Rural landscapes: on a bright winter day

OLD PRAIRIE FARM BUILDING, NEAR CARMANGAY, ALBERTA

If you ‘follow’ this website, you probably know I’m a sucker for the subtle beauty and character of old farm buildings. This one grabbed my attention because of the beautifully balanced setting and the distant, snowy Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter

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Natural landscapes: where ice is king

ICE AND SNOW
AT ABRAHAM LAKE, ALBERTA

This Rocky Mountain lake is famous for the millions of cascading methane ice bubble that form every winter. On this visit, I concentrated more on the many ice shards that littered the shores. Loved how these shards glowed with afternoon light.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the mountain & sky

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Urban landscapes: flowing out of the city

BOW RIVER AND SNOW
CALGARY, ALBERTA

I was wandering through Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (a wonderful natural area just east of this western Canadian city’s downtown core) when I encountered the snowy remains of a tree near the river.
I spent nearly a half-hour working with various perspectives and formats; I really like this view because the tree appears to be reaching toward you, the viewer.
As with so many winter pictures, there was almost no colour in this scene, so it was a no-brainer to create and show you a dramatic monotone version.
Nikon D7100, 17-70 mm zoom lens, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated density (darkening) filter on the sky

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Natural landscapes: flowing in the cold

WINTER AT BIG HILL SPRINGS
PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA

It was -25c when I visited this wonderful mix of forest, stream and waterfalls about a half-hour’s drive from my Calgary home.
I was well clothed for the adventure (including ski pants) and enjoyed having the park all to myself to appreciate scenes like this.
As is so often the case with winter photography, there was almost no colour in this landscape, so it was an easy decision to create a monotone version for you.
Nikon Z50II, 16-50 mm. zoom lens, tripod

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Wildlife: resting on a cold winter day

FEMALE DEER, INGLEWOOD BIRD SANCTUARY, CALGARY, ALBERTA

I was slowly making my way back to the car in absolutely frigid conditions when I encountered a half-dozen deer just hanging out near the path. This one stayed where she was, allowing me to set up my equipment and make a variety of pictures. What a blessing to spend time with them!
Nikon Z50II, 70-300 mm. zoom lens, tripod

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Natural landscape: the snowy badlands world

FROSTY SHRUBS, DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA

Many people have never seen badlands covered in snow, so I always love the opportunity to visit this amazing park in winter. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site about two and a half hours drive southeast of my home in Calgary.
In this case, I was quite low to the ground to capture these frosty shrubs while keeping the stunning background in focus. Dinosaur Provincial Park is one of the richest dinosaur fossil areas on the planet. Forty species have been discovered at the park and more than 500 specimens have been removed and exhibited in museums across the globe.
Nikon Z50II, 16-50 mm. zoom lens, tripod, polarizing filter

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Rural landscapes: ancients reaching the sky

GRAIN ELEVATORS, MOSSLEIGH, ALBERTA

These ancient landmarks have become so rare in western Canada that those which still exist have become tourist and photographer attractions. This trio, southeast of Calgary, is one of the most photogenic to be found.
I was blessed to visit just after sunrise and was blessed with amazing light and glowing colours. It was hard to make a bad picture. In this case, I went for something a little different by twisting the camera and adding dynamic lines to the scene.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter

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Natural landscapes: be one with the water

WINTER RAPIDS, RAPIDES-DES-JOACHIMS, QUEBEC

I discovered this river (which, for the life of me, I cannot find the name) during spring time just across the Quebec-Ontario border in eastern Canada. It was a creative revelation that I vowed to return to in another season. It was just as rewarding in winter.
The only colour in the photo was the water’s brownish tinge, so it was an easy decision to heighten the drama and contrast by creating a black-and-white version.
Nikon Z50II, tripod, polarizing filter, neutral density (darkening) filter, 16-50 mm. zoom lens

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Rural landscapes: the Great Lakes sentinel

LIGHTHOUSE AND SNOW, PORT DALHOUSIE, ONTARIO

This charming tourist section of St. Catharines has two lighthouses. This one provided a superb scene for me to photograph, thanks to the moody sky and recent snowfall. I decided to highlight the green and turn the rest of the picture into black-and-white. You can see the full-colour version here: https://bit.ly/PortDalhousieLighthouse
Nikon Z50II, tripod, polarizing filter

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Natural landscapes: the surreal end of day

WINTER SUNSET, BRACEBRIDGE, ONTARIO

The Muskoka region is one of the most beautiful places in the southern half of this province and, deservedly, one of the most desirable places in Canada to own a cottage.
My wife and I were blessed to stay overnight with our friends the Stevensons. This was the view from their living room, which persuaded me to wade into the snow on their deck to properly capture the view, including their boathouse, at sunset. Incredible, isn’t it? 🙂
Nikon Z50II, 16-50 mm. zoom lens, tripod

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Wildlife: the wintertime stretch

