After months of anticipation the British Columbia fires that were causing the haze around Glacier National Park wasn’t giving me warm feelings about traveling to points north, specifically Banff and Jasper National Parks. Because weather plays such a vital roll in great landscape images I was toying with the idea of heading to Washington State for some Seattle and Olympic National Park images, but after some phone calls and assurances that Banff wasn’t being hurt by the smoke I decided to give Canada a try. If nothing else I could do a quick few days of research for future jaunts.
The Banff Springs Hotel on an early Fall Morning.
As I drove along Highway 2 into Calgary I noticed the Canadian Rockies to my west... Or should I say lack of the Canadian Rockies as they were being blocked by the same haze that gave me fits in Glacier. The Haze persisted as I continued north and I initially planned on being in the area for only a long weekend. However, even though the next four days greeted me with perfectly clear skies, the haze would be muted at times due to the upper level winds. This was giving me hope and after several days I decided to stick it out until a weather system came through to clear out the area.
Peyto Lake away from the viewing platform (see YouTube video).
The goal for my Fall Photo Trip 09 was Moraine Lake. The images I’d seen online and in print amazed me. The area reminds me of the Maroon Bells in Colorado. An amazing view that takes little effort to hike to... Actually there’s no real hiking involved, just get up really early (5:00 a.m. in my case) and be on top of the “rock pile” by 6:00 a.m. Of course with any great image a little leg work is required and I drove up to Moraine Lake my first evening to check things out. I took a few photos (I just couldn’t help myself) and found three spots I really liked. I would determine where I would setup my camera for the next day based on that mornings weather (clouds or lack thereof), but I also need some alternatives just in case the crowds of photographers precluded me getting my first choice. Surprisingly I arrived the next morning to find myself all alone to bask in the glory of Moraine Lake. I had heard that this location, because of its relative ease of access, was a hornets nest of activity at sunrise. Guess whoever said that was referring to July or early August?
Moraine Lake and its canoes. One of the many "classic" shots.
I was honestly surprised that I had Moraine Lake all to myself. There wasn't a person in sight until well after sunrise... Strange as this location is inaccessible (by automobile at least) during the winter and spring making the photo season rather short. The second morning did give way to eight tripod hugging zealots like myself, however many were setting up in locations I thought were less than ideal, but who am I to say what effect or composition they though looked best. Just as with the first two days the following three greeted me to clear skies. After many mornings of clear sky compositions, from all three of my original locations, I elected to try other lakes until clouds arrived. It didn’t take long. On my seventh day in the Canadian Rockies a weather system came through that brought with it not only the clouds I was seeking, but the wind as well. I received a brief amount of color, but no reflection due to the wind. Later I hiked back down to the boat dock and photographed the image you see above.
A few more days of clear skies (and returning haze) had me thinking about leaving again. The cost of staying in Banff or Lake Louise or anywhere within the Canadian Rockies was getting a little out of hand. I think the next time I arrive (maybe mid-June) I’ll rent an RV as the distances from the few cities to good morning shots is a little too much. The price for food in the area is a little nutty too. My seventh day (9th total for the trip so far) gave way to clouds and light winds. Only problem was that the clouds were scattered along the eastern horizon and my target was south. Not good, but I had to take a chance... Besides clouds were moving very quickly and the forecast was for scattered rain later in the morning. I knew from past experience that 15 minutes can make a big difference...
Moraine Lake in all here majesty (see YouTube video)!
When I setup my equipment for the image above it was 6:30 a.m. and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky (facing the mountains at least). There was a nice light show going on behind me and I began to question my stubborn decision to return, once again, to Moraine Lake. Sunrise was around 6:52 a.m. and I knew light would begin hitting the peaks by 7:05 a.m. At around 7:00 a.m. I began to see wisps of clouds creeping over the southwestern horizon. Clouds! Now it was just a matter of time. Would those same eastern clouds that put on such a nice display behind me mute the newly forming western clouds? Would there be any show at all or would the 3-5 minute window I was hoping for be blocked by one, large cloud sitting between me and the Sun? Then it happened. The show began and my camera roared into action. I had placed a .9 (three stop) graduated neutral density filter in front of my lens to mitigate the bright light along the upper part of the scene. Without such a filter you’d see only bright sky if the mountains were to be properly exposed. I tried a series of overlapping .6 and .9 filters, but the effect was a little too obvious to me.
