Natural landscapes: hangin’ with the boulders
STARFISH, COX BAY, VANCOUVER ISLAND,
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Starfish usually hang out together in twisted configurations, so to find one flying solo in a compelling west coast landscape was a bonus.
I spent almost a half-hour trying various compositions; I like this one best because you see the starfish in its larger setting — and what a stunning setting it is!
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, fill-flash.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my NEW coffeetable book, “Bring on the Light: Forty years of photography”: https://bit.ly/BringOnTheLight
Rural landscapes: the red, white and blue of spring
JACK’S BARN, NEAR SYLVAN LAKE, ALBERTA
I was making pictures of this beautiful barn and fences along the roadside when the owner came along on his ATV and generously invited me onto his property to photograph wherever I like. This is a rare blessing, so I took full advantage.
The encounter turned into something else entirely when Jack asked me some photography-related questions about pictures of his wife. Turns out she had died just a few months before and Jack was struggling to keep going. The Spirit prompted me to ask if I could pray for him right then and there. He graciously agreed and the resulting prayer was as much a help to me as I hope it was to Jack.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book, “MOMENTS OF LIGHT: Thirty Years of Photography”: http://bit.ly/JTNnMX
Natural landscapes: the delicate spring light
FOREST GROWTH, MACMILLAN PROVINCIAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA
This Vancouver Island provincial park is probably better known as Cathedral Grove, referring to the drive through an incredible old-growth Pacific rainforest. That’s where my wife and I stopped and hiked along the easy trails flanking Highway 4.
During the hike, I spotted a shaft of light slipping through the trees and illuminating this growth. A shallow depth of field was important, keeping the background out of focus and helping you concentrate on the flower and leaves.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book, “Bring on the Light: Forty years of photography”: https://bit.ly/BringOnTheLight
Rural landscapes: peace on the lake
SPRING SKY REFLECTED IN SYLVAN LAKE, ALBERTA
I wasn’t able to get to this resort lake, about 90 minutes’ drive from my home in Calgary, in time to photograph sunrise. But I’m pretty happy with how these cool clouds and a surprising lack of wind resulted in several “keeper” images. The colour version is really nice (you can see it here: http://bit.ly/SylvanLakeClouds), but even as I made the picture, I knew it would also make a compelling monotone image.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
Click/tap on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Alberta“: http://bit.ly/1oUzd4A
Urban landscapes: lighting the way over the river
LRT/PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, CALGARY, ALBERTA
I’ve lived in this western Canadian city for over a decade, yet it was only a few weeks ago that I discovered the striking illumination of this bridge over the Bow River. Fortunately, it was before sunrise on a cloudy day, so I was able to make a long exposure that turned the water silky – and that made the reflections even better.
Nikon D7100, tripod
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book, “Light and Lines: An Urban Landscape Portfolio”: http://bit.ly/LIGHTandLINES
Rural landscapes: the astonishment of prairie minimalism
MOON OVER SPRING PRAIRIES, NEAR CROSSFIELD, ALBERTA
Wikipedia informs us that minimalist photography is distinguished by extreme, austere simplicity. It emphasizes spareness and focuses solely on the smallest number of objects in the composition process. Minimalist photographers usually focus solely on one subject, rather than an abundance of colour, patterns and information.
I think this remarkably empty spring prairie field and moon qualifies as minimalist. And I went monotone to emphasize the point, while at the same time increasing the sense of drama (colour tends to soften drama).
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
Click/tap on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Alberta“: http://bit.ly/1oUzd4A
Urban landscapes: the downtown lights, interpreted
LIGHT INSTALLATION, 707 FIFTH, CALGARY, ALBERTA
One of the newest architectural additions to this western Canadian city features a series of light poles that change colour. I did my best to show you the curving line of these poles (you can see it the results here: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-1vU), but even as I made that photo, I knew there were abstract opportunities. So I twisted the camera to create diagonal lines, then zoomed the lens in and out during a long exposure. Kinda cool, eh? 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book, “Light and Lines: An Urban Landscape Portfolio”: http://bit.ly/LIGHTandLINES
Rural landscapes: reflecting the April sunrise
FENCE AND SPRING POND NEAR COCHRANE, ALBERTA
Beautiful prairie ponds, each with some ice formed during the cold overnight, flanked the road between the Trans Canada Highway and Cochrane, a charming town west of Calgary. I photographed both in the first light of day, but this might be the most compelling image because of the dramatic sky and decent reflections. Searching for photogenic ponds is my main photo mission in April and May and pictures like this make it clear what drives me. 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my NEW coffeetable book, “Bring on the Light: Forty years of photography”: https://bit.ly/BringOnTheLight
Natural landscapes: spring’s winter reminder
APRIL SNOW AT WEASELHEAD FLATS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT PARK, CALGARY, ALBERTA
A day earlier we were wearing T-shirts and roasting marshmallows at our backyard fire pit. Now, I was back in full winter garb and excited to capture a spring snowfall. One of the nice things about spring snow in this western Canadian province is many of the ponds and rivers are ice-free and that usually makes for better photos. This is, I hope, a good example of that and I went black-and-white because there was almost no colour in this scene.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book, “Bring on the Light: Forty years of photography”: https://bit.ly/BringOnTheLight
Natural landscapes: welcoming the spring light
FIRST LIGHT OF DAY ON THE OTTAWA RIVER, PETAWAWA, ONTARIO
It was a truly sublime April morning, where I made all kinds of memorable “keeper” photos along a one-kilometre stretch of shoreline in this town on the Ontario-Quebec border.
After capturing this sweet scene — https://wp.me/p2ccTX-1vE — I looked the other way and took advantage of the first rays of warm light touching melting shoreline ice.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, enhancing filter.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Wander through my photography book “Special Places: A Landscape Photographer’s Vision of Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/yNU06F
