Urban landscapes: the city skyline
CENTRE STREET, MEMORIAL DRIVE AND DOWNTOWN CALGARY, ALBERTA
The only time pictures like this are possible – with all the buildings glowing in pre-dawn light – is during winter months, when the sun rises late and sets early. The window is even briefer because for many of the skyscrapers, the lights are only turned on at 6:30 a.m. That means photographers have about 90 minutes to make these kinds of pictures before the sun rises. That’s the window I used to make this photograph, using a Nikon D90, tripod and polarizing filter. Centre Street is the bridge in the lower middle (spanning Bow River), while Memorial Drive runs along the bottom.
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Natural landscapes: where the river meets the lake
WINTER SUNRISE, ROUGE RIVER AND LAKE ONTARIO
Could I have visited this spot, on the outskirts of Toronto (Canada’s largest city) at any better time? Probably not. Got a great sunrise, a nice skirting of ice along the shoulder of the river and floating ice in the water. Perfect! 🙂
Nikon D50, tripod.
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Natural landscapes: making tracks
EVIDENCE OF SKIERS, SUNSHINE VILLAGE, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
During a recent ski trip to this renowned resort in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, I took my Nikon D90 and 18-70 mm. lens along for a few runs and hand-held for photos like this. Conditions were incredible, so almost everything I photographed came out useable. This is more of a wide-angle perspective, so the peaks don’t loom as impressively. But I wanted at least a few photographs to have a strong foreground subject and I think this scene qualifies.
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Natural landscapes: winter in the forest
NEW SNOW, GREENWOOD CONSERVATION AREA, AJAX, ONTARIO
One of my favourite photography locations just east of Toronto, Canada’s largest city. I was fortunate to visit right after a snowfall and was presented with quietly stunning scenes like this almost everywhere I looked. This was in early morning, before people and their pets had a chance to walk through and disturb the blanket of perfection. Nikon D50, tripod.
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Urban Landscapes: catching a reflection
BANKER’S HALL, CALGARY, ALBERTA
These skyscrapers are one of my favourite urban landscapes in the city I call home. I’ve photographed them in the first light of sunrise and, in this case, late afternoon winter light. Seeing the possibility for a reflection, I set up the tripod near the windows of a building across the street and made horizontal and vertical photographs. I think this is the best of the bunch from this spot. Nikon D90, polarizing filter.
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Want to buy any of these photographs? 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
Natural landscapes: skiing through wonder
SUNSHINE VILLAGE, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I took my stepdaughter skiing in the Canadian Rocky Mountains for the first time at this massive and stunning resort. The weather cleared up as we approached the parking lot, so I grabbed my Nikon D90 and 18-70 mm. lens and brought it along.
A camera hanging from a strap and bouncing on your chest can make for a risky ski run, but I kept it for three runs and captured images like this before locking it inside a rental locker for the rest of the day. Sure glad I brought it along – everywhere I looked, my eyes were greeted by God’s glorious eye-candy. Amazing to think that Heaven will be way, way more stunning than this! 🙂
(BTW, if you want a sense of scale, those tiny dots on the ski trail in the lower right are people.)
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Natural landscapes: the last stand
ICE ALONG THE SHORELINE, WHITBY, ONTARIO
I loved the juxtaposition of this solitary ice chunk and the swirling water of Lake Ontario east of Toronto, Canada’s largest city. Used every darkening filter I owned to obtain an eight-second exposure, which smoothed out the rough edges of the winter waves. Nikon D50, tripod, polarizing filter, neutral density filter.
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Check out my NEW coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/11kOiRk
Urban landscapes: Reaching for the sky
NEXEN BUILDING, CALGARY, ALBERTA
I haven’t published an urban landscape photograph for months because I haven’t done any work like this since September. But I’ve returned to it with a vengeance recently and this fabulous modern architectural design is one result. I created a black & white version that’s even stronger than what you’re seeing here, but it doesn’t show up so well against the very dark web page. (You can see that version, however, here: http://500px.com/photo/22589535). Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter.
This 37-story, 500-foot tower was completed in 1982. Its prime tenant is Nexen, an energy company that was just bought by Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation, which is controlled by the Chinese government. The sale was quite controversial and it took months for the Canadian government to approve the deal. In fact, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said it would be the last sale of a major Canadian energy company to a foreign, state-controlled entity except under exceptional circumstances.
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Want to buy any of these photographs? 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
Natural landscapes: when the sun peaks through
STORMY WINTER MORNING, WHITBY, ONTARIO
The sun didn’t last long, but I made the most of it while checking out the Lake Ontario shoreline east of Toronto, Canada’s largest city. Considering the jumble of branches on this fallen tree, I’m still amazed at how good the photograph turned out. Nikon D50, tripod.
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Check out my NEW coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/11kOiRk
Rural landscapes: Wind birds
WIND TURBINES, NEAR PINCHER CREEK, ALBERTA
With the lack of sunshine, I didn’t think I could get very good photos, but was pleasantly surprised with this one, photographed about two hours’ drive south of my home in Calgary, Alberta.
The key (besides utilizing a tripod, of course, to get the composition exactly right) was using a two-stop hard-edge graduated density filter to significantly darken the sky. Without it, this would have been a very bland scene. Nikon D90.
Southwestern Alberta, by the way, is one of the windiest places in Canada, so it’s littered with hundreds of wind turbines. I love seeing how they can be used in photography.
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Check out my coffeetable book “BLUE SYMPHONY: Winter in the Canadian Rockies”: http://bit.ly/kFb3Xw
Natural landscapes: my snowy friends
SNOWY TREES, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
Another photo from a stunning winter morning in one of Canada’s most popular and most famous national parks. I climbed a ridge from the road and found these immature lodgepole pine trees made a great foreground to the Rocky Mountain vista in the background. At this point, the trick was to figure out where to place the trees in the composition. Nikon D90, polarizing filter, tripod.
