May 31, 2012 | Everybody Else Is Already Taken

I was lucky enough to have a sneak preview of Queen Elizabeth II By Cecil Beaton: Diamond Jubilee Collection today at Royal BC Museum.

Sir Cecil Beaton was a renowned fashion photographer. One day he gets a phone call, “…The Queen wants to know if you will photograph her tomorrow afternoon.”

“At first I thought it might be a practical joke . . . but it was no joke.” The now late Queen Mother had seen the flamboyant fashion photographer’s work for Vogue magazine, prompting the call. (Excerpt from Royal BC Museum)

The exhibit is filled with interesting anecdotes from Sir Beaton’s diary. Even I, who don’t have a lot of knowledge on British Monarchy, found it interesting.

There are some rare images – this one here is one of my favourite. (Click to enlarge)

DSC01692 300x225 Queen Elizabeth II /Dinosaur Exhibit at Royal BC Museum—30DBC Day 5

Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: Diamond Jubilee Collection is open until September 3, 2012.

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We also got to see Dinosaur exhibit.

I have a toddler so we’ve been very excited about this. I remember my older son enjoying Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit at RBCM back in 1999. I have always been curious how museums pick their exhibits to show each year. Obviously, it is a long process. I was told something big is in the works as well.

This Dinosaur exhibit was curated and designed at Museum of Natural History. New technologies are helping scientists learn more about this fascinating creatures. There are a lot of hands-on activities for kids, as well as fascinating dioramas and footages on new discoveries. I was told the diorama contained about 400 or so species, but everything was extinct except for one thing. (It was a kind of a reed that is stil around.) Amazing, isn’t it?