Natural landscapes: tiny moments of autumn glow
FALL LEAVES, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I went on what was for me an epic hike – a 16-kilometre round trip – behind Lake Louise in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Just a few kilometres in, I discovered this shrub with colours that were practically fluorescent, and it stopped me for the next 20 minutes. It intrigued hikers who were walking past; they couldn’t figure out what I was photographing until I let them look in the viewfinder. Then they were gobsmacked. 🙂
Because of the soft, featureless grey background, this photo looks like it could have been made in a studio. But what you’re seeing is an out-of-focus shallow pool of greyish water, made so by suspended particles of glacial matter.
Nikon D7100, 70-300 mm. zoom lens, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: when autumn and winter collide
SEPTEMBER SNOWFALL, BIG HILL SPRINGS PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
Mixing snow with autumn colours usually makes for compelling pictures and this scene is proof. I was glad to get a slightly higher perspective in order to better capture the stream flowing through a woodland landscape.
This park is just a half-hour drive from my home in Calgary. It’s one of my reliable “go-to” photo locations when drab weather eliminates other places that require blue skies for good pictures.
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Natural landscapes: where the mountain waters meet
KICKING HORSE RIVER, YOHO NATIONAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Where the Kicking Horse and Yoho rivers meet in the Canadian Rockies is called the Meeting Of The Waters. As the former prepares to join the latter, it crashed down a series of boulders, creating a spectacle of photogenic cascades.
It was a very bright, sunny day when I visited, so I had to use all kinds of tools to block enough light to enable a long exposure that turned the water silky.
Nikon D7100, 70-300 mm. zoom lens, tripod, polarizing filter, Lee ‘Big Stopper’ neutral density (darkening) filter.
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Natural landscapes: the lake’s brooding beauty
RAINY MORNING AT CHIEF HECTOR LAKE, NEAR MORLEY, ALBERTA
I was on my home after an uninspiring photo trip when I decided to check out this lake in the Rocky Mountain foothills. As you can see, it was a brilliant decision that made the entire trip worthwhile.
By the time I reached this spot, my hiking boots were soaked through and my pants were soaked above the knees. But it was all worth it to capture the silence, the stillness, and the distant mist. The rain resumed as I walked back to the car, but my raincoat was up to the challenge and I have inspiring pictures like this. 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, two natural density (darkening) filters on the sky.
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Natural landscapes: the stunning autumn lake view
LAKE AGNES AND THE LAKE LOUISE SKI RESORT, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I’d forgotten about this absolutely stunning scene until fishing around in the archives to find material for my 2020 anniversary book, “Bring On The Light”. I remember it was an unbelievable day in 2010 when conditions were so perfect that almost everything I aimed the camera at produced a “keeper” photo.
This view is from the far end of the Lake Agnes, which hangs in a valley high above Lake Louise. Using a long telephoto lens compressed the distance between the Lake Agnes teahouse and the resort across the valley, making for a picture with gobsmacking drama. Another, wider-angle view from the same spot puts the teahouse in a broader autumn landscape: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-bh.
Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: never too early for snow
FORTY MILE CREEK, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
While it’s rare in non-winter months, snow can happen any time of year in the Canadian Rockies. It created delicate, incredibly photogenic conditions along the Fenland Loop, a trail which includes this stream, on a cool September morning. The colour version had very little colour, so I created this monotone version to increase the drama.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Urban landscapes: the downtown lights
FIFTH AVENUE PLACE AND SUNRISE SKY, CALGARY, ALBERTA
There aren’t many water features amongst this western Canadian city’s skyscrapers; the climate simply doesn’t allow for it. However, a recent redevelopment of the public space at Fifth Avenue Place introduced these subtle fountains. Combined with pre-dawn light and colourful clouds, the scene became magical for a long exposure.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Rural landscapes: encased in Arctic stone
INUIT CEMETERY, BAKER LAKE, NUNAVUT
While on a work visit to this northern community–which is the geographic centre of Canada–I had time to visit this extraordinary place and ponder the lives lived in a treeless tundra entirely dependent on the distant outside world for food (the exception: caribou meat), fuel, building materials, vehicles and almost everything else you can think of. And that includes wood for cemetery crosses.
Notice all the graves are above ground and covered in rocks? This is the land of permafrost, so the kind of burial southern Canadians are accustomed to isn’t possible here. That might be why the cemetery is very near to a field of endless boulders.
Nikon D7100, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: the abstract flow
WATERFALL CLOSE-UP, LIVINGSTONE FALLS PROVINCIAL RECREATION AREA, ALBERTA
Livingstone River flows down a wide, flat Rocky Mountain incline that creates all kinds of photo possibilities. By going for a long exposure, I turned the fast flow into silken, diagonal lines. The result is a surreal picture which puts artistry ahead of literal reality.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter and, possibly, a neutral density (darkening) filter.
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Natural landscapes: morning, before the rain
SHEEP RIVER PROVINCIAL PARK, KANANASKIS COUNTRY, ALBERTA
I lived just an hour away from this stunning place for more than a decade before finally venturing into it and finding my mind exploding at the creative possibilities. The park protects part of the Sheep River Valley and that’s the bit of canyon you see at the upper centre. There’s a waterfall another half-hour up the road into the mountains that’s on my bucket list.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Rural landscapes: the silent, peaceful morning
CHESLEY LAKE, ALLENFORD, ONTARIO
While staying at the Lake Huron cottage owned by my brother-in-law and his wife, I had time to check maps and find all the lakes in this region of southwest Ontario. Chesley Lake is one of them and this spot is particularly picturesque. I like how the docks subtly encourage you to explore various parts of the picture.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Rural landscapes: baking in the summer heat
ANCIENT WAGON, REDCLIFF, ALBERTA
Oh man, it was hot. Really, really hot. But I couldn’t pass up this weathered beauty of a wagon near the road and under a checkerboard Canadian prairie sky. So I sweated for nearly a half-hour, searching out interesting compositions like this. The colour version is good, but as is often the case, going monotone increased the dramatic impact.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: looking down to see up
REFLECTIONS ON UPPER KANANASKIS LAKE, PETER LOUGHEED PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
It was a glorious, almost-windless morning in the Canadian Rockies, where almost every scene I photographed resulted in a stunning picture. Amidst the obvious photos, I tried something different for this scene, showing you the soaring peaks via their reflection. Here’s another Upper Kananaskis Lake scene from that same unforgettable morning: http://wp.me/p2ccTX-xQ.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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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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