The Economic Benefits: Facts versus hype

by Kerry Banks

In the euphoria that followed the announcement that Vancouver had won the bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, there was a lot of talk about how the Games would be a gold mine for the local economy: creating jobs, boosting tourism and providing a bonanza for local suppliers. But while it is undoubtedly true that same local businesses will make a killing – porta-potty companies, for example, and parking lot owners, limousine rental firms and flower shops – a number of studies by top economists reveal little evidence that hosting the Games produces significant economic benefits for any host city or region. In fact, according to a 2008 study by three economists who specialize in the economics of sport, in the short-term, taking on the Games can actually be damaging. In their analysis “Slippery Slope? Assessing the Economic Impact of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah,” for example, the authors found that “general merchandise stores suffered a net loss of $167.4 million during  the Games time,  as did ski resorts and other recreation firms.” As Victor Matheson, one of the paper’s authors, noted, “It’s a fun time to be in the spotlight, but most cities lose money.”

Although the accounting methods of Olympic organizing committees are often murky, the evidence further suggests that all of the last six Winter Olympics ended up losing money. The organizers of the Turin Games in 2006 admitted to a $32 million deficit. And while organizers of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics boasted an operating profit of $110 million, the U.S. General Accounting Office determined that the federal government contributed $1.3 billion toward the event. Plagued by cost overruns, the 1998 Nagano Olympics also lost huge piles of dough, though no one knows exactly how much because the organizers burned the accounting books, leaving the financial impact a mystery.

Likewise, the 1994 Lillehammer and 1992 Albertville Olympics ran multimillion-dollar deficits. Even Calgary, where the 1988 Winter Games were claimed to have turned a $90-million profit, lost money. In 1999, Tom Walkom, a Toronto Star reporter, discovered that Calgary’s organizing committee had omitted the cost of building sports facilities from its figures, and the federal, provincial and municipal governments contributed $461 million toward the games – nullifying any profits.

In light of the past record of host cities, then, Vancouver’s chances of avoiding a similar financial disaster are slim. As a recent editorial in Forbes magazine ominously states: “Over the past five years the operational costs of the 2010 Winter Games has mushroomed from $1.3 billion to almost $2 billion. In other words, Vancouver is going to take it on the chin as declining sponsorship and tourism revenue combined with higher security costs push the Vancouver Olympic Committee deep into the red.”

Although it is clearly not too difficult to design an Olympic clothing line that will make scads of money, impressing the critics is a different matter entirely, as Hudson’s Bay is finding out

by Kerry Banks

Back in 2005, HBC defeated Roots and Lululemon to win the bidding war for the athletic wear sponsorship for the next four Olympic games (2006 Torino Winter Games, 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, and 2012 London Olympics). For this privilege, HBC forked over a hefty $100 million.

Macleans magazine dubbed the HBC's winter Olympic line as "banal, but wearable."

However, the Canadian Olympic clothing that HBC produced for Beijing in 2008 met with scathing reviews:  “garish,” “loud,” “psychedelia run amok,” were just some of the reactions. In its company blog, Lululemon dubbed HBC’s sartorial stylings the “vomit pajama line.”

Chastened by that reception, HBC opted for a more conservative approach with its 2010 Winter Olympic consumer line, which is based on four distinctly Canadian items: the parka, toque, knitted sweater and buffalo plaid. Even so, the company still managed to spark controversy. After surveying surveyed the line of red, white, black and grey clothing, Vancouver Liberal MP Hedy Fry thought she spotted a partisan conspiracy, comparing the HBC’s official Olympic log, (a black ‘C’ with a red maple leaf in the centre) to the logo for the Conservative Party (a slanted blue ‘C’ with a red maple leaf in the middle). Others felt it was a direct rip-off of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s logo—a red maple leaf inside a black ‘C.’

