Christmas Lights on Parliament Hill

I was wandering around downtown Ottawa waiting to photograph the lunar eclipse. It was a very cloudy night and it gradually became more and more obvious that the eclipse was not in the cards for me. On the way out of town I stopped by Parliament Hill to create a few images of the Hill with all the Christmas Lights in full display. It's a beautiful scene and obviously very photogenic!!..©2010, Sean Phillips.http://www.RiverwoodPhotography.com (Sean Phillips)

I was wandering around downtown Ottawa waiting to photograph the lunar eclipse. It was a very cloudy night and it gradually became more and more obvious that the eclipse was not in the cards for me. On the way out of town I stopped by Parliament Hill to create a few images of the Hill with all the Christmas Lights in full display. It’s a beautiful scene and obviously very photogenic!!

I went to downtown Ottawa on December 21st to try to photograph the once-in-a-lifetime lunar eclipse (coinciding with the winter solstice), but unfortunately the city was socked in with clouds and I barely saw the eclipse. So I took the opportunity to wander around and photograph some of the landmarks in the city instead...©2010, Sean Phillips.http://www.RiverwoodPhotography.com (Sean Phillips)

I went to downtown Ottawa on December 21st to try to photograph the once-in-a-lifetime lunar eclipse (coinciding with the winter solstice), but unfortunately the city was socked in with clouds and I barely saw the eclipse. So I took the opportunity to wander around and photograph some of the landmarks in the city instead...©2010, Sean Phillips.http://www.RiverwoodPhotography.com (Sean Phillips)

©2010, Sean Phillips.http://www.RiverwoodPhotography.com (Sean Phillips)

I went to downtown Ottawa on December 21st to try to photograph the once-in-a-lifetime lunar eclipse (coinciding with the winter solstice), but unfortunately the city was socked in with clouds and I barely saw the eclipse. So I took the opportunity to wander around and photograph some of the landmarks in the city instead...©2010, Sean Phillips.http://www.RiverwoodPhotography.com (Sean Phillips)

©2010, Sean Phillips.http://www.RiverwoodPhotography.com (Sean Phillips)I went to downtown Ottawa on December 21st to try to photograph the once-in-a-lifetime lunar eclipse (coinciding with the winter solstice), but unfortunately the city was socked in with clouds and I barely saw the eclipse. So I took the opportunity to wander around and photograph some of the landmarks in the city instead...©2010, Sean Phillips.http://www.RiverwoodPhotography.com (Sean Phillips)

I went to downtown Ottawa on December 21st to try to photograph the once-in-a-lifetime lunar eclipse (coinciding with the winter solstice), but unfortunately the city was socked in with clouds and I barely saw the eclipse. So I took the opportunity to wander around and photograph some of the landmarks in the city instead...©2010, Sean Phillips.http://www.RiverwoodPhotography.com (Sean Phillips)

Calgary Skyline Panorama in the Morning

Dramatic skies over the Calgary cityscape in the morning. Including the new Bow building towering over the buildings around it...©2010, Sean Phillips.http://www.RiverwoodPhotography.com (Sean Phillips)

Dramatic skies over the Calgary cityscape in the morning, including the new Bow building towering over the surrounding highrises.

I’m always on the lookout for new locations to photograph the Calgary Skyline from and so I went for a drive the other day. I tried a whole bunch of spots but this was definitely my favorite. I found a few more places that I’m going to try soon…

The Calgary Skyline Silhouetted against the Sunset

The Calgary Skyline Silhouetted against the Sunset

The unmistakable shape of the Calgary Tower stands out against the golden sky during the magic hour shortly after sunset. I’m a bit of a sucker for skyline pictures anyway, but the light was really dramatic, so of course I had to pull over to make this image.

The GC King Pedestrian Bridge at Centenary Park

The GC King Pedestrian Bridge at Centenary Park at Night

The entire region surrounding Calgary has been blanketed by a heavy ice fog for a couple of weeks now and I really wanted to make some images to capture the look and feel. It has been very surreal and haunting, and downright scary at times with the fog being so thick. I had visions in my head of images that show off the thick snow and ice that was coating everything. I’m not entirely sure I succeeded in that goal with these images, but I am really happy about them anyway.

These are Long Exposure night shots from Centenary Park, which is just East of Downtown Calgary. This is the GC King Pedestrian Bridge that connects St. Patrick’s Island to Fort Calgary and downtown. I’ve wanted to shoot the bridge for a long time, but I never quite got around to doing it. It’s a beautiful old bridge and the glow of the city lights against the clouds and the frosty trees really made it pop. This bridge is due to be replaced by a new and fancy designer bridge at some point in the next couple of years, so I’m really glad that I was able to make these images.

The GC King Pedestrian Bridge at Centenary Park at Night

The GC King Pedestrian Bridge at Centenary Park at Night

The GC King Pedestrian Bridge at Centenary Park at Night

Panoramic image of the Calgary Cityscape at Night

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