Rural landscapes: Autumn beauty under a threatening sky
HAY ROLLS AND FALL COLOURS, NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
I photographed this scene a day earlier, under cloudy conditions, and knew I wanted to return and try again with sunshine. The extra bonus was a threatening sky that was moving in. What a blessing it is to live near scenery like this!
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Natural landscapes: the canopy of colour
AUTUMN AT GLENBOW RANCH PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
Since it opened in 2011, this park (just west of Calgary) has become a favourite photo locale in every season. Until this year, I hadn’t done a really thorough autumn visit, but that changed this year when I walked about 12,000 steps through aspen groves and along the Bow River. I loved how the branches from several trees seemed to come together in a cathedral of fall yellow and orange.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: autumn colours and a wall of peaks
FALL IN KANANASKIS COUNTRY, ALBERTA
I started off close to the trees, just wanting to be close to the stunning colours. Then I kept stepping back until the wall of mountains dominated the scene. That’s when I made this picture, carefully ensuring there was no sky in the composition.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscape: the perfect autumn morning
WEDGE POND REFLECTIONS, KANANASKIS COUNTRY, ALBERTA
This pond is a mecca for photographers wanting to capture compelling pictures of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It’s sunken down and surrounded by trees, so it’s often glassy, especially at dawn. This scene was further improved by the hint of mist on the water.
Nikon D7100, tripod, enhancing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the mountain and sky
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Natural landscapes: the intimate alpine moment
WESTERN ANEMONE AND FIRE WEED,
MT. ASSINIBOINE PROVINCIAL PARK,
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Take the summer gondola to the Sunshine Village ski resort (known as Sunshine Meadows in the off-season), then a chair lift and you’ll find yourself in a stunning alpine landscape of meadows, trails and lakes straddling the western Canadian provinces of Alberta and B.C.
Amidst the incredible vistas are little moments like this that I found just as photogenic, if a little more subtle. 🙂
Nikon D7100, 70-300 mm zoom lens, polarizing filter, fill-flash
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Natural landscapes: when winter comes to autumn
SEPTEMBER SNOW AT CASCADE POND, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
Lots of people would be aghast at seeing snow this early, but I was delighted because it created all kinds of serene and stunning scenes like this. The wet snow stayed on the trees and the open water created excellent reflections. There was barely any colour in this landscape, so it was a no-brainer to heighten the drama by going black-and-white.
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky
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Rural landscapes: the end place
ARCTIC CEMETERY, BAKER LAKE, NUNAVUT
It’s the geographic centre of Canada, but this tiny community of 2,000 is located in the midst of treeless, rocky tundra. It’s a mind-blowing place to visit and I had time to walk around with a camera and find amazing places like this. Because of permafrost, caskets are not buried but laid on the ground then covered with rocks.
Nikon D7100, polarizing filter
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Rural landscapes: anchoring the prairie sky
OLD FARM BUILDING NEAR CHAMPION, ALBERTA
I love spending time with old farm buildings, especially if the colour red is somehow involved. This western Canadian beauty checked all the boxes and the foreground shadow gave me a secondary point of interest. Way off on the horizon at the right is the town of Champion.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky
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Natural landscapes: welcome to the waterfall
STANLEY FALLS,
JASPER NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
Just a kilometre off the Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, there are actually four or five photogenic waterfalls along the trail, so I’m not 100 percent sure this one is Stanley. But it’s definitely the most impressive.
It was a sunny day, which created difficult photography conditions because the falls were shadowed and the foliage on the left was in the sun. So I did a lot of work to balance the lighting and contrast. Did I do a good job?
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizer and, one or two neutral density (darkening) filters
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Natural landscapes: Experiencing the sublime sunrise
DAWN ON THE NORTH SASKATCHEWAN RIVER, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I was up at 3 a.m. and on the road by 3:30 to reach this sublime place in time to capture the first light of day. It was a blessed, spiritual experience as the river gently gurgled while I made long exposures like this. I always come away from experiences like this with my faith in Jesus strengthened. 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod, enhancing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Natural landscapes: deep in the forest world
RAINFOREST WALK, REVELSTOKE NATIONAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Unique conditions – a humid continental climate with lots of rain – makes it possible for temperate rainforest to thrive deep in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. My wife and I love touring this rich environment and letting it invade all our senses.
Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter
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Urban landscapes: the artistry of worship
ST. MICHAEL’S CATHEDRAL BASILICA, TORONTO, ONTARIO
Given this cathedral is in Canada’s largest city, I walked in expecting an ornate interior similar to what I encountered at cathedrals in Newfoundland (https://wp.me/p2ccTX-15a) and Quebec (https://wp.me/p2ccTX-cq).
