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I made a quick trip down to the Lake Louise area yesterday morning for sunrise shoot, seeing as after next week I'll be in Edmonton for a while. After a less than stunning sunrise at Lake Louise, I stopped at Peyto Lake on my way home. Peyto is probably my favorite lake in the Canadian Rockies, with the very unique Abraham Lake being my second fave. Here is a three image pano that I shot with the 24mm PC-E lens from Nikon. Shooting panos with this lens is just too easy!
Photo: Nikon D300s, 24mm f/3.5 PC-E
Here is a very short time lapse video I shot on Thanksgiving, while we ate our dinner. I had the camera set up with a remote that triggered an image every 30 seconds. It's not terrible, but I think I can do better.
I went out for a shoot on Tuesday night at Medicine Lake, hoping for a bit of a sunset. For the first little while I though it was going to just get dark, with no exciting color to end the day...Boy was I wrong!! The show started a little slow, then built and built, and ended with some color and light that I haven't seen in quite a while. What a day. Take a look for yourself. Above is what I though would be he peak of the sunset..below is what happened moments after I thought I should head back to the van and drive home! Guess I was wrong!
Photos: Nikon D300s, 17-55mm f/2.8
I had to drop a vehicle off at the Berg Lake trail head for a friend this week. Steph and I took the dog for a bit of a walk up to Kinney Lake. It's only a 4km walk to the lake, on pretty easy terrain, but it was a great day nonetheless. Here's a little view from the edge of the lake.
Photo: Nikon D300s, 17-55mm f/2.8
I've been driving in and out of Jasper National Park a few times this past few weeks. I have made a few trips to Edmonton, Hinton, and Rock Lake. The trees on the eastern edge of the park had been getting better and better with every trip. I knew the photo I wanted to get, I knew where I would set up, and I knew what type of conditions I wanted to have. So this past Tuesday, after dropping some friends off at the North Boundary trail head, I stopped at my pre-determined location, set up my camera with the 70-200 attached, focused on the pattern of trees that looked the most interesting to me, and I then I proceeded to wait....and wait...and wait. After about 30-40 minutes of watching the clouds roll by, and shooting a few other interesting forest shots, I saw the sun coming, I quickly reset my camera to the previously chosen set of tress, and fired away as the sunlight danced across the different shades of yellow. Was it worth the wait? I think so. Look above, the image is just of the pattern in the trees with no sunlight, just clouds above, cool colors and patterns, but it's lacking something. Now look below, the shot with the light has that edge that makes it that much better than the original shot. I could have packed up and drove home right away, but instead I chose to wait around for a bit, and I think I'm glad I did! So a little lesson for y'all, sometimes it pays to wait around, something sort of interesting, may get very interesting if you have the patience!
Photos: Nikon D300s, 70-200mm f/2.8
It's been a long day, I've already driven 800 kms, the sun is out and the air is cool. I take a quick look outside and I know I can't let this day pass without a taking a photo. I pack my camera bag, check all my filters and lenses for dust and off I go again. "There was patch of bushes I saw on the drive home that had some great red and yellow color in them, maybe I'll try to go there, there should be some light on Roche Miette as the sun sets." Thirty minutes later I'm standing in a swamp off the highway, away from the sounds of the cars and trucks. Just as the sun dips below the mountains I enjoy the last warm rays of light. The air quickly turns cool, the smell of Autumn is everywhere now, I shoot a few images then change spots. The light is quickly racing up the mountain face now, I had better work fast, but don't rush. I'm not just out here to make pictures, I'm experiencing the world, nature at it's finest hour. The picture will just serve to help my memory down the road. It's days like today that I realize why I love shooting pictures, experiencing nature's finest moments, then presenting them for others to view. The light is fading away now. I walk back to the van, plug in the iPod and make the quick drive back home. "I wonder what nature has in store for me for tomorrow?"
