Natural landscapes: have canoe, will travel
PARC NATIONAL DE LA JACQUES-CARTIER, NEAR QUEBEC CITY
The sun was so high in the sky that the light was becoming harsh, so I was soon to end my morning photo outing. But then I hit paydirt – a glowing red canoe with a stunning backdrop of river, forest, mountains and glowing sky. This ended up being one of the best pictures from that 2007 vacation trip, which leads to the question: why did I wait 14 years to show it to you??
This park is a stunner; the Jacques Cartier River flows through a series of steep, forested valleys that can only be called fjords. Here’s another picture of the park: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-1zw.
Nikon D50, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: the gloriously rocky shore
MEDICINE LAKE, JASPER NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
This wonderfully scenic Canadian Rockies water body has ‘lake’ in the title, but according to Wikipedia, it’s not. Instead, it’s an area in which the Maligne River (flowing from Maligne Lake into the Athabasca River) backs up and suddenly disappears underground. During summer months, when meltwater runoff is high, the river overflows. Much like a bathtub that is filled too fast to drain, Medicine ‘lake’ becomes laden with water until it can slowly empty out through a vast underground drainage system.
Perhaps that’s more information that you need or want, but I find it fascinating. Indeed, scientists used biodegradable dye to discover the underground drainage system is one of the largest in the world. Very cool!
I like the colour version of this picture, but monotone nicely increases the contrast/drama. And deleting colour also removes the evidence of extensive burned trees, all the result of the 2015 Excelsior Wildfire.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Natural landscapes: the flowery viewpoint
ARROWLEAF BALSAMROOT, NEAR WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
As you approach this park, in the deep southwest of this western Canadian province, you come across this stunning view of prairie fields and forests with a backdrop of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. On this trip, the wildflowers grabbed my attention and one of my photos put everything but the flowers out of focus. This approach meant the gobsmacking vista complemented, rather than competed, with the flowers.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter and, probably, a graduated density (darkening) filter on the peaks and sky.
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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: under the epic sunrise sky
THE VIEW FROM HORSE CREEK ROAD, NEAR COCHRANE, ALBERTA
I was absolutely blessed with a stunning cloudscape that caused me to stop several times to try out various photo compositions. The key was simply to wait for the sun to shine between clouds. This was one of those sublime moments. Thanks, God! 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Natural landscapes: joining the river
STREAM FLOWING INTO THE BOW RIVER,
CALGARY, ALBERTA
I crossed a pedestrian bridge over the Bow River, which flows through the centre of this western Canadian city, then I looked back and saw an unnamed stream flowing into the river.
It was a precarious series of steps over and around boulders to get from the pathway above to the river’s edge but, as you can see, well worth the effort. The setting moon added nicely to the overall scene.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, two graduated density (darkening) filters on the sky.
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Rural landscapes: the road to darkness
RANGE ROAD 13, AIRDRIE, ALBERTA
The curve of this prairie road has attracted me and my camera more than once, so when I went searching for images in murky, foggy spring weather, this scene stopped me once again. I used a filter to darken the sky and create a sense of foreboding. Turning everything but the centre lines into black-and-white emphasized the mood I was going for. (That said, you can see the full-colour version here: http://bit.ly/AirdrieRoad.)
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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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: where the spring flows
WATERFALL AT BIG HILL SPRINGS
PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
One of my reliable photo locations (no matter what the weather or time of year), near my home in Calgary, has been closed for a year for rehabilitation. So I fished back into the archives and found this scene from 2014.
There are nearly a dozen waterfalls of varying sizes and shapes at Big Hill Springs; the viewpoint you see here is so close to the water that I needed a wide-angle lens to take it all in.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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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: the glorious spring sunrise
DAWN AT SOUTH GLENMORE PARK, CALGARY, ALBERTA
I woke up pondering potential photos locales in what was supposed to be a cloudy dawn, but when I saw there would probably be a good sunrise, I rapidly changed plans and drove to the Glenmore Reservoir (the primary source of drinking water for this western Canadian city). As you can see, it was a good decision.
The spindly tree trunk you see here was pointed at me when I arrived at this spot. That wouldn’t work for the photo, so I managed to turn it and create a stronger visual point of interest in the picture’s bottom half.
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
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Natural landscapes: a badlands encounter
SPRING AT DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
Dinosaur Provincial Park is one of the richest fossil areas on the planet. Forty dinosaur species have been discovered at the park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site about two hours’ drive from my home – and more than 500 specimens have been removed and exhibited in museums around the globe.
The weather was supposed to be clear, but that didn’t happen ’til late morning so I improved, usually keeping the dull sky out of each photo and concentrating on the fascinating badland shapes and textures.
This image is compelling because it’s difficult to tell if you’re looking at a compact section of landscape, or dozens of kilometres photographed from a plane. It’s the former. 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod
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Natural landscapes: say hello to the new day
BOW RIVER, WYNDHAM-CARSELAND PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
As you can see, spring takes its time arriving in southern Alberta, but it’s always worth the wait. I was blessed to find a high vantage point to photograph this part of the park, which is southeast of Calgary. The lack of wind was also a rare and welcome factor. Here’s another Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park photo from the same morning: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-1iz.
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
