from the entrance to the park.

For a database of the best waterfalls in the Northwest, click here.

https://goo.gl/maps/k1KgrbfkjAgqU4GA9