Topographic maps are one of my favorite things in the world. They are so full of possibilities! Who knows what wonders await at every oxbow on a river, cove in a coastline or hidden canyon in a mountain range. So with that in mind, this is not so much a photo of reflections in water to me as much as an imaginary landscape where contour lines can overlap and anything is possible.
Waterfalls are the antithesis of swamps. They’re pretty and everyone knows they’re pretty. There are trails to them, viewing platforms for many of them, and there’s almost always people around. The amount of waterfall pictures taken daily is staggering.
So why add mine to the mix? In short, because I can’t avoid it. I like waterfalls as much as the next guy, and trying to capture them well is fun. I get to walk across rushing streams on slippery logs, clamber up and down rocky cliffs, and relax in the mist beside a natural phenomenon of staggering power. I find myself drawn to waterfalls of a relatable size though. Generally they are a lot more private, you can usually get closer, and I don’t think any of the beauty is lost.
This photo is of a small cascade in the series of falls called the Dragon’s Tongue in Wells Gray Provincial Park. Taken at 19mm, f18, and 2 seconds.
I often get wrapped up in a composition. I get so focused on the lines in my subject that the surroundings fade away. Sometimes this focus helps, but sometimes I ignore the fact that including some of the surroundings will give the viewer a context for the main subject. This is still a very tightly cropped image (taken at 300mm), but I’ve included the shore in the background, and I think it makes the photo. It tells the viewer the time of year (fall), the place (rocky river), and the fall colors compliment the blue-green water. The violence of the water is still obviously the main subject and the part that is in focus, but now the eye is often pulled between the water and the shore.
This photo was taken while lying down near the Clearwater River, BC. 300mm, f18, 1/15 of a second.
Mountains, forests, lakes and oceans — these are the classic beautiful landscapes. Add a sunrise or sunset and you’ve got a good chance at a first rate photo. But where is the love for swamps? Or maybe “marshes” would be a more palatable word? They do have mud, insects, unexpected puddles and chest-high grasses, but they’re so full of mystery and character that their trials only strengthen their appeal.
This is a marsh near the North Thompson River, early in the morning before the sun rose. The air was still and the fog muffled the faint sounds of the world waking. I hope you can almost feel the damp, cool air on your skin and hear the heavy silence of the morning.
150mm, f6.3, 1/320 of a second
More photos from a summer of pushing myself in a different direction. You’ll notice that some of my photos now actually have people in them. It’s been a strange time of not exactly doing what I love, but of expanding horizons around the edges of what I love. Soon I’ll post some of my more normal nature photos, although opportunities for me to focus on photography this summer are few and far between.
About a week ago I had the opportunity to take a Paddle Canada Moving Water Canoe Course. I learned a ton and had a lot of fun. I’m just starting to go through the photos, but I found this entertaining and I had to share it with you. Although Reg seems quite calm in the stern, I’ve got a slightly insane glint in my eye and I’m working really hard. Thanks to Michael for taking the photo, and to Priscilla and Ryan for being awesome instructors!
We were surfing a wave here, and we had started to slip off, so I’m doing a draw to try to get us back on the wave. Reg probably had it all under control, but apparently I’m good at panicking.
It seems like all my favorite photos lately are taken during storms or on rainy days. Looking back through my photos from this spring, none of the photos from sunny hikes grab me, and I gravitate towards softer, rainier photos. I think water adds a dramatic element to photos (as well as stories – yes, I’m a Ray Bradbury fan) — it sets a mood.
The first photo was taken near Beaverhill Lake on a blustery day with my Sigma 150mm Macro at 1/125 of a second and f5.0. The second was at Chickakoo Lake – 1/800 of a second at f2.8.
Taken with a Canon 5d, Sigma 150 macro at f2.8, 1/200 of a second.
Actually, it didn’t turn out to be too adventurous. No one dumped, no one froze, and although we got a fair amount of rain it was pretty nice weather. I went on a four day canoe trip on the North Saskatchewan River with a bunch of awesome people from MEC. We put in at the Forestry Trunk Road Bridge and took out near the Brierlies (some popular rapids) at Rocky Mountain House. We ate amazingly well, had a few campfires (thanks to no fire ban) and paddled through some small rapids (some paddled through larger rapids than others). I’m still going through the photos, but here’s a little preview.
Finally starting to make my way through photos from the last few trips. This is from Abraham Lake, which has been extensively photographed by many Alberta landscape photographers. It’s easy to come up with the standard compositions here, but it’s also easy to come up with new stuff. There’s just so much variety in the ice, water and rocks. These are methane bubbles from decomposing organic matter. The bubbles form in the ice as the water freezes layer by layer.
In a shot like this, composition is everything. It has to balance the visual weight of light and dark. The three smaller bubbles on the left have to balance with the two larger bubbles on the right. The negative space and positive space both have to be interesting — here the textures in the ice and bubbles add visual interest. And because it’s nature and you can never control it completely, there will always be random elements to deal with. In this picture, the shadow of something deeper lies near the top of the frame. I like the visual reminder that in photography, art is created between the artist and the subject: you never have complete control.