It turns out, the HBC was sensitive enough to the similarity between its new logo and the military logo that it called in its lawyers for a meeting to determine that they were, in fact, different enough. As Hudson Bay’s fashion director Suzanne Timmins told Canadian Press, “When you’re dealing with the maple leaf, red, white, black, you’re going to come across a lot of different logos that are very close to other people’s logos.”

"Cowichan First Nation officials accused HBC of stealing their iconic sweater design after rejecting their proposal to produce Cowichan sweaters for HBC's line of 2010 Olympic clothing."

But there was more flak to come. Cowichan First Nation officials accused the retail giant of stealing their iconic sweater design after rejecting their proposal to produce Cowichan sweaters for HBC’s line of 2010 Olympic clothing. (HBC’s $350 Olympic sweater – featuring a maple leaf and elk — has become one of the clothing line’s most popular items since it was unveiled in October.) Hudson’s Bay initially dismissed the comparison, insisting its hand-knit sweater was not a Cowichan, and that the Vancouver Island band couldn’t meet the company’s production requirements to be an official supplier in any event. But after being threatened with legal action and public protests, HBC changed its tune. The company is now close to finalizing a deal with the band that will likely see Cowichan sweaters sold in Hudson’s Bay Company’s Olympic superstore in downtown Vancouver and in an aboriginal pavilion during the Games.

Meanwhile, the media’s reaction to the HBC’s Winter Olympic line appears to be lukewarm. Macleans magazine dubbed it “banal, but wearable.” The Globe and Mail declared: “These are items that have been designed to sell. Even if some Canadians are left cold by the nostalgic knitwear, foreigners will likely regard the pieces as quaint and worth buying as stylish souvenirs. Where the apparel comes up short is originality.” Chris Rudge, boss of the Canadian Olympic Committee, was more enthusiastic. He said the clothing “screams Canada” and is “bold, inspiring, modern, contemporary and cool.” Even so, “bold and “contemporary” do not seem to be the appropriate adjectives for designs that HBC fashion director Suzanne Timmins admits were inspired by the 1970s Crazy Canucks alpine ski team and the classic Canadian comedy show SCTV, featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie. She also noted that designers decided not to go with seal-skin trim, as requested by Canadian MPs to support Canada’s seal hunting industry.

The total value of licensed Olympic merchandise sales worldwide is expected to top the $500-million mark by the time the Games end, resulting in about $54 million in revenues for VANOC.

Of course, despite what the fashion mavens think, the total value of licensed Olympic merchandise sales worldwide is expected to top the $500-million mark by the time the Games end, resulting in about $54 million in revenues for VANOC. And no one need shed any tears for American-owned HBC, with its 21,000 square-foot Olympic superstore on the main floor of its downtown location jam-packed with more than 1,000 pieces of officially licensed Games merchandise. The store also features a Coke cafe decked out in Coca-Cola colours, a pin wall that can hold 21,000 pins; a display of special-edition watches from the 2010 Winter Games and past Games presented by Swatch; a concierge service offered by Purolator to ship purchases to a customer’s hotel or anywhere in the world; and replica Olympic Torches presented by Bombardier. With the Winter Games still several months away, Hudson’s Bay has already struck gold.

To view all of HBC’s Winter Olympic designs: http://store.hbc.com

So, how do you feel about the HBC’s new line of Olympic clothing? Are these items that you would buy?

Photos: Kerry Banks

Whistler hopes record-breaking snows are enough

by Kerry Banks

Record-breaking snows in Whistler this month have been attracting droves of skiers. In fact, the resort has already surpassed its record for November snowfall, with several days still remaining for the month. Even so, tourism officials are worried about the effect of “Olympic Aversion,” a threat that has nothing to do with the weather.

“Olympic Aversion” is a documented phenomenon that kept people away from previous Olympic venues such as Turin, Salt Lake City and Beijing because of fears that the sites would be too crowded, too expensive, and with too much construction around and no accommodation available. Ominously, early reports indicate that accommodation bookings for this winter at Whistler are already behind.