Ohhh blog, why is it that you are the first thing to get left behind when I get "busy" or unmotivated? Oh well. Lots has been going on, still shooting a bunch, more weddings these days, it seems that Sept, or Fall in general is the time to get married in the Rockies. My wife and I made a quick trip to Washington state over the Labor day weekend, it was nice to get away. The only sad part was when it was time to leave, I wanted to keep driving south, but alas, we headed north, and back home to Jasper. I did however find a new long term photo project I will pursue for the next while. Signs. Old type signs, or signs in odd places, or just odd signs in general. I found a few on our recent travels, and now I think it will be something I'll be looking for, for the next while. I may have to make a trip to the Neon Graveyard in Vegas, that would be a good time. I would have a complete portfolio of signs then! Anywho, here are a few to keep your eyes satisfied for a while. I'll post a few more pics from the trip in a day or so. Enjoy!
It was unusually smokey in town on Thurs. and Fri. of last week. I found out today that there is a forest fire in the Kamloops area of British Columbia. As unfortunate of an event as that is, it did make for a pretty cool sunset the other night at Patricia Lake. This was a pretty easy composition for me. My main point of interest was the light on the big cloud above the mountains, and the smoke in the air. I composed with the shore line just above the center of the image so that there wasn't too much dead space above the mountains, and used the reflection to show what else was in the sky. I also had on my polarizer, which is usually used to cut reflections, but in this case I used to get the most reflection I could, a 2 stop Neutral Density filter was used as well to balance out the exposure between the lake and the mountains and sky. Happy shooting!
Following Sunday's amazing light show, my wife and I took a camping trip to Lucerne Campground in British Columbia, it's only about 25 minutes away, but still a nice getaway. I went down to the lake to shoot a few sunset shots, but it was nothing in comparison to the day before, so we headed back to camp for some roasted marshmallows.
The next day was another beautiful summer day and after some paddling on Pyramid Lake, followed by a quick swim with the dog, we headed to Maligne Lake for another try at sunset. The light was good, and I was moving around a bunch to capture a few different images, all the while swatting at the mosquitoes. Since I had been to Maligne a few times already this year, and in previous years, I knew it was time to stray away from the typical "Boat House at Sunset" shots. I headed to the opposite side of the lake, where there is another wharf, and a boat launch, and shot the sunset from there. I did shoot a few "Boat House at Sunset" shots...but from a completely different angle, so I'm happy about that.
Soon after the sun started to set, the clouds started to light up again, similar to Sunday night, but not quite as vibrant. I still shot tonnes of images, moved around a lot and got a bunch of different compositions, although that was mostly so the bugs wouldn't bite! Another lesson learned, don't be afraid to shoot something new!
Photos: Nikon D90, 17-55mm f/2.8, Cokin P164 Polarizer, Cokin P120 GND.
Earlier this week I had the chance to go for a short day hike in Banff National Park with a friend of mine. He phoned me the night before to see if I wanted to go up to "Sunset Pass", which is about 15kms North of "The Crossing" on the Icefields Parkway. Seeing as I had no other plans, other than to sit in front of my computer all day... I gladly accepted the invite!
We left town just after 6am, and were on the trail by 8:15. The initial few meters of the trail is fine, nice and mellow, but after about 10 minutes, you start to climb steeply uphill, for about 2.9km.
After 2.9km, you can either head left, to Sunset Lookout, and gain anther 300m (approx.) over a short 1.6km trail. Or you can continue straight, and gain almost as much elevation, and you end up in Sunset Meadows, near Norman Creek Campground.
We ended up going in both directions. First we headed left to the lookout, from which you get the view above. Absolutely spectacular. It wasn't the most beautiful day, but that view alone would be good on any day. I think from the trailhead to the lookout, which is 4.5km, with approx. 650m of elevation gain, we got there in just under 2 hours. And within the first 45 minutes I had blisters on my heels the size of a loonie, that I am still nursing four days later...Ouch!