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Check out my coffeetable book “BLUE SYMPHONY: Winter in the Canadian Rockies”: http://bit.ly/kFb3Xw
Natural Landscapes: a touch of snow
DUFFINS CREEK, GREENWOOD CONSERVATION AREA, AJAX, ONTARIO
One of my favourite go-to photography locations just east of Toronto, Canada’s largest city. I loved the touch of snow on the rocks; the trick was to figure out a good composition that combined the snow with the flowing water. How did I do? Nikon D50, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Check out my NEW coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/11kOiRk
The overlooked favourites of 2012
Not sure why these photographs didn’t resonate all that much with you fine viewers. Each one received between 12 and 24 views, compared to more than 300 each for my top two pictures. But I love them all (wouldn’t have put them on the website if I didn’t) and would like to show them off once more.
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Want to buy any of these photographs? 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
WINTER HAYROLLS, WEST OF CALGARY, ALBERTA
WINTER AT PICKERING HISTORICAL VILLAGE, PICKERING, ONTARIO
DUFFIN’S CREEK, GREENWOOD CONSERVATION AREA, AJAX, ONTARIO
LANGEVIN BRIDGE (OVER THE BOW RIVER), CALGARY, ALBERTA
STREAM, LEASKDALE, ONTARIO
EVENING LIGHT, OTTAWA, ONTARIO
MIDWAY CAROUSEL, CALGARY STAMPEDE
BEARGRASS, WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
CN TOWER AND SIMCOE PLACE, TORONTO, ONTARIO
SHAW CONFERENCE CENTRE, EDMONTON, ALBERTA
Most popular pictures of 2012!
This first year of Frank King Photos has been pretty amazing. More than 11,000 people from dozens of countries have looked at my photographs – far more than I would have predicted. So thank you! Here are the top 10 most popular photographs published this year, as picked by YOU!
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Want to buy any of these photographs? 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
10. Feuding marmots, Jasper National Park, Alberta
9. Awaiting sunrise, Calgary, Alberta
8. Path through the rain forest, Pacific Rim National Park, British Columbia
7. Sunrise at Bow Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta
6. Canoes at Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta
5. Badlands, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta
4. Dusk, Vancouver, British Columbia
3. Peace Bridge (telephoto view), Calgary, Alberta
2. Peace Bridge (wide-angle view), Calgary Alberta
1. “Lillian” (Black Wolf), Kananaskis, Alberta (more than 300 views!)
Natural landscapes: a photographer was here
SEARCHING FOR A VIEWPOINT, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
Conditions were even better than I’d hope for when I ventured out with the camera in November to make pictures in one of Canada’s most famous national parks.
I’d made memorable autumn photos at this spot several years before and knew it might provide excellent viewpoints of the snow-clad Rocky mountains across the valley. I was right. All I had to do was wade through the snow up the ridge from the road. My uncomfortably soaked pants are long forgotten, but this image, and others, will be with me for life.
Nikon D90, 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: Christmas cheer
MAILBOX AND WREATH, NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
I love this combination of a wreath with a colourful mailbox, but lighting was a big challenge. So I turned on the flash and used it to illuminate the box. The funny thing is, the mailbox illustration (a cardinal) is NEVER seen in Alberta. 🙂
May you have a blessed Christmas with at least a bit of knowledge of what the day is really all about. Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Check out my coffeetable book, “MOMENTS OF LIGHT: Thirty Years of Photography”: http://bit.ly/JTNnMX
Natural Landscapes: cold and fresh
WINTER AT WEBSTER FALLS, NEAR HAMILTON, ONTARIO
The ravine below this glorious waterfall, west of Toronto (Canada’s largest city), is a fantastical place during winter months. Snow combines with freezing mist to create an almost otherworldly environment that I “worked” with the camera for several hours. A long exposure was important here, to make the falling water silky and provide a contrast to the hard edges of the snow. Nikon D50, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Check out my NEW coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/11kOiRk
Natural landscapes: breathing life into winter
WINTER SUNRISE, WHITBY, ONTARIO
Lake Ontario, one of the four Great Lakes shared by Canada and the United States, is a great place to photograph sunrise during winter months, when the sun is far to the south. In Whitby, east of Toronto (Canada’s largest city), there is a reasonably high bluff with trees spaced far enough apart to make clean, interesting compositions like this one. Nikon D50, tripod.
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Check out my NEW coffeetable book, “Frank King’s Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/11kOiRk
Natural landscapes: where the river runs clear
SUNRISE ON THE BOW RIVER, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I had to scramble down through thigh-deep snow to get from the road to the shores of this river in Canada’s best-known Rocky Mountain park. But when I look at this photograph, the discomfort (and the wet pants) were absolutely worth it. I moved quickly – before the sky became too light – to use a darkening filter on the sunrise, so it wouldn’t be too bright compared to the ground. Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter, two-stop hard-edge graduated density filter, enhancing 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: winter in the village
PICKERING MUSEUM VILLAGE, PICKERING, ONTARIO
I was fortunate to come upon this picturesque local tourist attraction, northeast of Toronto (Canada’s largest city) after a dusting of snow and before anyone else could walk through and spoil the untouched beauty of this scene. I recall trying to find a good composition with the red building, then stepping back until the strong graphic of the shadow entered the scene and that’s when the photo came together.
Nikon D50, tripod, polarizing filter.
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Wander through my new coffeetable photography book “Frank King’s Southern Ontario”: http://bit.ly/11kOiRk
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