Officials with Tourism Vancouver and Tourism Whistler are working hard to assure people that these sorts of concerns are not warranted. They want to make it clear to skiers, for example, that there are plenty of deals on lift tickets to be had, that 90 per cent of the skiable terrain will be open during the Olympics and also that the major construction was completed years ago. And though anyone who want to go to Whistler during the Olympics for the day to ski or snowboard will have to take a bus (no driving will be allowed), that scenario won’t come into play for a few months yet. In the meantime, Tourism Whistler claims there has never been a better time to visit the resort because visitors can gain a sneak preview of the Olympic site; transportation has been made easier; and people can try out the Olympic runs ahead of schedule.

What’s your take? How do you feel about not being able to drive to Whistler during the Olympics? Are you avoiding Whistler this winter because of preparations for the Games?

***

How will I access Whistler during the 2010 Winter Games?

There will be no public parking in Whistler during the Games, so the best way to get to Whistler will be by bus services offered by private carriers. Travel by vehicle will be possible for visitors with accommodations if they have a permit (see below). Additional travel time will be required at Games time, no matter what mode of transportation you choose.

The best way to get where you need to go and avoid delays is by planning ahead, avoiding peak travel times and knowing your transportation options now before you step out the door in February 2010.

Ticket holders travelling from Vancouver to events at Whistler venues must do so using the Olympic Bus Network. You can book your Olympic Bus Network tickets in advance starting November 24, 2009.

Once in Whistler, public transportation will be the most convenient and preferred mode of transportation. There will be expanded bus routes in Whistler around the clock, seven days a week for the month of February 2010. Ticket holders travelling from within Whistler to events at Whistler venues can do so by using this service.

More details can be found at www.travelsmart2010.ca.

I heard that there will be a checkpoint along the highway to Whistler. Will that affect me?

Given the need to manage traffic flow to Whistler during the Games, a checkpoint will be in effect on the Sea to Sky Highway near the Alice Lake turn-off, north of Squamish. The checkpoint will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from February 11 to 28, 2010.

To pass through this checkpoint within the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. window, visitors to Whistler must have an official permit. Visitors who choose to drive to Whistler by private vehicle should get this permit mailed to them from their hotel before leaving home. If you don’t get this from your hotel in advance, you must get one from one of the Sea to Skypermit offices (located in either Whistler, Squamish, Pemberton or Vancouver) before you begin your trip up the highway. You will not be allowed to pass through the checkpoint without a visible permit; simply having a hotel reservation confirming parking is not sufficient. If you arrive at the checkpoint without a permit (but you have a hotel reservation confirming parking), you will be required to go the Sea to Sky permit office in Squamish to get one before continuing your trip up the highway to Whistler. If you travel outside the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. window, you do not require a permit.

Day skiers and other visitors to Whistler are encouraged to take commercial motor coaches or travel during off peak hours. You do not require a permit if travelling by bus.

Lead photo courtesy iStock.

by Rob Howatson

Port Hardy painter Eileen Field’s maps-as-art are a unique find for both mariners and landlubbers alike. The multimedia artist starts with the driest of canvasses — a Johnstone Strait nautical chart borrowed from the wheelhouse of her husband’s powerboat — and then layers on whimsical touches in the form of sea-mist acrylics, bits of poetry, feathers, copper sea stars, anything that helps her “tell a story.” Repetitive soundings and boring fathom curves become lyrical, three-dimensional seascapes that capture the imagination. >> Field applies her sea-story technique to both gift cards and small paintings and will custom create a vignette for any body of water, provided there is a map to build upon.

WRAP IT UP FOR CHRISTMAS Gift cards, $18, Port Hardy’s West Cost Community Craft Shop (250-949-2650); custom map paintings direct from artist, $50 (250-949-7659).