After the lookout we headed back down the where the trail split, then continued on to the Meadows and Norman Campground. It's only a small campground, with 3 or 4 sites, but what a nice spot! Mountains all around, Norman Creek right there, huge open meadows. I think I'll head back here this summer for a small photo trip. One side of the meadow would get great sunrise light, the other would get awesome sunset light.
After a quick lunch at the campground, and a quick lesson on how to actually "properly" use a compass from Chris, we headed off into the meadow to see if we could make it to the top of the pass. Which we didn't make it to. We got about 1/2 way to the top of the pass, and my feet were so sore, I couldn't take anymore elevation gain. So we turned around, and after a few snack stops, we were back at the truck by 2pm. It was a great day, even with the blisters, and I'm definitely planning a trip back here with the wife and dog sometime this summer!
Photos: Nikon D90, 17-55mm f/2.8, 10.5mm f/2.8
Well, it may not be the biggest city in the world..but it sure is a lot bigger than Jasper. Last week I spent two days in Edmonton and while there, I had to do a bit of shooting. I always love shooting from hotel balconies when I travel, so I of course got that taken care of. My balcony shot on this trip was of the sun rising over Edmonton's Downtown area, they day we drove back home.
When I was in Edmonton a few months ago, I heard that The Art Gallery of Alberta had a new home, in a fancy new building. This trip I found the new building, which has some super cool architecture, and managed to get down there just after sunset for some twilight shots. I really like the shapes of the building, and how the light plays on it.
From one of the spots I shot the Art Gallery, there was a subway station nearby. I headed over and looked down the stairwell and though..."that might be a cool shot", and it turns out it was kinda neat. The color shot is cool, there are about 4 different light sources, so the colors are very vibrant, but I though the black and white gave it the feel I was looking for. Summer in the city is so much nicer than winter. I'm sure I'll be back shooting here before long!
Photos: Nikon D90, 10.5mm f/2.8, 17-55mm f/2.8
Quite literally! I guess this past week I have been shooting a lot of "motion" shots. I didn't really realize until I picked a few shots for this post and thought..wow, out of the past five days, three of them I've shot photos that depict movement or motion....interesting. So in light of these ideas, I know proclaim this week "Speed Week"...in my world anyhow. I set up the skateboard shot on Monday, first I found some fresh pavement so that the ride would be as smooth as possible, then I set my camera to Aperture Priority, chose an F-stop that allowed me to have a shutter speed that would be less than 1/10 of a second..and then I just fired away until I found the composition and blur that I liked. Finished it off in post with some contrast to the pavement and clouds, then converted to Black and White..and done! Next!!
The train shot was fairly simple as well. Same scenario as above, but I just panned with the train as it sped by. In an ideal world I would have liked to get at least part of the train in focus, but I think my shutter speed was a bit too slow for this attempt, and the whole thing is pretty blurry. I still like the shot though, the colors and composition make me smile. Enjoy!
Photos: Nikon D90, 10.5mm f/2.8, 17-55mm f/2.8
I know, and have met quite a few photographers in the short time that I have been shooting, and, for the most part, we all have one thing in common.... We're "Gear Heads" or "Gear Junkies". If there is a new camera body, or lens, we know about it, and know the specs before it even hits the shelf. We've read a blog from a "Pro" who has been shooting with it or using it for months, and we just have to have it..or we really want it. For most of us, those are just pipe dreams, but for those with untold amounts of cash, they get whatever they want, while the rest of us drool. I'm no different. I love gear, I love techie things, if it's got "bits and pieces", I want to know what those "bits" are, and how those "pieces" work. I personally am not yet a "Pro", or a "working photographer"..but who knows, someday my path may come to a crossroads where I get to take that road. In my "normal" job, I work with gear everyday, climbing gear to be specific. Climbing and outdoor gear. There are just as many "needs" and "wants" in that business too, but luckily, through my job, I've gotten over that stage of the industry.
