It was a beautiful sunny afternoon yesterday in spite of weather predictions, so I gambled on a sunset out in the mountains, packed the camera gear and headed out. The sunset failed to produce anything really spectacular but I did get some great shots overall. It started with some ice refracting light over river rocks and ended with an incredible milky way image. I did get a few sunset shots (as you can see in the main image) and had some more practice with the homemade lightsticks. I made the short run from my sunset spot to Upper Kananaskis Lake where I was messing with the lightsticks when I noticed the milky way rising. I really wasn't dressed for a winter night in the mountains but couldn't let that get away so I stood freezing on the top of the dam between the upper and lower lakes and captured a bunch of nice shots, one of which even had a really nice shooting star (or maybe it was an iridium flare). It was a fantastic afternoon and evening but I was frozen solid by the time I got home and had to stand in a hot shower for ages to thaw out. Images in the gallery have captions with locations and further info.
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It's been a while since I shot the frost on the balcony but it's that time of year again. The thick panes of glass cause their own issues when trying to make the shot as frost clings to both sides making it difficult to isolate enough shards to make the picture interesting. I only made about 10 shots as -9 first thing in the morning is less welcoming than Sarah shouting that the bacon is ready.
The christmas lights were turned on in town yesterday so Sarah and I thought we would head down there and see how it looked. It was odd to see the main street so empty at 6:30pm but we made the most of the space by scooting around with the light stick a bit. Below are a few shots from our wanderings.
I caught a young buck rubbing velvet off his antlers in the meadow behind the house today. He seemed to be enjoying it so I snapped a couple of shots. His harem were close by too, maybe this year we'll see a bit of battling and bellowing out there if we're lucky.
When Sarah and I were away in Saskatchewan last week I took along a light stick I'd made (rather hurriedly) to try some light painting in the Great Sand Hills. Though it went well it was clear I needed to make a better stick, so I bought some 1 metre long LED strips with battery power and attached them to a thin black stick, I made a hand grip on one end and secured the battery pack just above it. Now I had a light sword....or something. So, that was this afternoon and by this evening I was down in the elbow valley awaiting the darkness.
I had a great time and learned a lot from the short 2 hour session, in truth I only got 2 images that I really like and a couple more that I thought were ok but I had a great time learning a new skill and already have ideas for better locations so watch this space. We are excited to have Ethan coming for christmas this year (oh, and his parents of course) but he is almost 6 now and his Ninja Turtle headboard just wouldn't cut it anymore so I set about creating one using his new favourites, Marvels Avengers. This time I got a little more creative and 'headboard mkII' got lighting too. So now we have a built in night light on Iron Mans chest which Ethan can switch on and off himself, and a string of remote control LEDs behind to create an ambient glow using any one of the 15 colours available or having them scroll, fade or disco. The mkII has turned into a monster, there's a step-by-step guide below for anyone interested in making their own.
Just a short post to say that the three day road trip to Saskatchewan and all associated shots are now posted in the usual format, on one page with all the images and text from this wonderful trip. It really was one of our best even though it was perhaps our shortests ever road trip. Click here for the full details page.
The last day of our road trip to Saskatchewan produced some fantastic photos including this spectacular sight taken on the north side of highway 7 just east of Kindersley. As we left the town we noticed a huge fast moving cloud swirling around over a large wetland area and just ahead a little used track leading in that direction. I flicked the 4x4 switch and turned down the rutted dirt road going as far as possible before getting out and walking until we started sinking. From the moment we stepped out of the truck the noise was deafening, tens of thousands of snow geese preparing for migration flew above and floated on the lake. It was like a scene from the serengeti, truly stunning in every way. The gallery below has a closer shot of some of the geese so you can understand their size and realise just how large an area is showing in the main shot, you can also click the main image for a larger version.
In the gallery below is another shot I love from today of a Snowy Owl in the prairie grass. He didn't like it when I stopped to take his picture and flew off but we watched him go and saw where he landed, another 4x4 moment on some very dodgy ground got me as close as I dare and then I got out quietly and sneaked along a hundred meters before getting close enough for a beautiful image of him peeking from behind the grass. There's also the usual prairie sunrise and a night scene from the hotel in Saskatoon. After stopping at safeway for bread and milk we were home by 4pm having had a fantastic prairie road trip.....I think we'll be going back. We were up for sunrise again this morning and left Leader, Saskatchewan by 07:00 heading into the rising sun. We had a fantastic journey across the wide open prairie landscape on empty highways. We stopped for a few shots of the sunrise along the way and again at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park where we made a short hike to stretch the legs. After continuing on for an hour or so we stopped again at Diefenbaker Lake and the huge Gardiner Dam where we wandered across the spillway and on a nice little beach. Our last stop before Saskatoon was to grab a shot of some roadside buffalo. We soon arrived in Saskatoon and in our very nice hotel where all the comforts of home awaited. We walked in the city and had a bite to eat in the main central mall before making a circular route along the riverside park. As I write this piece the sun is setting over the city and we are heading out for a nice steak dinner. Tomorrow is the long ride home and as always a few stops for photos along the way. The main shot below is at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park and the gallery has captions with location information.
Yesterday we decided to take a long weekend in the prairies, we've never been over to Saskatchewan which is the province directly east of Alberta so we planned a route, booked a couple of hotels and set out at sunrise this morning with a lot to cram into day one.
We started with a visit to an old mine site east of Drumheller, Alberta where a wobbly swing bridge left Sarah hanging on. Then on to the ghost town of Wayne, Alberta which once boasted a population of more than 2 thousand but is now only 26. Before reaching the Saskatchewan border we stopped at some great hoodoos and had a wander around the pathway there and again at a lovely old grain silo close to the border. We found our overnight spot in the small town of Leader, Saskatchewan just 30 minutes from the Great Sand Dunes Provincial Park. After dropping in our luggage we went back out and dashed to the park for sunset (just making it with no time at all to spare). After making some sunset shots as darkness fell and the coyotes howled across the empty prairie we messed around with some long exposures and coloured lights before returning to Leader and a pizza and coffee supper before bed. Tomorrow it's on to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (with a few stops for photos of course) The gallery below is captioned, the main shot is of a boot rack at the Great Sand Dunes lit by the sunset with the moon as a backdrop. |
AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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