This month, we’ll explore the historic and occasionally kitschy neighbourhood of Queens Park.  Once a fashionable suburb in the late 1800s, Queens Park is now a designated heritage district, home to some of the oldest and best-preserved houses in British Columbia.

Expect a visual feast of classic single-family homes built in a number of different architectural styles between the 1860s and 1920s, with a few eclectic additions from the '30s and '40s. As we stroll past painted ladies, gabled roofs, and well-tended gardens, you’ll have the opportunity to try your hand at:

• Architectural photography – Practice framing facades, capturing vintage details, and playing with symmetry and perspective.
• Residental scenes - there are countless little scenes of yards, gardens, specific aspects of the beautiful homes. Use your skills to crop into a scene that is ready for the NW Photo Club's House & Garden Review.
• Texture and pattern – Look for ornate woodwork, wrought iron fences, or the contrast of old brick and new paint.
• Light and shadow – Use the dappled canopy of mature trees to work with dynamic lighting and mood.
• Creative storytelling – Try isolating quirky elements like gnomes, weather vanes, or porch decor to capture the neighbourhood’s charm and humour.

To make things even more fun, Glenn has mapped out a route that guides us past an interesting and photographable corners of the neighbourhood—and he’s cooked up a mini-scavenger hunt to keep us on our toes! You’ll receive your scavenger list at the meeting place, so bring your curiosity as well as your camera. The walk will take about 1 hr 45 minutes.

Glenn suggests bringing a lens with a longer focal length (zoom) rather than a wide angle lens -- there is no walking into people's yards. We will take photos from the sidewalks. If you crop into the many little scenes of yards, gardens, gates, walls, architecture of the homes you will come way with some treasures! . It will be difficult to get the whole house in, but the fun and beauty if more often in the little details. Upload your best scenes to our Outing Gallery: NW Photo Homes & Gardens of Queens Park.

Weather Forecast:  a few light showers in the forecast.  

Meet at 9:00 AM at the entrance to London Drugs (near 6th Avenue and 6th Street). The walk starts and ends at this location.

••• N E W: Please download the Outing Guide rev 8-14.pdf for details on the walk and a map.