The Olympic Cauldron from Stanley Park in Vancouver

The Olympic Cauldron shines across the harbour in Vancouver, BC from Jack Poole Plaza to the 9 O'Clock Gun in Stanley Park, to celebrate Brian... more

by Alexis Birkill

Title

The Olympic Cauldron from Stanley Park in Vancouver

Artist

Alexis Birkill

Medium

Photograph

Description

The Olympic Cauldron shines across the harbour in Vancouver, BC 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.

Uploaded

March 13th, 2014