Urban landscapes: lighting the architectural marvel
RYERSON UNIVERSITY STUDENT LEARNING CENTRE, TORONTO, ONTARIO
This extraordinary example of modern architecture, designed by the architectural team of Zeidler and Snøhetta, replaced a truly iconic piece of Toronto. Those of a certain age (like me) spent many hours in “Sam The Record Man” browsing the records and, later, CDs. It was wonderful.
Sam and almost all of his stores are long gone, but I sure loved capturing this new structure as dawn approached. Here’s another view I captured the same morning: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-Jf
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Rural landscapes: abandoned in a somber landscape
OLD BUILDING IN THE WINTER FIELDS, NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
The lighting was quite dull, but something about this rugged old structure in an introspective winter landscape attracted my attention. Darkening the sky was key to making the picture work, since white, featurless skies tend to suck you eyes away from the rest of the photo.
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Natural landscapes: flowing through the frost
FRIGID DAY AT BIG HILL SPRINGS PROVINCIAL PARK, NEAR COCHRANE, ALBERTA
It was -25c that day, but signficant parts of this spring-fed creek remain open no matter what and that let me find sweet scenes like this to photograph.
It wasn’t a far walk from the warmth of my car, but I wore long underwear, my heaviest winter coat and boots, toque and two pairs of gloves to avoid the danger of frostbite.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Check out my coffeetable book, “MOMENTS OF LIGHT: Thirty Years of Photography”: http://bit.ly/JTNnMX
Natural landscapes: the somber, silent shoreline
CLOUDY WINTER DAY NEAR DEEP RIVER, ONTARIO
Our visit to this village in eastern Ontario featured about one hour of sunshine in five days. I didn’t let that stop me from venturing out to find compelling landscapes. The introspective simplicity of this scene, along the shore of the semi-frozen Ottawa River, attracted me. As with so many cloudy winter days, there was almost no colour to be had, so I did away with it altogether.
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, “MOMENTS OF LIGHT: Thirty Years of Photography”: http://bit.ly/JTNnMX
Rural landscapes: the frigid river
DEEP FREEZE FOG ON THE BOW RIVER, COCHRANE, ALBERTA
The temperature was crazy cold (-25c ) and most water was frozen over in the southern half of this western Canadian province, but I thought there might be a chance of open water west of Calgary, so I ventured to Cochrane and was rewarded with superb, epic winter conditions.
I wore long underwear, my heaviest winter coat, toque and two pairs of gloves to make this photo. And as you can see, it was absolutely worth the discomfort. 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Check out my coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Alberta“: http://bit.ly/1oUzd
Natural landscapes: awesomeness from the mountain top
WINTER AT SUNSHINE MEADOWS, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
In winter it’s a renowned ski destination, in summer it’s a hikers’ paradise. The fun thing about Sunshine Meadows is it straddles the border between the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. One of the ski lifts highlights this, with signs indicating when you’ve crossed into British Columbia and when you’ve crossed back. As you can see, the views are beyond spectacular – in colour or in monotone. I went for the latter to truly highlight the eye-popping drama. You can see the colour version here:http://bit.ly/SunshineMeadowsWinter.
Nikon D90, polarizing filter
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Check out my coffeetable book “BLUE SYMPHONY: Winter in the Canadian Rockies”: http://bit.ly/kFb3Xw
Urban landscapes: in the midst of epic silence
NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, OTTAWA, ONTARIO
I photographed the exterior a year earlier, but it was too late in the day to get inside. I remedied that a few days ago and was absolutely gobsmacked at the stunning interior. The cathedral is the oldest and largest church in this city, which is Canada’s capital. It was designed a national historic site in 1990.
The main structure was completed in 1846 and the entire building was renovated and restored in the 1990s. Governor General Georges Vanier and Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier were given state funerals here.
One of the many things I like about cathedrals like this is they encourage silence and contemplative prayer, which are rarely found in our culture today.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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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, “Light and Lines: An Urban Landscape Portfolio”: http://bit.ly/LIGHTandLINES
Rural landscapes: the river and the fog
CROWSNEST RIVER AND RAILWAY BRIDGE, LUNDBRECK, ALBERTA
I went to photograph Lundbreck Falls, just downstream from this spot, in mysteriously foggy conditions. Once finished there, I wandered upstream and found this compelling composition. When photographing the falls, the railway bridge often seems to be a barely tolerated intrusion, but it’s key to making this photograph work.
There was barely any colour to be had, so this black-and-white treatment is my favourite. Nevertheless, you can see the scene in colour here: http://bit.ly/FoggyRiver.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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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, “MOMENTS OF LIGHT: Thirty Years of Photography”: http://bit.ly/JTNnMX
Rural landscapes: welcome to the hay field
THE WINTER FIELDS NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
I was intrigued by the fence line and the tracks and how they lead your eyes into the golden hues of the hay field and the distant Canadian Rocky Mountains. A higher vantage point from the adjacent road gave me — and you — a great view of so much that is stunningly beautiful about this province.
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, “Frank King’s Southern Alberta“: http://bit.ly/1oUzd
Urban landscapes: the city sunrise
BOW RIVER AND SKYSCRAPERS, CALGARY, ALBERTA
I arrived and parked the car nearby just in time to capture this scene as sunrise was approaching. The Bow isn’t always this open in late December, so I was delighted with the photographic possibilities it offered.