Now..."where the @%*$ is he going with this?" is what you may be asking..Here we go... Over the past few months, the geniuses at Adobe have been releasing small videos of the upcoming features of their new Creative Suite, CS5. Being the nerd that I am, I've been keen to check out the new technology. A few weeks ago, Adobe officially released CS5 to the masses, and now it's glorious tools are available to the whole world.
The first day it came out, I was there.. at adobe.com downloading the trial version of Photoshop CS5 Extended to check it out to see if it will be worth adding my desktop on a permanent basis. There are two things specifically that I wanted to check out, Content Aware Fill, and HDR Pro. Content Aware Fill is an amazing new tool that will allow you to select any part of your frame, say a tree that's in the way of a mountain, and then you use the Fill Dialog Box (Shift+Backspace (PC)), select Content-Aware, and within seconds, BLAM, the tree is gone and you have a seamless mountain. WOW..the first few times I used it I was blown away. It took a little bit playing around with to get good at making the proper selection for each "problem", but the results are amazing considering that it would take most people much longer to get that done by various other methods.
Second was the HDR Pro tool. I'm a huge user of blending images together. I make grungy images from the city, and I bracket my landscape shots most of the time to get the best tonal range. For the past few years I've been using Photomatix Pro, and I love it. I have recently started using Photomatix's "Fuse Exposure" method, to blend my images, and, for landscapes, I find I get much more realistic looking images, and people say "Oh...that's an HDR?" and that's the response I'm going for. I have only done a few tests with the HDR Pro, but so far...I'm sticking with Photomatix.
Above is a comparison of an image that I originally didn't like, and was not going to edit, until I got CS5 and used Content Aware. The difference is amazing. The first problem was that I was trying to handhold my ND filter in front of my Blue/Gold Polarizer, and you can see the filter and my finger in the shot. With a quick selection around the problem area, a few seconds wait..presto.. problem fixed. Second, was a big grease spot on my sensor....just as simple, and fixed quicker.Third was the tree..totally blocking that beautiful mountain in the distance. Stupid tree...wait a minute... Content Aware Fill to the rescue...ahhh Fixed!! So there ya go, an image that was on it's way to the trash was saved by technology. And that brings me to my final point, and the point of this whole post, that I have been planning and thinking about for days now, which is.. Is this even a photograph anymore?
I love filters, I have no problem with blending exposures to get the best tonal range the scene provides, but using Photoshop to fix stuff that should just be avoided in the first place. I don't know how I feel about that. I would never alter an outdoor scene to make an image better, I want to bring the beauty of the land to people through my photos, but never at the cost of damaging that place. So does it make me more "environmental" if I just "remove it in post"? All I'm getting at is that I don't want to see this technology abused by people who know how to use a computer, and don't want to put the time into learning to take proper pictures in the first place. I for one will always enjoy an image that was created and captured "on location" or "as I remember it", before I take the time to learn to be a better "Photoshopper". That's my rant for today..and most likely the last one for a long time! I for one will most likely not be upgrading to CS5...but it's mostly due to the fact that I don't have the money right now....I'll need a new camera before I'll need new software!
PS...in case anyone is wondering...the last image was did not touch CS5. It is three images blended in Photomatix Pro, then I added a little saturation and contrast. I also used a Polarizing Filter, and a 2 stop ND Grad Filter.
That's the title of a Neil Young song that I really like, Dave Matthews did a cover of it when I saw him and Tim Reynolds in Las Vegas a few years ago. It's great song, look it up, but I think because of the lyrics my wife isn't the biggest fan. Oh well, I still like it. I found this little Crocus down by the river at Tekarra Lodge, just south of town. It's the first of the spring flowers I've seen this year. That's not really surprising though, as it got pretty cold for a couple weeks, after a long warm spell.
This other shot is another one of those "just off the highway" shots. I'm so lucky to live in this park. I need to pinch myself some days, to make sure I take in the beauty of the land, and make sure I don't take it for granted. It's moments like this though, watching the water rush by, hearing nothing but birds and rapids, that I really feel like I'm capturing the essence of the land. Maybe not everyone can feel it, but these are feeling that I'll have with my forever, and can only hope that viewers get a glimpse of that in my photos. Only time will tell....
