Alberta

Think I'll go out to Alberta, weather's good there in the fall
I got some friends that I could go to working for…

Ian Tyson "Four Strong Winds", 1962

Mount Edith Cavell, Jasper National Park, Alberta

After driving right through without shooting in August, it was fun to spend some time in Jasper and Banff after the crowds had thinned a bit. It was still very busy but we didn’t have any trouble getting a campsite.

Bull Elk

Hoary Marmots

We met up with Adrien Veczan and Julia Wong for hiking and photography. We really enjoyed our time with them in Jasper.

We also met up with Aidan Ramos in Banff where he is working for the summer. Aidan shared some of his photography from his time in Banff. It was great to visit with him as well.

Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, AB

We ended our time in Alberta at our friend Bruce Whaley’s place. Bruce displayed his paintings at the Strathearn Art Walk. We helped him set up and spent the day in Edmonton. It gave us a different perspective of the city. We enjoyed our time with Bruce and his family.

Edmonton, Alberta

Loved to Death

I drove through one of the most beautiful places in the world and did not take one photograph. After leaving Kananaskis, We drove north through Banff to Lake Louise. It was jammed packed. They had people in the intersections directing traffic. We looked for a campsite and everything was full. I had wanted to stay and get a few new images of Moraine Lake since I have had quite a few images of this lake published in the past.

Moraine Lake, Banff

The above image is the cover of the Backcountry Maps of Southern Alberta book. We will hopefully come back this way on our way home. It should be less busy in September. Lori and I continued up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. All of the campsites were also full there so we got a cabin. I was hoping to shoot some new landscapes of Mount Edith Cavell in Jasper National Park. Again there were just too many people.

Mount Edith Cavell, Jasper

The main campgrounds in many national parks are now “reservation only”. We don’t like to book much on our trips. That way we can stay flexible regarding weather and shooting time. We may have to rethink this for areas like the Rocky Mountains. Hopefully September will be better.

We headed to Hinton for an oil change and to do laundry and now are on our way north.

The Quest

Burleigh Falls, Ontario

The frost is melting from under my feet. You can smell the earth as it warms up after a long winter. It’s time to get outside and watch the world wake up.

Below High Falls, Ontario

Lately I’ve been busy working on a few projects and haven’t been out to shoot as often as I would like. I suspect that will change soon. With the spring bird migration and the leaves about to sprout, I will be drawn outside to the light.

The last few weeks I’ve spent “data mining”, going back through old images and finding gems hidden in the weeds. We are working on a project for a client and they wanted an image with a specific look, a “typical Canadian landscape”. We have been fortunate to travel extensively across Canada many times. I have watched the tide come and go on all 3 coasts. With all that this country is how do you say that with one image? If you were asked to pick an image that screams CANADA where would it be? The Rocky Mountains? Newfoundland? Algonquin Park? It reminds me of a time we were in France and someone said they “cook Canadian” all the time. I looked at them confused. Canada is so diverse it is hard to sum up what we are in one dish, one scene or one sentence.

Here are a few images I missed selecting the first time through.

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta

Alexandra Falls, Northwest Territories

The Palisades, Jasper National Park, Alberta

Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta

Male Willow Ptarmigan

The quest for a great image does not end with the click of the shutter. There is so much more to my ever-changing workflow that contributes to a finished image. Judging by the images above, I need to have a look at my selection criteria.

The quest continues.

Tooting the Horn

It's a long road. You have to navigate many tough days and mountains of self-doubt. The life of a nature photographer can be an isolating experience. The most successful people I know are the ones who didn't quit. Even after so many years it is still a thrill to get images out there. Here are a few of our latest photos that have been published:

My work is being featured in the July 2013 issue of Outdoor Photography Canada.

This is an exclusive calendar published in Germany:

Kanada 2014

A book cover for Viking/Penguin:

The Boys In The Boat

A cover for a mini-calendar:

Ontario 2014

A double page spread in the Summer 2013 issue of ON Nature magazine:

ON Nature magazine

The front cover on the Winter 2012/2013 issue of ON Nature magazine and some other images inside:

ON Nature magazine

"Action is the foundational key to all success" -- Pablo Picasso

Keep moving!