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky and buildings.
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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, “Light and Lines: An Urban Landscape Portfolio”: http://bit.ly/LIGHTandLINES
Urban landscapes: the gathering of structures
SKYSCRAPERS AT DUSK, CALGARY, ALBERTA
Capturing scenes like this is all about timing. First, it’s only possible during winter months, when darkness descends while most buildings are still fully illuminated. Second, it’s only possible during weekdays, since most lights in most buildings are off on weekends. Once you’ve met these qualifications, prepare to make loooong exposures.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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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, “Light and Lines: An Urban Landscape Portfolio”: http://bit.ly/LIGHTandLINES
Rural landscapes: the epic winter clouds
THE VIEW FROM SKYLINE ROAD, NEAR PINCHER CREEK, ALBERTA
During my Christmas vacation, I was blessed to drive down to the deep south of this western Canadian province just two days after a significant snowfall. That snow, and this gobsmacking sky, made for many very pleasing compositions.
I’m in a black-and-white mood these days and, given the relative lack of colour in this scene — just blue, really — it was a no-brainer to show you the monotone photo (see the full-colour version here: http://bit.ly/AlbertaWinterRoad). BTW, that’s the Canadian Rockies on the horizon.
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, “Frank King’s Southern Alberta“: http://bit.ly/1oUzd
Natural landscapes: the winter badlands viewpoint
WINTER AT HORSETHIEF CANYON, DRUMHELLER, ALBERTA
Named after outlaws who hid their stolen livestock here more than 100 years ago, the edge of this canyon provides stunning (as you can see) views into the badlands below. I was blessed to be there with stunning lighting and just enough snow.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Check out my coffeetable book THE ALBERTA BADLANDS: A Landscape Portrait”: http://bit.ly/HtBAW6
Rural landscapes: standing tall against the sky
GRAIN ELEVATOR IN A BADLANDS LANDSCAPE, DRUMHELLER, ALBERTA
I’ve photographed this landmark before, but knew I could capture something more compelling. This winter day provided the conditions to make that picture. There wasn’t a lot of colour in this scene, so I opted for a black-and-white treatment. This approach often produces more dramatic results.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Rural landscapes: worship in the midst of winter
CHURCH AND CEMETERY, BROCK TOWNSHIP, ONTARIO
I dug deep into the archives to unearth this scene from 2001. At that time, I was still using a film camera, then getting the slides scanned onto CDs. Love the rustic, almost intimate setting that works so well in sunny, snowy conditions.
Pentax 6×7 medium-format film camera (which creates the almost square dimensions), tripod, polarizer
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Urban landscapes: Merry Christmas from Alberta
CHRISTMAS LIGHTING AT EIGHTH AVENUE PLACE, CALGARY, ALBERTA
This beautiful arrangement of trees, flanked by the glittering towers of Eighth Avenue Place, stopped me in my tracks for more than a half hour of trying out various compositions. This is one of my favourites – and here’s another one: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-11c.
From Frank’s Cottage, my other website: “At its heart, Christmas is not about us doing. It’s about God doing. Basic Christianity (which I believe) tells us Christmas is about our creator seeing our broken condition and reaching out to us — coming to earth as a helpless baby born in an obscure Middle Eastern village.”
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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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: Photographing the winter waterfall
STELLA FALLS, JOHNSTON CANYON, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I visited this spot with the hopes of photographing a mix of water and ice, but the waterfall was almost solidly frozen. Still, I was able to find several very satisfying compositions, especially when a few other folks showed up with the same idea. Here’s another pretty cool view from the same visit: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-Kx.
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 “BLUE SYMPHONY: Winter in the Canadian Rockies”: http://bit.ly/kFb3Xw
Rural landscapes: the rare snowy morning
WILKET CREEK AND RAILROAD BRIDGE, TORONTO, ONTARIO
My photographic world was a different place when I made this photo back in 2000. I was still using a film camera (and slide film); I sold it off because the film and processing was too expensive. That turned out to be a fortuitous decision, since digital cameras were on the cusp of taking over.
Winter weather like this, with snow clinging to branches, is relatively rare in Canada’s largest city, so I was definitely blessed to capture this scene.
Pentax medium-format film camera, tripod, polarizing filter
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Check out my coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/11kOiRk
Natural landscapes: the scenic winter river
OLDMAN RIVER VALLEY, MOON RIVER ESTATES, ALBERTA
I went exploring in this tiny hamlet (population: 130) near Lethbridge because I sensed there would be good views of the river valley. Turns out I was right. The beautifully lit trees just below me provided a good counterpoint to the distant badland cliffs.
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, “Frank King’s Southern Alberta“: http://bit.ly/1oUzd
Rural landscapes: the winter barn
BARN AND SNOWY FIELD
NEAR CARMANGAY, ALBERTA
The ancient barn initially attracted me, then I noticed the sun-dappled ripples in the prairie field and knew I could make a compelling photo. Kinda like the diagonal lines of the tractor trail, too.
I made a version of this photo with the barn in colour and the rest of the picture in black-and-white. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/BARNandFIELD.
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, “MOMENTS OF LIGHT: Thirty Years of Photography”: http://bit.ly/JTNnMX
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