See also:

• Luggage Tags
• Top 3 Worldly Reads
• Top 7 B.C. Reads

Lead image courtesy Eileen Field.

by Rob Howatson

1. TALK ABOUT GOOD INTENTIONS GONE BAD. In 1850, the HMS Investigator departed England in search of the Franklin expedition, which had disappeared in the Arctic five years earlier. Yet not only did the rescue ship fail to find Franklin survivors, the Investigator became stuck in the ice and its crew faced starvation, madness and death on the uncharted Polar Sea. Vancouver author Brian Payton captures all of the gripping, freeze-thaw action in The Ice Passage: A True Story of Ambition, Disaster and Endurance in the Arctic Wilderness. (Doubleday Canada; $35)

2. MOST PLACES-TO-SEE-BEFORE-YOU-DIE books are a dime a dozen, but this one comes with the moral authority of the United Nations. World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 878 UNESCO World Heritage Sites features gorgeous photos and pithy descriptions of Earth’s most culturally, historically and geologically significant locations. (Firefly Books, $30)

3. BEST BUY FOR DISTINCT TAKES on the world’s most awe-inspiring landscapes and the unique animals and peoples that inhabit them – as captured through the lens of master shutterbug Art Wolfe. Travels to the Edge: A Photo Odyssey contains 100 of the Seattle artist’s fave images, including an inter-tribal stick fight in the mountains of Ethiopia and a startled herd of guanacos on the Andean pampas. (Mountaineers Books; U.S.$25)

WRAP IT UP FOR CHRISTMAS All books available at better book-stores throughout the province.

See also:

• Luggage Tags
• Custom Maps
• Top 7 B.C. Reads

by Rob Howatson

The Casa Collection is a Vancouver-based art bank of 600-plus archival prints by 110 artists, most of them from B.C., with imagery ranging from whimsical paper-collage interpretations of iconic Vancouver scenes to early 20th-century travel posters. Hospitality industry heavyweights draw from this pretty pool (as the Four Seasons Resort Whistler did for a recent reno), but the wholesaler is also open to all collectors. Art lovers can order ultra-high-resolution archival ink-jet reproductions in any size to a maximum of 152-by-343-centimetres. Less committed aesthetes may wish to start small with one of the collection’s handsome luggage tags – perfect for highlighting bags on crowded airport carousels and, in the pre-Olympics buildup, for encouraging both fellow B.C.ers and visitors to support the local art scene.

   

WRAP IT UP FOR CHRISTMAS

Luggage tags, featuring vintage travel-poster and B.C. landmarks art, $5. 604-263-8525; casacollection.ca

See also:

• Custom Maps
• Top 3 Worldly Reads
• Top 7 B.C. Reads

by Rob Howatson

There’s a distinct back-to-the-land theme in this year’s top crop of B.C. tomes to own (and give), as the global warming threat has writers nervously testing local soil:

• Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life Small mixed farms, like the one Old MacDonald had, are being plowed under by massive agri-factories. Writer Brian Brett, reporting from the entertaining chaos of his Salt Spring Island barnyard, depicts the endangered lifestyle with poetic flare. (Greystone Books; $35)

• Writing the West Coast: In Love with Place Editors Christine Lowther and Anita Sinner have assembled a collection of first-hand accounts about life in Clayoquot Sound (and a few other isolated B.C. harbours) that is as prismatic as a Long Beach tidal pool. Contributors include Andrew Struthers, who recalls squatting in a homemade pyramid in the bush, and Susan Musgrave, who asks, Where but Haida Gwaii can one watch the Perseids, the northern lights and forked lightning all at once? (Ronsdale Press; $25)

• Spirited Waters: Soloing South Through the Inside Passage Paddle pundit Jennifer Hahn recounts her 1,200-km kayak voyage from Ketchikan to Bellingham, complete with a chapter on seaweed cuisine and tips on battling bearanoia. (Mountaineers Books; U.S.$17)

• Voices from the Sound: Chronicles of Clayoquot Sound and Tofino 1899-1929 Margaret Horsfield, author of Cougar Annie’s Garden (winner of the Haig-Brown Prize at the 2000 B.C. Book Awards), reveals the fascinating cast of characters who inhabited Vancouver Island’s Pacific Rim before the hippies, artists and eco-warriors arrived. (Salal Books; $45)

