Rural landscapes: artistry in the hay field

HAY ROLLS AND AN EPIC SKY, NEAR HIGH RIVER, ALBERTA

The strip of unmowed hay grabbed my attention, especially with the hay rolls in the distance. So I worked with the cloudless sky to create what I hope are memorable images, including this one. Does it work for you?
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky

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Urban landscapes: the view, distorted

CITY SKYLINE THROUGH MY HOSPITAL WINDOW, CALGARY, ALBERTA

I was in hospital recovering from a minor stroke and noticed the uber-cool pattern on the windows facing this western Canadian city’s skyline. Knowing I would soon be moved to another room, I got out of bed, grabbed my phone and made this picture. It was definitely worth the effort. 🙂
iPhone 16, processed with Photoshop Elements

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Natural landscapes: the end of an alpine day

MOUNTAIN SUNSET, RADIUM HOT SPRINGS, BRITISH COLUMBIA

I did an overnight photo trip to this region of western Canada (about 3.5 hours drive from my Calgary home) and was blessed to witness a small, but spectacular sunset over the Rocky Mountains. A big telephoto lens zoomed in on the good stuff. 🙂
Nikon D7100, 70-300 mm. zoom lens, tripod

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Natural landscapes: the intimate world of water

RAINDROPS, BIG HILL SPRINGS PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA

I missed all the spring blossoms and the summer flower had yet to arrive, so my search for intimate, ‘macro’ pictures was going nowhere until I happened upon these wet leaves.
Thankfully there was almost no wind, so I was able to concentrate on finding the best possible compositions with no distractions.
This park is just a half-hour drive from my home and it’s a reliable place to make pictures, especially in overcast weather. Here’s one of my favourite winter pictures from Big Hill Springs: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-2wh
Nikon Z50II, 70-300 mm zoom lens, tripod

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Urban landscapes: walk this hallway

CANADIAN MUSEUM OF HISTORY, GATINEAU, QUEBEC

My wife and I spent several hours exploring all the cool exhibits in this amazing place. When we walked this amazing hallway, I was immediately taken by the lighting and minimalist design.
I only had my smartphone with me, so I made a picture, converted it to monotone (there was very little colour to be had, and black-&-white is more dramatic), then cropped a bit off the top & bottom to emphasize the panoramic feel.
iPhone 16, processed with Photoshop Elements

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Natural landscapes: the sweet, sombre sunrise

ME AND THE DAWN SKY, DEEP RIVER, ONTARIO

I knew the weather was cloudy, but headed out with my photography equipment anyway and was delighted to experience a few minutes of dramatic sunrise on the Ottawa River, which serves as the border between the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Decided to put myself into one of the pictures, then worked to make it a complete silhouette. Does this work for you?
Nikon Z50II, tripod

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Natural landscapes: It’s easy being green

SUMMER MORNING AT DRIFTWOOD PROVINCIAL PARK, ONTARIO

I learned from battling mosquitos the previous day so this time, well sprayed with repellent, I wandered through this gorgeous forest without a care. It was easy finding picturesque spots like this. Driftwood is along the Ottawa River (which serves as the border between the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec) and has great camping.
Nikon Z50II, tripod, 16-50 mm zoom lens, polarizing filter

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Urban landscapes: circles in the night

LIGHT INSTALLATION, NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO

I was roaming the Clifton Hill area of this renowned Canadian tourist attraction when a series of illuminated red circles on the side of a building grabbed my attention. I did a whole series of long exposures, many of them zooming my lens in and out. This is one of the best results. Kinda cool, eh? 🙂
Nikon Z50II, 16-50 mm zoom lens, tripod

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Urban landscapes: the grand church, reflected

SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC SHRINE, ONTARIO

I was photographing the beautiful Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, when this fabulous cathedral caught my eye.

While the parish has existed since 1914, this church was built in 1987. I was blessed to get inside and explore the interior; I’ll post a photo in the near future.
Nikon Z50II, 70-300 mm zoom lens, polarizing filter, tripod

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Urban landscapes: The stylized whale

ORCA SCULPTURE,
CANADIAN MUSEUM OF HISTORY, QUEBEC

Celebrated First Nations artist and carver Bill Reid (1920-98) produced more than a thousand original works during his fifty-year career. He is regarded as one of the most significant Northwest Coast artists of the late twentieth century.
This beautiful orca plaster cast (the bronze original is at the Vancouver Aquarium) grabbed my attention as soon as I saw it. I used the wide-angle setting on the my phone to get close and include the skylight.
There was very little colour in this scene, so it was an easy decision to go black-and-white.
iPhone 16, processed with Photoshop Elements

