Natural landscapes: flowing around the rocks
WOODLAND STREAM, GREENWOOD CONSERVATION AREA, AJAX, ONTARIO
I’m a sucker for long-exposure studies of rocks and water. It’s all about the contrast between hard edges and soft, flowing lines. This conservation area, east of Toronto (Canada’s largest city) is a favourite area for my wife & I to walk and pray when we’re in the area. It’s not spectacular, but there is lots for a discerning photographer to appreciate. Nikon D50, tripod, polarizing filter.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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
Rural landscapes: the glory of yellow
CANOLA FIELD NEAR CALGARY, ALBERTA
When this important cash crop begins to bloom in late July, I get an itch to get out of the house and find some breathtaking fields to photograph. This spot is barely 20 minutes from my home in this western Canadian province. I made a variety of photographs from this one spot, using various lenses to highlight the old farm buildings or overwhelm them in a sea of yellow.
Here’s some funky trivia I found out about Canola: The name stands for “Canadian oil, low acid”, because it was first bred, from rapeseed, in the early 1970s in the Canadian province of Manitoba (thanks, Wikipedia). Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book THE ALBERTA BADLANDS: A Landscape Portrait”: http://bit.ly/HtBAW6
Rural landscapes: Farm field monument
ANTIQUE TRACTOR, NEAR OKOTOKS, ALBERTA
I was cruising around the glorious prairies south of my home in Calgary when I spotted this monument to the past. Wanting to keep all the background clutter out of the picture, I clambered up on top of the fence and, balancing precariously, made this picture. If I recall correctly, this perch made using a tripod (normally a staple in my photography) impossible. But I did use a flash to fill in some of the shadows caused by the morning light. Nikon D90, polarizing filter
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book THE ALBERTA BADLANDS: A Landscape Portrait”: http://bit.ly/HtBAW6
Natural Landscapes: Dastardly devil’s club
DEVIL’S CLUB, MT. REVELSTOKE NATIONAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA
These plants, which can grow to heights of six feet, are nasty to the touch, with prickles all over the stems.
That said, they can make for excellent photography subjects, such as in this forest scene on the slopes of Mount Revelstoke in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The spotlight-style illumination was certainly helpful and I used a polarizing filter to reduce glare on the leaves. Nikon D90, tripod.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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: Morning at the farm
MORNING SKY SOUTH OF CALGARY, ALBERTA
While searching for images in the rolling hills south of my home in this western Canadian province, my attention was grabbed by the mix of shadow and light, the funky sky and, of course, the dash of red. Outdoor photographers usually love red because it stops viewers in their tracks. Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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
Natural landscapes: Summer snow
MT. QUADRA GLACIER, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
Summer afternoon sunshine is rarely a good time to make photographs, but it certainly worked well for this scene, high above Moraine Lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Once I realized there was a good photo possible, I merely set up the tripod, put on the 70-300 mm. zoom lens, attached a polarizing filter (to cut the glare – very necessary over this long distance) and made pictures.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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: Holding on to the dew
PINE TREE, PETER LOUGHEED PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
I love how a big telephoto lens – in this case, a 70-300 mm. zoom – can isolate an artistic detail and throw all the competing visual elements nicely out of focus. That’s what happened one morning in this Rocky Mountain park in western Canada. If I recall correctly, I used the flash on my Nikon D90 to brighten up the picture a bit.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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: Pathway through the green
CEDAR FOREST, GREENWOOD CONSERVATION AREA, AJAX, ONTARIO
When I lived in the Greater Toronto Area, this conservation area was a favoured photo locale. There was a decent amount of variety, including surprising little scenes like this. This photo goes back a few years; in fact, it may have been a slide scanned into a jpeg (just can’t remember for sure). I do recall, however, that it was a long exposure requiring a tripod and, probably, a polarizing filter.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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
Urban landscapes: The bridges of Revelstoke
COLUMBIA RIVER BRIDGES, REVELSTOKE, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Is this an ‘urban landscape’? Well, sorta. Revelstoke is a charming little town of 7,200 deep in the mountainous interior of Canada’s westernmost province. It’s best known as a railroad service town and for its proximity to a pair of stunning national parks. On this morning, I hung around the Columbia River and found lots of pleasing compositions, with a reasonably interesting sky. Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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
Natural landscapes: Canoes on Lake Louise
CANOES ON LAKE LOUISE, BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I had a Friday off work so I took my photography equipment to this iconic lake in the Canadian Rockies. So nice to be there without crowds or tourists and so nice to get wonderful conditions for a photograph like this. Could this look any more peaceful? 🙂
Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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/1oUzd4A
Urban landscapes: The carousel
ZOOMING ON THE CAROUSEL, CALGARY STAMPEDE, ALBERTA
Another picture from my evening midway photography marathon at this year’s Calgary Stampede. This is the carousel, but you’d never know it because I zoomed in and out during a long exposure. Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter (used only to lengthen the exposure).
