shades and colours

Yesterday while editing photos for posting, I decided to work some more with one of the photos to see what I could come up with. I've done this before when the artistic mood struck, such as working with shots in black and white and other options. This shot shows the stove top and one of the kitchen counters. I'll show the actual photo in another post coming up very soon (all the related photos are ready for posting) but have a close look at this one and comment if the mood strikes.

Now that the sun has made an appearance and I've decided to go for a walk (with my camera along, of course). I'll likely head down to the Fraser River at Sapperton Landing and take some shots there. Then I'll stop at the grocery store for fruit on the way back. When I return home, I'll be busy in the kitchen again. Its soup night, a mix of onion, potato, carrots, celery, green beans, sausage, herbs, sea salt and water. And its all very good stuff! Meantime, enjoy the remainder of your weekend and have an awesome week!!! - V

double

I don't know who these guys are or the name of the photographer that took this photo of these two hot dudes but its an awesome example of well-developed male physiques I've seen anywhere, and we're seeing it in double! Get inspired guys and know that others have gone before you showing the way. These guys are so hot that I'm using this pic as my wallpaper currently as motivational tool. The thoughts of a hot summer filled with sun, sand, water and other stuff are with us. So, what are you thinking about? - V.

Scott

My friend Scott Herman went to the GLAAD awards in Los Angeles, California last weekend but before he did he sent me a few recent photos. For those of you following this fitness training expert I hope these pics add some inspiration to your work at perfecting your physique, and for those that would like to become such an example to others by doing your best at becoming fit, I hope these photos give you become the turning point.

And last but not least, here's a photo of Scott at the GLAAD awards which he sent me after the awards. Doesn't he look dashing in his red jacket? He's truly confident in his manner and style. I'm just finishing off a glass of an Australian white wine, a mix of riesling and gewuerztraminer. Here's a toast to you, Scott!!! - V.

Kitsilano

My journey to Kits Beach last Saturday afternoon began with a trip into Vancouver on the SkyTrain to Burrard Station. Then it was a walk up Burrard Street, over the Burrard bridge and then to Kits Beach by way of a side street not far from the Molson Brewery. The photo above was taken on Elsje's Point in Kitsilano.

This was the first sailboat I encountered. It, along with the other two, was washed up on shore by wind and waves in the gale force wind storm of a couple of days before. It would have been great to get some shots of the storm in progress at the time but I was working. Believe it or not, it was sunny at the time with clouds to the north and to the south with a clear stretch of blue sky between on the day of the storm.

I had a good look at the hull and even found some blue mussels adhearing to the rudder and more on the hull just above the rudder itself.

It wasn't all a case of looking at boats washed ashore but also at attractions, such as seaweed. There are plenty of rocks to be found along the shore or near it covered in rockweed.

The above photo looks back toward the first sailboat seen with part of Vancouver's West End and Yaletown in the background.

Aside from watching the wave action along shore, I found lots of seashells, such as blue mussel, clam, barnicle and snail shells. Then I also too a series of shots of a pair of crows looking for nesting material. After all, this is the season! This is just one of the best from that series of photos.

The second sailboat seems to have attracted the most interest. Its a beautifully designed boat and I love the colours. Here are just a few photos of this sailboat.

A chain led back from the boat to the anker further ashore. As you can see the shaft that the chain attaches to is bent about 20 degrees, The next image has the anker in the foreground with the boat off in the distance.

It did attract attention as you can see of me taking a photo of photographers taking shots of the boat. It even had a fan for generating some electrical power. Sounds green, doesn't it?

The third sailboat of lesser interest than the second but still worth taking a few photos of. Despite the affects of the wind storm, it does look like these boats will sail again. There's no major damage as far as I can see. After a good cleaning and painting, they'll be good as new!

Also, there was plenty of other activity other than people walking along the beach. There was a beach volleyball game happening and people walking or riding their bikes along the path along the beach.

Then to close, I was attracted by the design and colour of these houses near the beach. The sycamore trees, in particular the bark, was also something that caught my interest.

Whether it was the knotty trunk or looking up into the crown of the tree, I thought it worthy of a few shots.

Even seeing mostly green in the landscape has its interest. And then there are plenty of late cherry trees in bloom now. Many of these trees have pink flowers but there are white ones as well. The flowers below are from a cherry tree filled with white blossoms. Enjoy the photos, and comments are always welcomed! - V.

light rain and drizzle

Yet another weekend is upon us. Today, its a dull day with light rain or drizzle falling. The temperatures are warm enough at 12 degrees Celsius with an expected high of 14 later. As a result, I've opted to remain at home to get things done here such as doing some posts, working on images (photos) taken over the last few weeks and so on. There's no end of things that need to be done. I guess I can get some cleaning done around the apartment, such as washing a few dishes, taking out the garbage and recycle materials, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and so on.

