It's been a fairly busy summer...well, at least it seems that way. It's September already and it feels like it was June only last week. Lucky for me, we did get a couple chances to get away and do some camping...my favorite was the week we spent in Kananaskis Country. We had a couple really nice days but then the rest of the week it rained quite a bit...including very loud thunderstorms.
I was determined to get some landscape shots while in the Mountains, my trip just wouldn't be complete unless I managed at least one good landscape.
Now while it's nice to shoot landscapes in good weather, with bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds...I think it's more challenging and thus more rewarding to create landscapes that have some drama, some moodiness. Here are some of the shots I came up with...let me know if I pulled off my goal.
I'm imagining that these first three would look good if they were hung on the wall as a set.
These next four shots were taken at Wedge Pond.
and in black & white...
This one is a little more....abstract.
This is a shot of my father-in-law's truck. I thought it would be a nice gift for him, as he lent it to us (along with his 5th-wheel camper) for the trip.
These sheep were quietly grazing by the road...a little too close to road for the Ranger that showed up. He shot a noise flare at them, then chased them with his siren on and honking his horn. I wasn't a big fan of that, but I guess it's better than getting hit by a vehicle on the road.
September 1, 2009
Kananaskis Landscapes
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5 comments:
Mike, these are a beautiful set of landscapes! I especially like one entitled Kananaskis-15 (the one with the moody violet/ purple sky). Can I ask what time of day that was shot at? How long of a shutter speed did you use? Tripod or handheld?
Landscapes are something I've done very little of, and any insight you can share would be awesome. Thanks man!
Thanks Man.
That one (as well as most of the others) was shot around mid day. It was rainy most of the week and on that day, it was cloudy but not rainy or overcast. Quite unique actually, which I was why I took off for a couple hours and drove around looking for cool locations to shoot.
That shot (again, like some others) was a result of multiple exposures and some funky processing. So yes, they were shot with a tripod. I did some experimenting with color balance, not really trying to recreate what I saw, but just going for something interesting. This one in particular took a bit of extra playing around with, to really bring out the sky the way I wanted.
I love landscapes...especially in the mountains. I wish I could get out there more often. The best tip I can give, for shooting landscapes, is to know what direction the light will be coming from, at which time of day. For example, Lake Louise and Morain Lake are usually best around early to mid morning, just as the light comes over the mountains behind you. (of course, you also want to be there before the tourist buses start unloading).
Another good example was where I camped last trip...just under Mt. Kidd. In the morning, it's getting full sunlight and it's lit up beautifully...but by the afternoon/evening, it turns into a big dark mass.
We should totally get out and do some landscape shooting together. Maybe take a weekend and hit up Kananaskis/Canmore/Banff etc.
I just got a new (old) MF camera that I'd love to try out.
Wow Mike, these are stunning, beautiful photographs! Love the colors, the crops... excellent job!
Fantastic nature and AMAZING shots :) Good work!
Mike- Found your blog trhough TPF. These images are fantastic. So are the Slave Lake ones! Nice work!
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