I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. Thank you all for your comments and feedback. Also thank you to those that drop by to view the blog but don’t necessarily leave any comments.
2009 has been a great year, and I am really looking forward to 2010.
Here’s to 2010!
Mono Lake is situated within the Bodie Hills, on the eastern side of the Sierra Mountains. I really enjoyed shooting this area. It has a lot to offer and I would loved to have spent more time here. This image was shot just before proceeding to the shoreline of the lake and shooting the Tufas (calcium carbonate limestone towers).
I was eager to take my new 70-200mm f2.8 VRII lens out for a test drive this morning so I headed to an area where I regularly see Moose, however on my way there I noticed the sky slowly starting to turn pink on the horizon. I knew that where I was heading was not really ideal for capturing a sunrise shot so I made a quick decision to head to Vermillion Lakes, where I knew I could get something. Unfortunately I arrived just as the initial light show had died down, but I was fairly confident that it would have a second wind, so I decided to set-up anyway. By the time I had hunted down the shot I was after the sky began to light up again. I didn’t get to take the 70-200mm for a spin but came away with a half decent shot of Mt Rundle from Vermillion Lakes.
I now have my dirty little hands on the new Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII. Nikon kindly sent me the lens to take for a test drive so I could write an in depth review on the performance of the lens. Actually no. No they didn’t. I lie.
I do have the lens, but I had to pay pretty pennies for it. I put a deposit on the lens at The Camera Store in Calgary about 3 months ago to ensure I would get one of the first few lenses to arrive. I took a couple of test shots with it this afternoon and I was immediately impressed……. So I should be. Now I can not wait to have a real play with it. The lens that is.
I decided to head out for a morning shoot last weekend before going snowboarding. It turned out to be a ripper morning. I spend about half an hour following these Bull Elk along a frozen inlet within the Vermillion Lakes area of Banff National Park. I actually felt fairly comfortable being so close to the Elk. That was until one of them decided to bloody ice skate straight toward me. It was entertaining to see, but once he made it over the other side I had a feeling I had overstayed my welcome. So off to the ski hill I went where I was blessed with waist deep powder. A perfect morning 
Well it is starting to get pretty cold over here at the moment and will continue to get colder and colder. I have started working on the nearby Ski Hill which should be a lot of fun. The hill officially opens this coming Wednesday so I can’t wait to get into it. Unfortunately winter means short short days and I am already having to go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. Bummer. It will be interesting trying to get out shooting on my days off when it is -20C and below, geee….Can’t wait!
This is a shot from early October in Johnston Canyon, Banff National Park.
Here is another shot from the morning shoot of Sausalito, San Francisco.
I hope you like it.
This is a 4 image stitch that was taken at the beginning of October in the Kananaskis Region here in Alberta, Canada.
I was eager to get out shooting on this particular morning as the seasons first snow had fallen the previous afternoon. I headed out well before sunrise hoping that the grey skies would begin to clear. It was a very still morning so I had to wait around for a while until the clouds began to pass over. I had absolutely no problems sitting, waiting, watching, and listening while the skies slowly cleared.
This image was taken from Sausalito looking out toward Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay area. Myself and Neal headed to the location about 30 minutes before first light which proved to be a good move as this is when I found the light to be at its best for this particular morning. It was still dark so the city lights reflected nicely off the low lying cloud and light fog that was about. We were also hoping for a spectacular sunrise but unfortunately the cloud was too heavy on the horizon.
Luck comes into play in a big way when you only have that one or two days to shoot a particular location. You can do as much research as you like, and have allllll the gear at hand, but having the weather do exactly what you want, when you want just isn’t going to happen. I bet if Jesus was here today and into this whole photography thing he would capture some incredible images.
6 image stitch
Well I am now back from my little road trip throughout Northern California with Neal of Spool Photography. It was a great trip and we got to shoot many stunning locations. The main locations for our shoots were the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Lee Vining, the ghost town of Bodie, Mono Lake, and Yosemite National Park.
I am now off to Montreal for a week, mainly just to relax and have a look around. I am also hoping to catch some of the Autumn colour while I am there, so I may just have to get the camera out from time to time.
I have not yet had the opportunity to go over any of my images from the US trip, but will do when I get back from Montreal.
Below is an image I shot a little while ago here in Alberta, it is one of my favourite locations to visit early morning. This was taken when we were getting the first few mornings of frost in the valleys. I really want to shoot the same scene when it is snow covered and under some beautiful morning light. A few clouds here and there would be really nice too
For the time being this image will just have to do.
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