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.

12 Days

Fall comes early on the Dempster Highway.

Frosted Cloudberry Leaves - Click for larger

It would change every day. Lori and I enjoyed our time here. We spent 12 days up the Dempster Highway.

Blackstone Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon - Click for larger

It's not always a forgiving highway. We did have a flat tire but it could not have come at a better time - no traffic and solid ground to jack up the van. The warning light came on and indicated the left rear tire was losing pressure. I stopped and grabbed the tire pressure gauge. But as soon as I was out of the van, I could hear the air leaking. A sharp shale rock had punctured it. This is a common problem here. It is also the reason we came prepared with 2 full spares.

Changing the Flat Tire up the Dempster Highway - Click for larger

Camping for all of the 12 days was tough. It is a dusty place when it's dry and muddy when wet. The road can wear you down.

Camping up the Dempster Highway - Click for larger

The road is wearing especially when you are working both early mornings and late nights. We would usually wake up at 5 am and check the sky. At 5:30 we would get up and drive/hike to our designated spot for the morning shoot. Sometimes the light would co-operate and sometimes not. After shooting the morning we would go back to camp to do backups and have a snooze. Later we would play cards, eat dinner and head back out to shoot landscapes and anything and everything that showed up. Generally we would get back after 10 pm and head to bed.

Male Spruce Grouse - Click for larger

Male Willow Ptarmigan - Click for larger

Arctic Ground Squirrel - Click for larger

Cloudy Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon - Click for larger

Blackstone Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon - Click for larger

We head to Alaska next. I really hope to see the Dempster again. It's easily the most spectacular place I have ever been.