Street Photography in Vancouver

Gastown is the old core of the city, with cobblestone streets and old lamp posts along Water Street. The Steam Clock draws a crowd every time it whistles, which makes it a reliable spot to photograph tourists photographing. It is one of the busiest photo locations in town. Early morning is calmer. Composition idea: shoot down Water Street with the lamp posts as a line and wait for a single walker. Caution: Gastown borders the Downtown Eastside. Be aware of your surroundings as you walk east.

Chinatown is where Fred Herzog made some of his best known colour street pictures, and you can still find old signs and heritage buildings, though the area is changing fast. Start at the Millennium Gate on Pender Street, then walk Pender and Keefer and duck into Shanghai Alley. The painted facades give you bright colour against concrete. Night is good for neon and lit windows. Composition idea: frame a shop owner in a doorway with hand painted signs around them. Caution: some blocks at the edge of Chinatown meet the Downtown Eastside. Stay alert after dark.

This stretch of Granville Street, around the Orpheum Theatre, is known for its signs. Wait until after sunset, when the storefronts and neon come on and give the gritty street mood and colour. Weekend nights are the busiest, with crowds heading to bars and clubs. Composition idea: silhouette a figure against a lit theatre sign, or shoot through a wet window on a rainy night. Caution: late on weekend nights the crowd gets drunk and loud. Keep your distance from fights and keep your camera close.

Robson Street is the main shopping street downtown, and Robson Square sits at its heart near the Vancouver Art Gallery. The flow of shoppers is steady all day, and the square often hosts gatherings and street performers. Afternoon light runs along the street. Composition idea: find a clean background, such as a shop window or a blank wall, and wait for shoppers to pass in front. Caution: the square is a common place for protests. Photographing them is legal, but some people will not want their faces shown.

Commercial Drive, known as the Drive, is East Vancouver's high street, with cafes and grocers in older buildings. One local photographer walked it straight after a Fred Herzog exhibition and found the same kind of colour Herzog loved. Grandview Park sits in the middle and draws people all day. The Parade of Lost Souls, a local tradition around Halloween, happens in the neighbourhood. Composition idea: use a fruit stand as foreground colour and a passerby as the subject. Caution: it is a neighbourhood, not a tourist zone. Be open about what you are doing if someone asks.

Granville Island sits under the Granville Street Bridge. The Public Market is full of shoppers and vendors, and the industrial buildings around it give you texture. Weekends are packed; weekday mornings are calmer. There are buskers outside and ferries coming and going. Composition idea: use the bridge structure overhead as a frame and a figure below for scale. Caution: vendors are working. Ask before shooting close at a stall.

Jack Poole Plaza holds the Olympic Cauldron and looks out over Coal Harbour and the North Shore mountains. The seawall here carries a steady stream of walkers and cyclists. At sunset the light reflects off the glass towers. Composition idea: silhouette a walker against the water and mountains at golden hour. Caution: the seawall has separate lanes for bikes and walkers, so do not stop in the bike lane.

Waterfront Station is a heritage station building and a major transit hub, linking SkyTrain with the SeaBus to North Vancouver. Rush hours bring waves of commuters through the main hall. Composition idea: shoot from the side of the hall as commuters cross the light from the tall windows. The SeaBus ride itself gives you passengers against the water and skyline. Caution: transit property has its own rules. Do not block doors or platforms, and stop if staff ask.