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book THE ALBERTA BADLANDS: A Landscape Portrait”: http://bit.ly/HtBAW6
Urban landscapes: Ferris Wheel lights
FERRIS WHEEL AT NIGHT, CALGARY STAMPEDE, ALBERTA
This is the second straight year I’ve taken my camera & tripod to the Stampede midway and once again, I wasn’t disappointed. I photographed the ferris wheel last year, but found a different perspective for this composition.
It’s funny; the ferris wheel doesn’t move fast or for long (there’s only one spot to get on/off, so it’s constantly stopping to swap passengers), but a four-second exposure makes it look like a spinning top. Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter (used only to slow down the exposure a bit more).
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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
Natural landscapes: The glow of green
FALSE HELLEBORE, WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
These luxurious plants, which seem quite out of place in the Canadian Rockies, were all over the place during my hike around Cameron Lake in this park, which is in the deep southwest corner of Alberta. Also known as corn lillies, the strong green, strong lines and rich lighting immediately set my mind to capturing abstract compositions. This one was made with my Nikon D90 on a tripod and using a 70-300 mm. zoom lens.
False hellebores are extremely toxic and according to Wikipedia, farmers with livestock consider them a pest plant.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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
Natural landscapes: Beargrass
BEARGRASS, WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
I was hiking to Blakiston Falls in this wonderful Canadian Rocky Mountain park when I kept seeing this fascinating plants. At the time, I didn’t know what they were, but that didn’t stop me from looking for interesting compositions. The shallow depth of field was important to guide your eyes first to the flower on the right, then to the background flower on the left.
According to Wikipedia, beargrass can grow to 15-150 cm in height and grows in bunches with the leaves wrapped around and extending from a small stem at ground level. The leaves are 30-100 cm long and 2-6 mm wide, dull olive green with toothed edges. The slightly fragrant white flowers emerge from a tall stalk that bolts from the base. When the flowers are in bloom they are tightly packed at the tip of the stalk like an upright club.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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
Natural landscapes: Lake Huron sunset
SUNSET AT SAUBLE BEACH, ONTARIO
Sauble Beach is a busy summer resort area on Lake Huron in Canada’s most populous province. My brother-in-law owns a cottage on the beach and my wife & I have been blessed to stay there several times. This is an area with amazing sunsets and when I realized a great one was coming up, I grabbed a pair of Muskoka Chairs off Paul’s deck, dragged ’em to the shore, set up my old Nikon D50 on a tripod, then waited for the right moment.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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
Natural landscapes: Prairie Pond
SUNRISE ON PRAIRIE SLOUGH, NEAR BAR U NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, ALBERTA
About an hour southwest of my home in Calgary, the glorious Canadian prairies meet the Rocky Mountain foothills. Just before that spot is the Bar U, one of the most famous places in Canadian ranching history. Across the road is this pond. I came upon it with a fabulous morning sky; it was just a matter of putting a polarizing filter on my Nikon D90, setting up the tripod and carefully composing this scene. I might have also used a two-stop graduated density filter to darken the sky; just can’t remember for sure.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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: Wind-blown flowers
BROWN-EYED SUSANS, WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA
This is one of the windiest places in the Canadian province of Alberta, so making good flower pictures is a considerable challenge. I lay on my stomach and used a shallow depth of field on my Nikon D90, in order to avoid blurring. I also made about a dozen exposures to also insure at least one picture where the blossoms were in focus.
Waterton is a stunning park, in part because there are no foothills – the prairies come right up to the peaks and that’s rare in the Canadian Rockies.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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/1oUzd4A
Rural landscapes: The road to Longview
THE ROAD TO LONGVIEW, SOUTHWEST OF CALGARY, ALBERTA
The Canadian Rocky Mountain foothills southwest of Calgary are stunning, especially in early summer (i.e. June), when everything is still green. I made this photo in early morning light using a Nikon D90, tripod and polarizing filter.
The key was climbing up an embankment along the road. At the top, I had a better view of the entire scene, plus I had nice grasses to put at the bottom of the photo.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book THE ALBERTA BADLANDS: A Landscape Portrait”: http://bit.ly/HtBAW6
Rural Landscapes: Old truck
ABANDONED TRUCK, NEAR ABBOTSFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA
I fished around in the archives to find this 1996 photograph, made with my old Pentax 6×7 medium-format film camera, Velvia slide film, tripod and (probably) a polarizing filters. It was during a trip to Canada’s west coast that I wandered along lush country roads, looking for potential photographs.
I drove past this scene without a second thought, then realized I may have missed something useful and traced my steps back. It’s still one of my fave photos from that year.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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
Natural landscapes: Mountain morning
MORNING LIGHT, SPRAY LAKES RESERVOIR, SPRAY VALLEY PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
While this water body is man-made, the views and experiences are no less wonderful – especially for photographers. For those of you who saw my wolf picture, this scene is in the same park. Nikon D90, tripod, polarizing filter. The polarizer was important here – it eliminated reflections on the foreground water, so you could see the rocks at the bottom.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
Want to buy this picture? Email me and I’ll make it happen! (fdking@hotmail.com).
Check out my coffeetable book THE ALBERTA BADLANDS: A Landscape Portrait”: http://bit.ly/HtBAW6
FRANK KING PHOTOS 