Natural landscapes: making the best of sunrise
SUNRISE SKY, WEASELHEAD FLATS, CALGARY, ALBERTA
OK, the sunrise really wasn’t this spectacular. But I knew I had the genesis of a pretty good photo if I did my best to capture what was before me. Then it was up to my processing ability to show you why I was there at that time. I darkened the sky, darkened the water, increased the saturation, then lightened the entire jpeg so it would show up on the web as best as possible.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, enhancing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Natural landscapes: flowing toward the waterfall
NIGEL CREEK, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
Barely a 
hundred metres before it plunges into a valley as spectacular Panther Falls, this Rocky Mountain creek swirls around and through centuries-worn rocks. This creates many photo opportunities and I spent an hour exploring them all.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter
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Natural landscapes: the light of dusk
NORTH SASKATCHEWAN RIVER, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I was h
oping for clearer skies, but thanks to using a graduated density (darkening) filter on the top half, I was able to make this Canadian Rockies scene suitably dramatic. This is one result from an overnight mountain photography outing, where I was up at 1 a.m. making photos, then sleeping in my car.
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density filter.
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Urban landscapes: a place of faith
THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST. JAMES, TORONTO
Constructed between 1850 and 1874, this cathedral (in Canada’s largest city) has been visited by prime ministers, British royalty, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and many more. This is my second turn at making photographs here; the first was with a large-format film camera about 20 years ago. In both instances, I was doing loooong exposures to compensate for the intimate lighting.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Natural landscapes: the sky of sunrise
ELBOW RIVER, WEASELHEAD FLATS, CALGARY, ALBERTA
Weaselhead Flats is a 240-hectare natural area in the southwest part of this western Canadian city. It’s a special, wild area that opens up into Glenmore Reservoir, one of Calgary’s main water sources. I went to the Weaselhead to capture a sunrise, but the sun came up further north than the angle I wanted. Still, I was able to find and photograph scenes like this, using a graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Urban landscapes: gazing up
SKYLON TOWER, NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO
What attracted me to this scene was all the converging lines – the flag poles pointing up at the tower and the tower angling into the scene. This looong exposure was timed to capture the yellow elevator whisking tourists to the top, where they have bodacious views of the falls.
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Natural landscapes: Alone with the ocean
AWAITING SUNRISE, LONG BEACH, PACIFIC RIM NATIONAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Looks amazingly peaceful, doesn’t it? That’s the benefit of getting up at 4:30 a.m. and getting outside with the camera. While my wife blissfully slept in our Crystal Cove cabin, I was fiddling with a neutral density (darkening) filter to retain the colour in the sky while also capturing the foreground logs in this loooong exposure. Pacific Rim has four or five amazing beaches like this. Here’s another: http://wp.me/p2ccTX-Fo
Nikon D7100, tripod.
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Natural landscapes: breathless before sunrise
DAWN ON THE BOW RIVER, WEST OF COCHRANE, ALBERTA
The lack of any kind of clouds certainly changed the way I photographed this scene; lots of clouds (and the drama they bring) would have caused me to tilt the camera up and de-emphasize the fallen tree. But I like what I came up with here. Do you agree?
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky.
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Natural landscapes: the shadows of morning
SUNRISE LIGHT AT GLENBOW RANCH PROVINCIAL PARK, NEAR COCHRANE, ALBERTA
The newest provincial park in the western Canadian province of Alberta, this beauty is just a half-hour drive from my home in Calgary. It’s simply glorious year-round, with a spectacular river valley, ranchlands, aspen groves, a railroad with frequent trains (that’s part of iconic western Canadian history) and lots of walkways.
Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Natural landscapes: a grand river
SUMMER MORNING ON THE GRAND RIVER, NEAR CAMBRIDGE, ONTARIO
My brother-in-law lives in nearby Kitchener, so while staying at his home I had the chance to get out early with my camera and explore this southwestern Ontario river. The foreground is a little busy, but I think it works pretty well. Do you agree?
NikonD7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Natural landscapes: ‘trolling’ the falls
SUMMER AT TROLL FALLS, KANANASKIS COUNTRY, ALBERTA
A short walk through the forest brings one to this tranquil rocky waterfall in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. I spent almost an hour here, trying different perspectives and viewpoints. It ices over fabulously during winter months.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter and, probably, a neutral density filter to achieve a looong exposure and make the water silky.
