Natural landscapes: the Rocky Mountain waterfall
TROLL FALLS, KANANASKIS COUNTRY, ALBERTA
An easy 1.7-kilometre walk through an aspen forest brings you to this surprise waterfall in the Canadian Rockies.
This is the lower falls; there is an upper cascade, but the trail is steeper and I’ve yet to get there. I’ve put it on my photo bucket list. Troll Falls ices over beautifully in winter. Here’s the evidence: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-A9
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Natural landscapes: a dynamic take on an iconic lake
LAKE LOUISE, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I rarely visit this renowned Canadian Rocky Mountain lake during summer months; the place is so popular with tourists that it’s hard to really enjoy it. That said, my wife and I did get there in 2013 and walked along the shore.
I like this view, but with a straight horizon it was almost boring (believe it or not). So I twisted the camera, looked through the viewfinder and was impressed at how the scene became dynamic and memorable.
The distant building in the upper left is the Lake Louise boathouse, where folks rent canoes and go for a paddle in one of the world’s most stunning – and photographed – landscapes.
Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter
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Rural landscapes: the incredible threatening sky
SUMMER PRAIRIE SUPERCELL NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
I’m not a storm chaser, but the summer of 2020 had so many epic stormy afternoons/evenings that I couldn’t resist jumping in the car a few times and searching out good landscapes to go with the gobsmacking cloud formations. This is probably the most remarkable of those formations. I like the colour version (You can see it here: https://bit.ly/PrairieClouds), but the scene is even more dramatic in monotone. Which version do you prefer?
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Natural landscapes: Spring-fed summer glory
BIG HILL SPRINGS PROVINCIAL PARK, NEAR COCHRANE, ALBERTA
There are more than a half-dozen waterfalls, ranging from two to 15 feet high, in this charming little oasis on the western Canadian prairies.
Big Hill Springs is one of my reliable “go-to” photo locations when dull overcast skies rule out landscapes. The soft lighting created by these conditions is ideal for intimate landscapes like this waterfall.
In this case, the foliage came very close to the crest of the rock, so I put the camera low to the ground to compensate.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, neutral density (darkening) filter.
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Rural landscapes: the artistry of abandonment
ANCIENT TRACTOR IN A PRAIRIE FIELD, NEAR HIGH RIVER, ALBERTA
I’m a sucker for old buildings and vehicles, so when I spotted this antique beauty in a glowing field of morning green, I stopped the car and spent the next half-hour finding various compositions of tractor, prairie field and sky. This is one of them.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Natural landscapes: the amazing sunrise reflection
DAWN LIGHT ON THE RIDGE, WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
This pond was beside the road I was traveling and I stopped to investigate creative possibilities. As you can see, those possibilities were downright breathtaking. I actually photographed this scene twice, coming back a second time as the first light of day strengthened and increased the contrast and colour. There was just enough clouds to block the sun from hitting the peak behind the ridge, a key requirement to make this scene truly compelling.
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Natural landscapes: the summer beach view
PACIFIC OCEAN, EL BALSAMAR RESORT, EL SALVADOR
During a day off on a mission trip with Samaritan’s Purse, our gracious hosts took us to a resort to spend part of the day enjoying the surf, dark sand and glorious views. I wandered off with the camera to find artistic scenes like this.
Nikon D7100, polarizing filter, fill flash (to illuminate the closest palm branch)
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Urban landscapes: the soaring tower
CN TOWER AND RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM, TORONTO, ONTARIO
When it was topped off in 1976, the tower’s 1,815-foot height made it the world’s tallest freestanding structure. And it kept that record for 32 years. I combined it with the wonderful, modern architecture of the nearby aquarium, a truly marvelous $130 million tourist attraction that opened in 2013.
The only significant colour in this scene was the blue sky, so I went monotone to increase the drama. (Here’s the scene, horizontally, in colour: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-rC.)
Nikon D 7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Rural landscapes: under the canopy of clouds
THE APPROACHING STORM, NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
July is canola season in this western Canadian province, where eye-popping fields are scattered over the prairies. I could see an afternoon or evening storm starting to build, so I headed out with photography equipment to capture canola under a soap-opera sky. It makes for a compelling combination, eh? 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: sprinkles of morning glory
MORNING DEW, REVELSTOKE, BRITISH COLUMBIA
I don’t know the name of this plant, but I sure love the artistry of the petals sprinkled with summer dawn dew. The challenge was to have a very shallow depth of field (to keep the background out of focus, so it doesn’t compete with the main subject of the picture) yet still achieve tack-sharp focus on just the right area of the scene.
Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter (probably)
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Rural landscapes: on the edge of the storm
PRAIRIE OIL WELL, NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
This was one of the most exhilarating photo trips I’ve ever been on. Cruising around near my home as the storm prepared to hit, I encountered this well that I’d first photographed a decade ago.
Seeing possibilities for a very different picture, I left the car and hoped to make some good compositions before the rain began. As I made pictures, the thunder rolled and rumbled around me almost without interruption. So the adrenaline was pumping!
I went with black-and-white because there was almost no colour in this scene. But it was so, SO contrasty between the very dark clouds and the brighter section in the lower right that I adjusted the camera to its lowest contrast in order to keep some detail in both ends of the light spectrum.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Rural landscapes: the rolling ocean of yellow
CANOLA FIELD, NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
July is canola season, when random fields in this western Canadian province glow with flourescent, in-your face atomic yellow. It’s a great time to just cruise country roads looking for these fields. This example was particularly compelling because the prairie slough added a great visual element.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Rural landscapes: the road through summer flowers
FLOWERY MEADOW ABOVE HIGHWAY 1A, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
This scene, photographed in 2016, slipped my mind until stumbling on it the other day. I’m finding that even when the views are good from the road, climbing adjacent ridges or inclines can make for even better pictures.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: the summer flow, the summer peaks
MORNING ON THE ELBOW RIVER, KANANASKIS COUNTRY, ALBERTA
A 90-minute drive from my home in Calgary brings me to scenes like this, best captured in the warm light of morning or evening. I’m incredibly blessed!
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, neutral density (darkening) filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Rural landscapes: the road to mountains
HIGHWAY 6 TO WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
The drive to Waterton, in the deep southwest of this western Canadian province, is simply glorious. It was a June morning when I stopped the car to take in this view and then figure out how to capture it. The colour version is pretty sweet (you can see it here: https://bit.ly/WatertonRoad), but I knew this version would also be compelling.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the peaks and sky.
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Natural landscapes: the road through alpine glory
HIGHWAY 93, KOOTENAY NATIONAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA.
I climbed above this road, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, because I wanted a clear view to photograph the two peaks on the right. Once I reached the top, I realized the entire view was photo-worthy, especially with a vehicle travelling the highway. The colour version is good (you can see it here: https://bit.ly/KootenayNationalPark), but I knew it would also make a dramatic black-and-white picture. Do you agree?
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Natural landscapes: alone with the morning fish
FISHING AT SIBBALD LAKE, KANANASKIS, ALBERTA
This charming lake, set in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, is photogenic in all seasons (here it is at the peak of autumn: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-Ji) and has an easy-to-follow trail all the way around.
I was blessed to find this man trying his luck just an hour after sunrise, and he graciously let me improve this scene by having him in it. Here’s the colour version: https://bit.ly/SibbaldLake.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Check out my coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Alberta“: http://bit.ly/1oUzd4A
Urban landscapes: the lights of a summer night
THE VIEW FROM SKYLON TOWER, NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO
I’m thankful my wife’s dad lives in this very picturesque part of Canada; it means we get to visit often and I have many opportunities to photograph the falls, Niagara River and surrounding landscapes.
This long exposure shows off the Rainbow Bridge, one of several connections in the area between Ontario and the United States. Here’s my photo of the Skylon Tower, made earlier that same evening: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-II.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Natural landscapes: the badlands and the bad sky
CLOUDY MORNING AT DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK, NEAR BROOKS, ALBERTA
Actually, the sky wasn’t all that bad–just filled with dull clouds. So I used a few filters to drastically darken it, then boosted the contrast on my camera to add some punch to the fairly flat (yet still gorgeous) scenery.
in other words, this isn’t a documentary picture; I did a lot of interpretation, because I’m trying my best to be a fine art photographer. Finally, because the lighting lacked drama, I went for a black-and-white treatment. You can see the colour version here: https://bit.ly/DinosaurBadlands.
Dinosaur Provincial Park is one of the richest fossil areas on the planet. Forty dinosaur species have been discovered at the park and more than 500 specimens have been removed and exhibited in museums around the globe.
Nikon D7100, tripod, two graduated density (darkening) filters on the sky.
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Rural landscapes: the heavenly equine landscape
GRAZING HORSES, NEAR MORLEY, ALBERTA
These horses grabbed my attention as I drove along Hwy. 1A west of Cochrane. They were far enough way that I could use a telephoto lens to draw them closer and, just as important, make the distant Rocky Mountains appear dramatically close.
The key to making this picture compelling was to deal with the very flat lighting, caused by the sun being directly behind me. Increasing the contrast with Photoshop brought the picture closer to how I imagined it as I stood in this amazing landscape, taking in God’s glory.
Nikon D7100, tripod, 70-300 mm. zoom lens
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