I made a new friend while waiting at Peyto Lake.
I’d say that over half the mornings at Moraine Lake were lonely... As in I was the only person there! For a few lucky photographers they had arrived on
the day. The only problem was that while the show was going on I witnessed several of them moving their tripods and reaching into their bags?! If you’re lucky enough to be at the right spot when a show like the one above appears you'd better be ready... It usually only lasts a few minutes. I was a little dumbfounded by their luck and then their nonshalaunt attitude when the show did arrive. This type of display at Moraine Lake happens maybe eight to ten times a year... That's a maximum of 50 minutes a year and I'm being generous with my figures at that.
Well, even though I have “my shot” for Canada, I still went back out to try my hand again at some vertical compositions the following day. Clouds and wind greeted me, however a nice couple from Calgary had shown up with their children and we chatted while waiting for the light. The light never did arrive, but having someone to talk “shop” with was a nice change of pace. Speaking of change of pace I’d also like to give a big shout out to The Hoffrage Family. The hike we did as well as all the socializing really made for a nice time in the Lake Louise area... Thanks guys!
Currently it's raining outside so I thought I’d try to post a quick blog before heading back to bed for a few more hours of needed sleep. I have two more days at the Lake Louise Alpine Centre (a
very nice hostel located in the heart of Lake Louise) after which time I’ll head back into Calgary and then the Waterton section of Glacier National Park. I’m hoping to capture a few Teton NP photos as well, but timing for fall may be an issue as I believe both Teton NP and the Maroon Bells can peak at about the same time. Internet coverage is spotty around Banff and Lake Louise and I don’t have cell phone coverage so updates via Twitter or this blog have been spotty as of late. Also, I’d like to reiterate that the images on this blog are dumbed down samples that lack the color fidelity of the originals. After viewing the blog update on my iPhone, MacBook Pro and the Alpine Centre computer I've come to the conclusion I'll always have less than accurate examples online (e.g. washed out look) vs. my printed images. This is due in part because of the limited sRGB color space of your monitor, but also due to the fact that I do not assign a color profile to the images. I've found that not assigning a profile will slightly dull the overall image, but keep other issues from arrising such as displaying images with overly saturated reds and greens. A technical issue you needn't worry about, but wanted to comment on because the original images look much better than the online versions. Needless to say I can’t wait to get home as I know the prints themselves are going to be fantastic.
One last item regarding the technical aspect of my photographs. I've had a few people (jokingly I hope) comment about if an image has been "Photoshopped". NO. I have not added or enhanced anything you see. The images come from hard work, persistence, a LOT of patience and going back time and time again to work the area. Yes, luck is involved, but you
make your luck by doing the things mentioned above. My split neutral density filters along with bracketing the exposure also allows for the results you see. One piece of equipment that goes without saying for moody sunrise and sunset shots is the tripod. You
must use a tripod since hand holding your camera just won't cut it for the soft, dark light of early morning and late evening. Some of my exposures are over 30 seconds long. These longer exposures allow the sensor (or film) to capture subtle colors even your eye won't detect when in the field! I find more times than not when someone makes a blanket statement regarding Photoshop they have little idea of what is really involved in taking a great landscape image. People who think a mid-day image can be modified in Photoshop to look amazing are only looking for an excuse to justify why they didn't bother to get up at 5:00 a.m. (sometimes as early as 2:00 a.m. if a longer hike is involved). If you see an image you admire at a storefront or online gallery and you hesitate to purchase it because of its asking price, think about the effort the photographer put into capturing that image. Think about the days and days he or she hiked into the wilderness that resulted in no image at all! The investment in time, let alone money, more than justifies the cost of any great landscape print. This is something even I didn't realize until I tried it myself. With the exception of one photograph on this website, all of my proudest images took days, if not weeks, of going back and seeking out better compositions and light. No amount of computer trickery will substitute for hard, honest work... Off my soapbox.
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