CORMORANT DRYING ITS WINGS, PORT DALHOUSIE, ONTARIO

I was wandering along the pier in this touristy part of the city of St. Catharines when I saw someone making phone pictures of birds on the icy rocks. I went on my way, but on the return trip to my car, noticed the birds were still there and, apparently, quite unbothered by presence of people. So I set up my equipment and was blessed to get not only good photographs of the birds, but also of this one drying its wings. Bonus! 🙂
Nikon Z50II, 70-300 mm. zoom lens, tripod

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Wander through my coffeetable photography book “Special Places: A Landscape Photographer’s Vision of Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/yNU06F

Urban landscapes: Me, seeing RED

CHERRY STREET NORTH BRIDGE,
TORONTO, ONTARIO

This is one of four new bridges that opened last year in the port lands of Canada’s largest city. I figured there might be decent photo opportunities there, but I was blown away by the possibilities presented in wet, foggy weather (you can see the results of water drops on the lens).
Two of the bridges are red, the others are orange and yellow. All were constructed in Halifax/Dartmouth Nova Scotia, then transported by ship to Toronto via the St. Lawrence Seaway. I’ll check out the other bridges on future Toronto trips.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter

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Urban landscapes: Beauty in the wait for daybreak

WINTER AT PRINCES ISLAND PARK, CALGARY, ALBERTA

I found a reasonably high viewpoint to photography a snowy pathway through this beautiful park in the downtown of this western Canadian city. Frigid and frosty conditions made for an ideal environment to capture the quiet, solitary beauty of winter.
Nikon D7100, tripod.

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

Natural landscapes: beauty through the shadows

WINTER SCENERY ALONG THE BOW VALLEY PARKWAY, ALBERTA

Conditions were perfect: An overnight snowfall and a sunny morning. That made for many photos like this in western Canada’s famous Banff National Park. In fact, it was hard to make a bad picture on that glorious day in God’s creation. 🙂
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter

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Check out my coffeetable book “BLUE SYMPHONY: Winter in the Canadian Rockies”: http://bit.ly/kFb3Xw

Natural landscapes: A path through winter

SINCLAIR CREEK, KOOTENAY NATIONAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA

I liked the curve of the stream and the mix of rocks and white water, until I looked at the resulting picture in my camera viewer. Then I thought “meh, big deal.” When I got home, uploaded all the photos into my desktop and looked again, the minimalism of the composition really grabbed me. The only colour was the rocks, so I knew I’d create a monotone version to remove the colour distraction. (That said, here is the colour version for you to compare: https://bit.ly/SinclairCreekWinter.)

Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter, neutral density (darkening) 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

Natural landscapes: beauty in the land of snow

ALONG THE BOW VALLEY PARKWAY, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA

Canada’s Rocky Mountains are always a treat to visit right after a snowfall, especially if the day is sunny. That was the case here, when I found the shadowy trees perfectly framing the snowy peak.
Nikon D7100, tripod, polarizing filter

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Check out my coffeetable book “BLUE SYMPHONY: Winter in the Canadian Rockies”: http://bit.ly/kFb3Xw

Natural landscapes: holding on in the snow

SNOWY AUTUMN LEAVES, CALGARY, ALBERTA

I visited Princes Island Park, which forms part of the northern border of the downtown in this western Canadian City, and found lots of photogenic, intimate winter scenes like this. I like the contrast with the background, which is dark, but not distractingly black. The bottom right corner was a little too bright for my tastes, so I darkened it.
Nikon D7100, tripod, 70-300 mm. zoom lens, fill-flash.

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Urban landscapes: lighting the pathway

BOWNESS PARK, CALGARY, ALBERTA

I arrived before dawn on a cold New Year’s Day and found many trees beautifully lit. So I did my best with a new camera, fumbling with the controls and filters. I think this turned out alright. 🙂
Nikon Z50II, 16-50 mm zoom lens, tripod

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Natural landscapes: the beautiful winter reflection

MT. INDEFATIGABLE, PETER LOUGHEED PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA

Named after a British war ship that was sunk during the First World War, this peak offers many great photo opportunities from the shores of nearby Upper Kananaskis Lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
I was blessed to visit and find this compelling vista on a snowy morning before the lake entirely froze. There wasn’t much colour beyond the blue sky, so I opted to create and show you a monotone version, which I believe is more dramatic than full colour.
Nikon D7100, tripod, graduated density (darkening) filter on the peak and 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 “BLUE SYMPHONY: Winter in the Canadian Rockies”: http://bit.ly/kFb3Xw

Natural landscapes: glory after the snowfall

PETAWAWA RIVER REFLECTIONS, RENFREW COUNTRY, ONTARIO

I was blessed to be in this part of eastern Ontario right after an overnight snowfall. The results, as you can see, were simply spectacular. In fact, it was hard to make a bad picture on that extraordinary winter morning.
There was almost no colour in the scene, so it was an easy decision to create and show you a black-and-white version. That said, you can see the colour photo here: https://500px.com/photo/1105561925/peaceful-winter-reflections-by-frank-king.
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).

Wander through my coffeetable photography book “Special Places: A Landscape Photographer’s Vision of Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/yNU06F