Panoramic Sunset in the Foothills

The clouds have settled in over the foothills at sunset pretty well every day for the last week. The resulting glow of the sunset over the Rockies lighting up the haze has been incredible. I’ve stopped a couple of times to try to capture the its essence in an image. Sometimes that’s a lot harder than it seems like it should be. In this case I really wanted to capture the expanse of the Rockies silhouetted on the horizon. I love how the layers are so distinct and the colors are almost magical.

The Beauty that is Castle Mountain

Castle Mountain is in the Rocky Mountains about half way between Banff and Lake Louise. It is a very scenic spot that looks good in all sorts of light and weather conditions. I love to see it when it is being lit up from the side because the shadows in between each of the parapet like peaks falls into deep shadow and makes the mountain look even more rugged than normal.

We were passing by at just the right time the other day to enjoy the sunrise. It was a particularly beautiful thing when the Alpenglow dropped down the face of the mountain. I love the Rockies!

The Beauty that is Castle Mountain

Panoramic image of the Alpenglow on Castle Mountain

Panoramic Image of the Calgary Cityscape at Night

I went downtown the other night to try to make an image of the cityscape while the Olympic Torch on top of the Calgary Tower was burning. The flame was lit in honour of the Olympic Torch relay run passing through Calgary while enroute to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Unfortunately I only had time to make a couple of close-up images of the Tower itself before the flame went out. Since I was already there I took the opportunity to make a new panoramic image of the skyline.

I’ve made quite a few images from the same spot over the last couple of years. I really love the look of the city lights reflecting on the ice covering the Bow River, so I really prefer to make these images in the winter.

The Olympic Torch Burning on top of the Calgary Tower

Panoramic image of Grain Bins in the Morning Glow

I went out for a sunrise photoshoot with my Dad the other day while he was visiting for the holidays. It was really nice to be able to head out at a very civilized time (8:00 AM) and still be there in plenty of time to fully enjoy the Magic Hour. This is very different from the other seasons where the sunrise is much earlier in the day, and is one of the few advantages that winter photography has over the summer.

I’ve shot these grain bins before but because of their position relative to the sunrise I knew they would be a good photogenic subject to share with my Dad.

Panoramic image of Mount Lorette at Sunrise

I waited for a long time after the sun rose so that I could make this image of Mount Lorette reflected in the Lorette Ponds in Kananaskis Provincial Park. And I almost didn’t get the shot!

I really wanted to catch the Alpenglow on the peak of Mount Lorette, and in the reflection in the water, but it didn’t happen with the initial sunrise. The morning glow on the face of the mountain came as sun rose over the horizon on the prairies, but then faded as the sun climbed. It wasn’t until the sun actually rose up above the mountain peaks immediately to the east of me that the Alpenglow began! I love how the mountains light up in a magnificent red glow at times like these!

Fortunately I made a series of images very quickly because it was only a minute or so after this that a large flock of ducks flew in and landed on the pond in front of me, destroying the glassy smooth finish on the surface. The Alpenglow was over before the pond was calm again. But I got the image I wanted!!