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Check out my coffeetable book, “Bring on the Light: Forty years of photography”: https://bit.ly/BringOnTheLight

Natural landscapes: beauty after the rain

SUMMER WATER DROPS, JACQUES CARTIER PROVINCIAL PARK, QUEBEC

I plunged into the archives to find this beauty from 2007. My wife & I were camping near Quebec City and endured a day of rain. The next morning dawned sunny and cool and revealed many gloriously beautiful little spots like this.
Nikon D50, polarizing filter, tripod (probably)

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Urban landscapes: lighting up the night

DOWNTOWN VICTORIA, VANCOUVER ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA

The capital city of this western Canadian province is one of the most picturesque in the country. During our 2023 visit, I was blessed to photography it at and after sunset, when a lack of wind provided beautiful water reflections. Here’s another view from the same evening: https://wp.me/p2ccTX-2q1.
The massive building on the right is the The Empress Hotel, an elegant structure with gables, spires, and a gothic architectural style. Opened on 20 January 1908, the Empress is considered one of Canada’s grand railway hotels.
Since its opening, the Empress has undergone two expansions, the first from 1910 to 1912, and a second expansion in 1928. The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the buildings and sky

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Rural landscapes: the fields of summer

SUMMER MORNING NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA

I love roaming the rural roads of this western Canadian province, searching for compelling scenery like this. What helps make this picture is the repeating pattern of diagnonal lines, including the line of fenceposts.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky

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Wildlife: enjoying the morning meal

LEAST CHIPMUNK, ELBOW RIVER PROVINCIAL RECREATION AREA, ALBERTA

I was photographing the river in this western Canadian province when I couldn’t help but notice these chipmunks perched on various boulders enjoying fresh vegetation, grains and seeds.
So we spent some time together and I was blessed to make pictures like this. Least chipmunks eat seeds, berries, nuts, fruits and insects. They don’t hibernate, but instead survive winters by entering turpor for long stretches of time, waking to eat food cached in the burrow.
Nikon D7100, 70-300 mm zoom lens

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Urban landscapes: the reflections of morning

CALGARY SKYLINE FROM PRINCES ISLAND PARK, ALBERTA

I was up crazy early to get downtown before sunrise, so I could find and photograph urban scenery like this in ideal light. Was it worth the effort? 🙂
Nikon Z50II, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the buildings and sky

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Natural landscapes: the flowers of spring

ARROWLEAF BALSAMROOT
WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK,
ALBERTA

This flowering plant is very common in the Rockies of western Canada. In some cases, they take over hillsides that have some wind protection.
All the plant, including the roots, are edible and First Nations people utilized balsamroot as a food and medicine.
I wanted to focus on the blossoms first, then the distant mountains. That meant minimizing the middle prairies. So I positioned the camera barely a foot above the ground.
Nikon Z50II, tripod, polarizing filter, fill-flash

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Natural landscapes: the roar of spring

CAMERON CREEK, WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA

Those who visit this western Canadian mountain park have likely seen Cameron Falls, which is right in the townsite. Much further back in the mountains, the spring runoff-swollen creek roars through this opening in the rock.
It was a loud and stunning site and I chose to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the flowing water. There was almost no colour in this scene, so it was an easy decision to go monotone and heighten the drama
Nikon Z50II, 16-50 mm. zoom lens, polarizing filter, tripod

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Natural landscapes: Life at low tide

ANEMONES AT SCHOONER COVE, PACIFIC RIM NATIONAL PARK RESERVE, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Roaming the beaches of Vancouver Island at sunrise is a spiritual and creative delight. I ventured on this artistic grouping of anemones on a rocky outcrop and liked the diagonal angling and the lighting.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter

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Natural landscapes: the spring fishing trip

L’AMABLE LAKE, BANCROFT, ONTARIO

My wife and I were in this picturesque Canadian Shield town in 2006 for a wedding. One morning I was up early to check out a few of the beautiful lakes surrounding Bancroft. I was blessed to have my photography equipment ready to capture these men heading out for a fishing trip.
The sky was a bland, distracting off-white, so I used Photoshop to replace it with something more attractive, yet still realistic.
Nikon D50, tripod, polarizing filter

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Natural landscapes: the bounty of spring

CHERRY TREE BLOSSOMS, CALGARY, ALBERTA

I travelled to Princes Island Park, which forms the north boundary of this western Canadian city’s downtown core, for one reason: to photograph spring blossoms.
This tree was one of my rewards. The key was to isolate a few blossoms with a complementary (rather than competing) background. Was I successful?
Nikon Z50II, 70-300 mm. zoom lens, fill-flash.

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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