That this cathedral’s creators were satisfied with something less overwhelming didn’t lessen my interest in appreciating and photographing the awe-inspiring space.
The city’s first bishop, Michael Power, was instrumental in the cathedral’s construction. He arranged to buy the land (part of the cost coming out of his pocket) in 1845 and construction began that year.
The bishop never saw the cathedral completed; he died two years later from typhus, contracted while ministering to sick people who fled famine-era Ireland. The building, designed by Anglo-Canadian architect William Thomas, was dedicated and consecrated in 1848. Here’s another view: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-1mH.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Natural landscapes: the magnificant mountain morning
UPPER KANANASKIS LAKE, PETER LOUGHEED PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
It seems like whenever I visit this spectacular place, the water is still enough to make reflection photos. When conditions are this good, it’s hard to make a bad picture. And for me, it’s hard not to stop and breathe a prayer of gratefulness to the Creator.
The colour version is compelling (you can see it here: https://bit.ly/UpperKananaskisLake2023), but notice the heightened drama when the colour is removed?
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the mountains and sky
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Rural landscapes: the road through subtle beauty
HIGHWAY 23 NEAR NOBLEFORD, ALBERTA
I was photographing random hay rolls along the side of this western Canadian road when I looked south and saw almost nothing but flat prairies, wheat fields and the yellow road markings. To my eyes, it made for a compelling, almost minimalist image of subtle beauty. I removed one tiny building along the horizon to ensure nothing distracted your eyes from the photo’s “vanishing point” design. Check out the colour version here: https://bit.ly/AlbertaPrairieRoad.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky
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Natural landscapes: following the summer stream
DUFFINS CREEK, GREENWOOD CONSERVATION AREA, AJAX, ONTARIO
Every time I visit Durham Region, on the east side of Toronto, I make a point of making at least one visit to this quietly beautiful conservation area. The key to this picture was keeping the bland, distracting sky out of the picture. I also used the flash on my camera to make the foreground ‘pop’ against the background.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Rural landscapes: where the train goes
GRAIN ELEVATOR AND TRAIN TRACKS, BARONS, ALBERTA
It’s rare to find relatively new grain elevators, so when I spotted this one while driving through the southern part of this western Canadian province, I made a beeline for it and spent a very satisfying 45 minutes exploring the creative possibilities. In this case, the camera was just two feet off the ground, eliminating much of the landscape and putting your focus squarely on the tracks and the elevator.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Rural landscapes: in the grip of time
LONG-CLOSED GENERAL STORE, KIRKCALDY, ALBERTA
I spotted this tiny hamlet (population: 12!) while cruising the prairies of southern Alberta and thought it was worth a look. Encountered this relic and was told by a helpful resident that it closed when the federal government introduced the much-disliked Goods and Services Tax in 1991. Apparently all the stock is still inside.
There was little colour in this scene – just the blue sky and muted green of the tree and shrub – so it was an easy decision to create and show you this monotone version. I like how the absence of distracting colour heightens the photo’s drama.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: the delight of diagonal
TREE TRUNKS AND FOLIAGE
GOLDSTREAM PROVINCIAL PARK
BRITISH COLUMBIA
The mix of strong, repeating diagonal lines and rich rainforest foliage attracted me to this Vancouver Island scene. The key was zeroing in on the compelling subject matter and making sure there was something visually interesting in every part of the composition. Was I successful?
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Rural landscapes: the hayroll vista
THE HARVEST IS UNDERWAY, SOUTH OF LONGVIEW, ALBERTA
Late July and early August is hay harvest season in this western Canadian province. That always spurs me to grab my photography equipment and drive any old rural road that might lead to restful, beautiful vistas like this. I went for a shallow depth of field on this scene, so the background would complement (rather than compete with) the foreground hay roll.
Nikon D7100, tripod, 17-70 mm zoom lens, polarizing filter
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Urban landscapes: colourful life on the water
FISHERMAN’S WHARF, VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Fisherman’s Wharf is a unique Vancouver Island marine destination with a distinct flavour. Working fishing vessels, pleasure boats with live-aboard residents, float homes and commercial businesses (especially restaurants) are all moored at the docks. The wharf is a great destination for those seeking fresh fish or seafood.
What grabbed me was the colourful architecture. This scene was the most compelling to me, but only after I twisted the camera to create dynamic diagonal lines.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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