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Urban landscapes: the glorious derelict
LA GRANDE HERMINE, NEAR ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO
This is a burned-out replica of the ship used to bring French explorer Jacques Cartier to Eastern Canada in 1535, where he founded present-day Quebec City.
According to Wikipedia, this replica, which served as a restaurant, was bought by a businessman “with the intention of moving it to Ontario and re-opening the restaurant.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the funds to realize his dream, and the ship sat in Jordan Harbour, near St. Catharines for years, unused. In 2003, the ship was destroyed by what police called a suspicious fire, most likely the work of arsonists. The burned-out hull still sits in the harbour.”
The derelict is easily visibly from the busy, nearby Queen Elizabeth Way highway and I’d seen it for years without doing anything to photograph it.
Finally, on a recent trip to Ontario, I got up at 4 a.m. and drove to the site, spending several hours making pre and post-dawn photos. As you can see, it was well worth the effort.
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Urban landscapes: the art of treating water
R.C. HARRIS WATER TREATMENT PLANT, TORONTO, ONTARIO
According to Wikipedia, this beautiful example of art-deco architecture was started in 1932 and began operating in Nov. 1941. Despite its age, the plant is still fully functional, providing approximately 45 percent of the water supply for Toronto (Canada’s largest city) and nearby York Region.
NikonD7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Rural landscapes: evening serenity
FENCE LINE, GLENBOW RANCH PROVINCIAL PARK, NEAR COCHRANE, ALBERTA
Alberta’s newest provincial park is truly a wonder – amazing views of the Bow River valley, walking trails, interesting history, and views like THIS. I’m blessed to live just a half-hour drive away. Look carefully along the horizon and you’ll see the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Natural landscapes: welcome to the lake
SUMMER AT LOWER KANANASKIS LAKE, ALBERTA
Kananaskis Country is Alberta’s secret. While hordes of tourists overwhelm Canada’s Rocky Mountain national parks (like Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho), Albertans have this spectacular mountain wildnerness mostly to ourselves. 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Rural landscapes: Awash in the ocean of yellow
EPIC CANOLA, NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
In July, driving around this western Canadian province is a delight. You never know when you’re going to encounter a field of almost-flourescent yellow. I’ve tried to get out as much as I could and find as many picturesque scenes as possible before the yellow fades. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that scenes like this are just 10 minutes’ drive from my house. 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Natural landscapes: artful canoes
CANOES AT MAZINAW LAKE, BON ECHO PROVINCIAL PARK, ONTARIO
As soon as I saw the angled morning light hitting these canoes, I knew a striking abstract photo was possible. The contrast was harsh, but with some Photoshopping I was able to translate my vision into what I hope is a decent composition. Do you agree?
Nikon D50, tripod.
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Rural landscapes: aiming at the mountains
COUNTRY ROAD, COCHRANE, ALBERTA
This town, about a half-hour’s drive from my home in Calgary, has lots of extraordinary views of the glorious Canadian Rocky Mountains. It’s fun to follow whatever whim comes along and see where random roads go. This restful morning scene required a telephoto lens to bring the distant peaks closer.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density filter (on the sky and mountains).
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Urban landscapes: the spinning circle
MIDWAY RIDE, CALGARY EXHIBITION AND STAMPEDE, ALBERTA, CANADA
If you can stand the crowds, then it’s lots of fun to take a tripod and make long exposure of midway rides. The colours are always amazing and the patterns of light are simply amazing. I was fortunate to make this photo during blue hour, so the sky isn’t pitch-black.
Nikon D90, tripod.
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Urban landscapes: resting in the chapel
BASEMENT CHAPEL, SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BEAUPRE, NEAR QUEBEC CITY, CANADA
Hard to believe this isn’t the main sanctuary, but at the glorious, stunning Sainte-Anne-De-Beaupre Catholic cathedral, the main event is actually upstairs (here’s just one view of the upstairs sanctuary: http://wp.me/p2ccTX-cq). The distant person is my wife, patiently waiting me out.
According to Wikipedia, because of the popularity of the shrine, the building was enlarged several times to accommodate all the pilgrims. In 1876, the first basilica opened for worship. The former basilica was destroyed in a fire on March 29, 1922. The present-day basilica was built on the site of the prior church in 1926.
Nikon D50, tripod
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