After the seminar ended, and the weather cleared, I decided to skip dinner and go for a drive. I had never been through Highway 40, in Kananaskis Country, before, so that's where I headed. At first you head East of Canmore, and think "So I should have stayed in the mountains", but then you turn down the highway, and withing a few kilometers, you're right back in the middle of the mountains, and it's beautiful! I was blown away. It's still pretty brown and "spring like" there right now. I didn't have the time to hike around to look for spring flowers or anything like that, but the scenery alone was great. I'll definitely be making a summer and a fall trip down here.
While at the SNAP seminar I purchased a book by Darwin Wiggett called "How to Photograph The Canadian Rockies". It's a great little pocket sized book that highlights all the great photo stops from Kananaskis to Jasper, with a little bit of B.C. in there as well. I had picked up a few free maps when in Canmore, and marked all the spots from the book, so when I head down later this year I'll know where I'm going, and not miss a photo op due to poor directions...smart thinking..I know!
On the way home I made the trip up the Bow Valley Parkway, or the old #1 Highway, to avoid some construction, and have the road to myself pretty much. I stopped at a great little pull out called Morant's Curve, which was made famous in the 40's by a photographer, Nicholas Morant, who was hired by CP Rail to photography the rail system in the Canadian Rockies. I think I lucked out at this spot, in regards to my timing. Shortly after I set up and had the proper exposure figured out, no more than 10-15 minutes passed and a train came down the tracks! Lucky day for me! I'm sure I'll be back to this spot in the future as well!
So I've been back from the SNAP Seminar for a few days now, back to work, and back to reality. I had a pretty good time at the course, there was lots of material covered, all kinds of different subjects, from what gear the Pros used and why, to how to get published in a magazine, and lots of shooting tips and info along the way. Overall the atmosphere of the whole thing was really light, there were lots of jokes between the speakers, and with the crowd, and a fair bit of humor within the show itself. That was nice to see, as the last thing you want to do at a first time seminar is intimidate everyone there, that will never help to sell out future seminars.
I think I got the most from a section Sam did on The Use of Composition and Design. It was all about the use of tones and colors in your compositions, as well as the use of lines, shapes, patterns, textures, and perspective to add more strength to your photos. Overall it was great time, and I would probably do it again! An added bonus was that I got out to shoot a bit while I was there, the first day I spend the sunrise at Vermillion Lakes, but the sunrise was less than spectacular, so I shot some Ice Detail shots, seen above. And at the top of the post, you can see the storm moving in on Saturday afternoon, which hung around until Sunday morning, so I didn't do much shooting that night or next day. More in another post....
That's right... I'm off for a couple days for a bit of a photography learning experience. I'm headed to Canmore, AB to attend the SNAP Photography Seminar, with Darwin Wiggett, John E. Marriott, and Samantha Chrysanthou. The course will cover everything from shooting in the field, down to the nuts and bolts about the business side of photography, with a few fun things thrown in I`m sure. Seeing as I'm only getting started on the business side, that is what I'm most excited to learn about, but being around a few seasoned pros can only bring good things to your craft if you`re open minded and willing to try some "outside of the box" ideas.
On another note... It seems that tomorrow will mark the end of my 1st year blogging!! And I'm still doing it! I was looking back through some posts the other day and it brought back some memories of the past year, which was cool, and I've learned a few things along the way as, I think. So here's to another year, maybe a few extra readers this year, and lots and lots more photography! Cheers!!
I saw a photo this morning that reminded me of one that I shot last fall, shortly after I got my 70-200 f/2.8 lens, and I decided that I wanted to rework it to try a new technique that I've been playing around with the past few weeks. I think I like it, but I'm not sure if the effect would work on all photos, I know I've found a few that were better off left alone. This one I like though.
Photo: Nikon D90, 70-200 f/2.8 VR