• Vancouver Island Book of Everything Those who know what an Alberni toothpick is, have survived the Colwood Crawl and worn Fulford dancing slippers, may skip this title. All others will benefit from Peter Grant et al.’s amusing collection of Lotus Land trivia. (MacIntyre Purcell; $15)

• Araxi: Seasonal Recipes from the Celebrated Whistler Restaurant So you lost season six of Hell’s Kitchen and the chance to be head chef at Araxi? No worries. The restaurant’s real head chef, James Walt, shares his culinary secrets in this gorgeously illustrated tribute to local fare. (Douglas & McIntyre; $45)

• Wineries of British Columbia This is the third edition of John Schreiner’s authoritative grape guide, profiling 82 additional producers and enabling oenophiles to intelligently plan their tasting trips. (Whitecap; $30)

WRAP IT UP FOR CHRISTMAS All book picks available at better bookstores throughout the province.

See also:

• Luggage Tags
• Custom Maps
• Top 3 Worldly Reads
  

Skeleton is one of the fastest sports on ice, with sleds reaching speeds of 140 km/h, and Jeff Pain its most decorated Canadian athlete. Pain helped pioneer the sport in the years leading up to its debut as a permanent Olympic event at Salt Lake City in 2002. And the tall, lanky Calgarian landscape architect has nearly 20 World Cup podium finishes, two World Championship wins and a silver medal from the Torino Olympic Games in 2006. The only souvenir missing from Pain’s trophy case is gold, which he intends to correct this February when he dons his raging-beaver helmet in Whistler. Given his mature-for-skeleton age of 39, it will be his last bid for Olympic glory.

WW: Describe the skeleton

JP: It’s bombing headfirst down a twisting, icy flume on a sled that looks like a cafeteria tray attached to two tubular steel runners.

WW: What is the view like from behind your visor during a race?

JP: I imagine it is the same as one would get if duct-taped to the underside of a car that is careening down the highway at ridiculous speeds.

WW: What made you want to do this?

JP: In 1992, I decided I wanted to be in the Olympics, so I went in search of a sport that would get me there. I tried track and field and the bobsled, but I wasn’t good enough. And I was too old to join the luge program, but those guys suggested I approach the skeleton people, because, in the words of the luge folks, “they’ll take anybody.”

WW: Your sled has no brakes. How do you steer?

JP: By humming the old tune “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” I can tilt my head and use the wind to drift me in a certain direction. Or I can lower a shoulder. Or I can push a knee into my sled that will affect the runner beneath it. Or, for really quick response, I can drag a toe.

WW: Describe takeoff.

JP: We run for 30 metres and fall down. By that I mean we wear spiked shoes, shove our sled along the relatively flat push-area and then dive aboard.

WW: How far off the ice is your chin during the 50-second ride down?

JP: Zero to two inches.

WW: Zero?

JP: There are some steeply banked turns that produce so much G-force that it’s better to have your chin guard on the ice as you enter the curve — rather than have gravity slam your face onto the track.

WW: What was your worst wipeout?

JP: At Whistler in March. I was test-driving a new sled that proved to be wrong for the conditions. I had a small crash in curve six, which led to a big crash in curve seven and, for the first time in my career, I was thrown from my sled in such a way that I couldn’t hang onto it. I slid on my butt down the track at 120 km/h, pursued by my 33-kg sled. Luckily, the board flipped upside down, which slowed it enough that I could grab it and ride aboard to a stop in curve 10. There, I stood up, bent the saddle back out with some help from the concrete wall and continued on to finish in a blistering three minutes and 24 seconds.