You've probably heard, read or seen videos about the volcanic eruptions in Iceland the same activitiy that has brought havoc to air travel across northern and central Europe with cancelled flights and such. It shows what effects Earth's natural activities can bring to us mere humans. I've long had an interest in Iceland and other northern areas of the planet.

On a lesser note but still to do with natural activities, I went to Kits Beach (Kitsilano) last Saturday afternoon to see the sailboats washed up on shore by the recent gale force wind storm a couple of days earlier. I fully expected some or all to have been removed but they were still there. The next post will have more details plus lots of photos! - V.

winds

Friday morning we woke up to see photos in the local papers of a sailboat washed up on Kits Beach (Kitsilano Beach), the result of the gale force winds of the previous day. There were actually three in total, two on the beach and one on the rocks. Bad news for the owner of the latter I guess! The Spanish Banks in English Bay consist of nothing but sand, so sailboats ankered in such a setting are going to have their ankers dragged hundreds of feet potentially and in this case, on to the beach. Yesterday afternoon I heard that two had been removed but is one is still there this afternoon, there may be a photo. Kits Beach is my destination this afternoon and I'll likely head west as far as Locarno Beach and perhaps further.

Once the photos from Saturday's photos shoot are uploaded from my camera and saved on disk, I'm off for the afternoon. Its sunny and warming up nicely. Have a great weekend, guys!!! - V

more on our prospect

Remember Matt, our aspiring model in the United States? Well, Matt sent me a few more pics of himself to whet our appetite. Just as a refresher, the top photo was in the original post and the first image he sent me. Matt's 19 years old, 6'0" tall, weighs in at 170 pounds, neck is 16 inches, chest 42 inches, waist is 30 inches, shoe size is 10.5 and he's studying finance and design, so he's not only hot but also smart as well! Interests, hobbies and sports include lacrosse, running, weight lifting (obviously), business, law, design, reading, being with friends and family, going to concerts and old movies. He's sounds like an awesome guy to know and have as a friend or part of the family!

Of the more recent photos sent to me, the second one gives us another view of those hot abs and pecs. Below is another image showing a view of his left side with another awesome view of that muscular physique.

And what we see from the back is awesome too. Matt's really been working hard to perfect his physique and its showing! We both must apologize for the clearity of these pics but you'll see better ones once I've taken photos for his model portfolio. Aside from studio work, there are a few interesting venues in the area that I plan to use for photo shoots that will make Matt look really hot and show his physique to its best advantage. We're all stoked with excitement, aren't we Brad! Come back for more soon. Things are moving fast. By the way, if you're a hot guy that's interested in modeling, look us up. We'll add to your portfolio for free! You just need to make a move, like Matt did, and the rest will happen. Have a good night, guys!!! - V.

changes

Changes are coming to this blog over the next few weeks as our photography business takes shape and images not our own are deleted from this blog with a few exceptions. Scott Herman will continue to be our feature model and fitness instructor. We plan to post about new models that come to our attention, such as Matt, a prospective model and one on the right track I'd say! So, this blog will be about our lives (Brad and mine) plus other matters of interest, such as keeping fit. What better way to enjoy nature and what it has to offer. We encourage you to keep your fitness level up so you too can hike up mountains or ride your trail bikes on the various pathways and trails you encouter.

Meantime, I've charged up all the batteries for the external flash for my camera and collected all the gear together ready to pack (and there really isn't too much) and will be off to the photo shoot location about 4:30 pm. Its just a 20 minute walk north of my place. I'll likely be taking a cab back home from the shoot location. I'll blog about all this after.

My new external HD is ready to go in time for uploading and editing the photos to be taken this evening. But before all that is done, I plan to clear up my internal HD on my laptop so that all the programs run better and faster. So, guess where I'll be Sunday: at home!

In other news, it was a mostly rainy, overcast and windy day Saturday. At times it was very windy which explained the wind warning that was out that day. Its much better today with cloud but also some sunshine on occasion. Temperatures are somewhat cooler than in February as if the seasons have flipped around somewhat. However, as the daylight hours get longer, the weather will get better.

Its back to work early Monday (I could have had the day off but I opted to work since it wasn't a statutory holiday, not for us anyway). Enjoy what's left of your Easter weekend!!! - V.

form

The human form at its best is more than worth looking at but gives us inspiration in improving our own physique or fine tuning it if we've almost reached perfection. Or, when we gaze at such a figure, we could be looking at reflection of ourselves, perhaps have a goal in mind, a vision of what we once were in our youth or any number of thoughts or impressions that might spring to the surface. You be the judge of that. I believe these models are all fine examples of the male anatomy at its best. What do you think? Feel free to comment! - V.