WWRAP IT UP FOR CHRISTMAS To tour Whistler’s Olympic venues after the Games, including transportation from Vancouver, lunch at Monk’s Grill, close-up looks at the ski jump and sliding track and a chance to fire a biathalon gun: $139/Enjoy Tour and Travel. 604-719-7161

As founder Charles Montgomery explains it: the BCAA-sponsored* Homes for the Games “opens Vancouver homes to Olympic visitors while raising money to combat homelessness in the city.” More than half of the proceeds from the program will be donated to two local charities targeting homelessness: Covenant House and Streetohome Foundation. www.bcaa.com/hfg; homeforthegames.com

Also see: Profile: Charles Montgomery

*As a silver-level sponsor

Everyone who visits Vancouver wants to take spectacular travel photos to share with friends and family, but more often than not they are disappointed with the shots they take. They return home with unoriginal snapshots of the same tourist attractions and famous landmarks, all taken from the side of the road or out of the window of a tour bus. They lament over the fact they weren’t able to capture the vibrancy of the city and conclude, “I should have just bought a post card.”

I say, “Don’t buy that postcard!” Well, buy one to post Granny a holiday memento, but I guarantee that you can take a more interesting and memorable travel photo than any postcard! I’ve scoped out five spectacular locations in Vancouver for the best photographic opportunities – and included links to them on Google Maps so you can find them lickity split!

1. Best Spot for People Shots: Kitsilano Beach

Cool Dude on a bike taken on Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver, B.C.

Kitsilano Beach is Vancouver’s South Beach. In the summertime, where , you’ll see a parade of scantily clad beach bunnies sunning themselves while their slicked-up jock boyfriends spike volleyballs between strong sips of micro-brewed beer. Competing for the girls’ attention are Indie rock boy wannabes strumming sweet nothings on their beater guitars while their Maple Leaf hotdogs pop and sizzle on make-shift BBQs.

From time to time, you may spot visiting celebrities, like Jessica Alba, wearing excessively large sunglasses and walking their tiny dogs. This is the best spot for grabbing interesting and fun people shots. It’s also very entertaining to watch, as you might imagine.

2. Best Spot for Sunset Shots: Jericho Beach

Sunset overlooking Jericho Beach Yacht Club, Vancouver, B.C.

If you are looking for a quieter spot try Jericho Beach, a spectacular, soft, sandy beach with views of downtown and the North Shore mountains. Head down to Jericho to grab that perfect sunset shot of the Vancouver skyline or the sun streaming over the snowcapped Coast Mountains with silhouetted sailboats in the distance. You may even see a blue heron, playful seal or otter out in the harbour, so remember to bring your zoom lens!

Also, make sure to check out the park. There is a beautiful pond with tall grass where you can find a bevy of avian friends, frogs and turtles.

The breathtaking view of Jericho Beach Yacht Club in the above photo was taken from Pioneer Park, a five-minute walk from the beach.

3. Best Spot for Canada Goose Shots: Granville Island

Two goslings bask in magic-hour light on Granville Island, Vancouver, B.C.

A photographic visit to Vancouver would not be complete without a Canadian goose shot. And Vancouver’s Granville Island is one of the best places to get up close and personal with our proud and sometimes a little hissy Canadian birds. Behind the Kids Market is a beautiful pond, where the geese are quite tame and will allow you to get quite close to them to take pictures. Just be forewarned, if one lunges a beak in your direction, book it, because those geese will bite! In May and early June, you may be lucky enough to spot some baby goslings on the island.

4. Best Spot for Flower and Foliage Shots: Queen Elizabeth Park

Abstract of leaf with raindrops, Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, B.C.

No matter what time of year you visit, Queen Elizabeth Park’s public gardens are spectacular for capturing flower and foliage pictures. I am not an experienced botanist, so I can’t list all the different sub-species of Pteridophyta you may find in the park. However, I can tell you that you will find beautiful colours, textures and a diverse range of plant life to photograph, especially if you are interested in macro photography.

5. Best Spot for Marine Life Shots: Vancouver Aquarium

Tank o’ Jelly Fish, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, B.C.

Amid the towering trees of Stanley Park, you will find a true photographic gem, the Vancouver Aquarium. Even young shutterbugs will find plenty of great fish, dolphins, seals and beluga whales to photograph here. Spend hours getting creative with shots of jelly fish or head outside to capture shots of playful otters and sea lions. It’s a bit tricky shooting through glass, so remember to not use your flash and try to minimize glare using a circular polarizing filter.

Whether you are visiting Vancouver for the first time or have lived in the city all your life, I encourage you to get out your camera and start exploring these stunning locations. You never know what spectacular shot you will take in the process!

Being chosen as one of these elite few can mean a huge increase in your photo’s views and the number of comments and favourites you receive. Land on the front page of Explore, Flickr’s home page, and magical things happen, all of which having to do with increasing your ego, none of which actually leads to earning money as a photographer. But who cares, when you are royalty on Flickr for a day.

I’ll admit to feeling proud like a peacock when my mum first spotted my photo on the Explore home page. Within minutes, the comments and praise flooded in from the Flickratic. I began to pump out more quality shots and I continued getting Explored. I felt like my photography was finally reaching people. It was a great feeling, like a really perfect high-five or winning cookies. It also pushed me to try new techniques and really perfect my images before putting them up on Flickr.

A lot of people have asked me if there is any secret to getting Explored. The most obvious thing is take a great photo. But, beyond a great shot, there seems to be a definite pattern in which photos get Explored. After all, photography is art and the personal taste of the Flickr admins does impact the photos that are chosen. Using my keen intellect and the power of the internet, I have compiled a list of power tips on how to get your photos Explored and because I’ve been a lazy, good-for-nuthin’ blogger as of late, I’m going to share these with you.

Here are my top secret tips for getting your photos Explored on Flickr:

1. Mo’ Bokeh

Bokeh of street lights created with a LensBaby and the star shaped Creative Aperture disk.

By far the most popular type of bokeh photos on Flickr is that derived from taking out of focus pictures of small clusters lights, like on a Christmas tree. If you haven’t heard, the phrase Bokeh, “a photographic term referring to the appearance of point of light sources in an out-of-focus area of an image produced by a camera lens using a shallow depth of field”, then you probably haven’t been on Flickr for very long – because people are nuts about bokeh. Those little out-of-focus orbs of goodness can give a photo a magical, almost surreal quality. And the hip Flickratti are pumping it out faster than you can say, “Ashton killed twitter”. I mean… ahem. What?

How to get this shot:

Crossing your eyes is the easiest way to find cool bokeh. Snicker as you may, but seriously try it the next time you are out at night on a street with street lamps, stop lights, restaurant twinkle lights. Practice this technique in moderation and definitely not in combination with making a funny face because that would seem unprofessional and may weird people out.

Once you’ve found a cool bokeh source like a row of street lights, set your camera’s aperture wide open (>f/3.0) or >f/3.0, >f/5.6 if it’s a telephoto focal length (ie. 200mm at f/5.6) and set your lens to manual. Now pull it almost completely out-of-focus until you see nice fuzzy bits. That the good stuff. Now snap!

Shaped bokeh i.e., stars, hearts, is also really hot right now and companies like LensBaby are making it really easy to do with inexpensive Creative Aperture Kits. If you can’t afford a LensBaby ($100-$270), you can even make your own bokeh shaper lens hood with some black paperboard.

2. Lens Flare

Lens Flare of sunlight streaming through Brisbane Eye Ferris Wheel.

I love lens flare, Michael Bay loves lens flare & so does Flickr. Go ahead. Break all the rules and point your camera at the sun. Within reason of course. Like don’t burn your eyes out or anything. Aim to head out during magic hour (1 hour before sunset) when the sun is low and golden and play with different angles of flares. Also, make sure you’ve got a UV filter so you aren’t damaging your camera’s lens.

3. Hot Chicks

Hot Chick & Musician, Kylee Epp. See behind the scenes shots here.

Like most people, Flickr love pictures of hot chicks. Pretty much any photograph looks better with a hot chick in it. Think about it. A nice still life shot of a bowl of fruit? Boring! A nice still life shot of a bowl of fruit with a hot chick holding a banana? Shizzam! A breathtaking image of a white sand beach? Meh. A breathtaking chick in bikini on a white sand beach? Explored!

It probably won’t surprise you that one of the most commonly explored content is pictures of hot chicks.

More often than not, they are beautiful young photographer/models AKA “modelographers” who have taken their exploration of narcissism to the next level with daily self-portraits called Flickr 365. They are blessed with looks, talent, and a passion for photography, and they are the new power elite on Flickr.

I have to give these young modelographers credit, because they produce near professional quality fashion-esque images of themselves nearly everyday and they are not afraid to try new and creative methods to light, take, and process their images, including film, toy cameras (lomo), strobe. Their photos are edgy, trendy, painful, naked, and oh so indie. They will often get a friend to do makeup or approach young designers whose clothes they or their other young hot chick friends can model. I am constantly amazed and bemused by the sheer number of beautiful images they create and the community wide adoration and respect they receive on Flickr.

How to get this shot:

If you happen to be a young hot chick with a camera, perfect your photography skills by snapping photos of your self and your friends, because the world has never been more open to the idea of a 16-year-old female fashion photographer.

If not, then take a lesson from these young photographers, go out and find someone to model for you, someone hot that looks like they could be in a fashion magazine and all of a sudden your photos go from 2 views to 2, 000 views. Need some tips on finding models I have a post on that

4. Cute animals

Lovely Koala taken at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in QLD, Australia.

If you can’t get a hot chick, a cute animal is your next best bet. Everyone loves a cute animal, especially when it’s displaying seemly human characteristics. Ooh, that’s one angry squirrel! Aww look at those fuzzy ducklings. Ooh, a rare hummingbird!

How to get this shot:

Find cute animals. Pets are a good place to start. Zoos are great. Check your backyard, or the park. Go out and find cuteness. I suggest you take shots of animals at eye-level. Take different angles, use different lenses, get creative with these shots. Take a shot of your pooch’s nose close up with a wide angle. That always looks funny. Flickr loves animals in action, animals with personality, and whimsical cat/dog photos.

5. Soft Flower & Plant life Macros

Leaf found in Queen Elizabeth Park on a damp Vancouver afternoon.

Flickr loves soft flower & other plant life macros like leaves and stuff. It’s as simple as that.

How to get this shot:

Find some blossom, blooms, pedals, leaves or flowery things. I am quite the botanist, can’t you tell? Choose an interesting angle, probably one where you are lying in mud. Bring a water sprayer and lightly mist the flowers do they are all dewy. Open your aperture up to f/3.5 and lower so you get some nice background bokeh and you are money.

6. Photos with interesting and tragically bohemian titles

I call this, “Oh love you have bewildered me with your absence”.

You won’t just get explored simply for a title. But, it definitely takes the artistic merit of your shot up an notch and will increase your chances of getting noticed. Even if you are not exploding with photo titling talent, anything is better than IMG_9807. Here are some tragically bohemian titles to get you started:

• Simple
• *broken flight*
• insomnia
• humble
• where’s my freedom?
• love is a trap
• my peace is gone, my heart is heavy

Ahh, I poke fun, but you get the idea. The point is, there are types of photos that are more likely to be Explored than others, but there is no easy way in. You have to take great shots. And to take a great shot, you have to be out in the world taking shots. Take risks. If you always go on a photo walk to the beach at sunset, go in the opposite direction and take some urban landscapes. If you always snap pictures of your cat Mookie, turn the camera on yourself and do some self-portraits. Keep your work fresh and keep posting your best shots on Flickr and one of these days maybe it will be your shot on the front page of Explore!

Got any tips and tricks or great photos you’ve taken that you’d like to share? Add them in the comments!

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1. Visit BCAA.com/Savings or choose your favourite category of savings above
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You must leave a comment on this page to be part of the giveaway and  we’re going to post the comments in batches of 30 to ensure it’s fair.

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