Glowing Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Sean Phillips Photography

Fulton Farms (Since 1904)

I pass by this farm almost every day while driving out of Calgary to the prairies to the East. I have only very rarely stopped to see it, and never from very close. The farm is nestled into a stand of trees, and I always assumed that I wouldn’t be able to make any good images of it from the perspective I would have when I was close. When I drove by the other day I saw the beautiful morning glow developing behind the farm, and so I decided that it was time to try.

I’m so happy that I did because the farm has never been more beautiful than it was that day! I’m a sucker for the indigo and magenta sky that forms to the West just before the sun rises (in the East) on a clear sky day, and I can’t resist the urge to make some new images. It’s nice when I can be near something that I’ve never photographed before, and this was one of those magical mornings!

Sunrise Starburst

The winter landscape on the prairies can be so beautful that sometimes I find it hard to decide what image to make next. This was one of those examples where I was torn between wanting to make images of the grain bins that I knew would be glowing a beautiful red as the sun rose, or to try to create the starburst effect you see here just as the sun peeked over the horizon. In the end I managed to do both, but I really only got to try one composition for the starburst shot, and then I ran back over to the bins to make a few more images there. Fortunately this old fence was close enough to the bins that I was able to use it to give the starburst shot some foreground interest.

Into the Raging Fire

The sunrise on the prairies east of Calgary is often spectacular and I’ve seen my fair share of extremely beautiful mornings. I was very happy recently when I had a chance to make a few images of one of the most amazing sunrises that I’ve ever seen.

The sky absolutely lit up with a furious red glow as the sun slowly climbed toward the cloudy horizon. There were just enough clouds on the horizon to hold back the full force of the sun, while still allowing enough of the magical morning light through to paint the thicker clouds above in a series of reds, oranges, and yellows. The result was an amazing, fiery red sky as far as the eye could see. Beautiful!

Gone to Seed

These grasses were lit up like a Christmas Tree in the morning light. They were completely covered in frost and the ice crystals sparkled beautifully. I saw them on my way in for a walk at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and almost didn’t go back because I was excited to see what birds might still be hanging around so late in the season. At the last minute I decided to turn around to take advantage of the beauty I knew to be there rather than hurrying in to see what else might be there. I’m glad I did because the bird sanctuary was extremely quiet, and I made my best images of the day with these grasses. It’s a little life lesson that I’m going to have to remember…

Moonset at Sunrise

Every month there is one day, usually a day or two after the full moon, where the moon sets just as the sun rises. If you time it just right, and if it isn’t too hazy or cloudy outside, then you can see the moon looking huge as it drops below the horizon. With the sun coming up on the opposite horizon the moon will glow very brightly in a beautiful shade of orange or pink.

I was out for an early morning birding trip yesterday and I had hoped to be able to make some nice pastoral images of the moon dropping behind the Rocky Mountains with the open fields of the foothills in the foreground. While I did see the sunrise, unfortunately the moon dropped into a cloudbank on the western horizon long before it was low enough for the pictures I has in my minds eye.

Before going to bed last night I told my wife that if our son, who has been sleeping very poorly lately, was awake before 6:30 AM then I would get up and take him with me for another attempt at my moon shot. Of course he woke up right at 6:30, which barely gave me enough time to get get both of us dressed and out the door, get all my gear into the car, and then find a nice location to shoot from… Fortunately we live near a ridge with a good view of the Rockies to the west, and so I went straight there. I had only 5 minutes from the time I parked the car to the time that the moon had fully dropped below the horizon. I managed to make a few images, and this one is one of my favorites of the bunch.

This image isn’t quite the pastoral scene that I had hoped make, but I like it anyway, and sometimes that’s how it goes. You can plan all you want, but if life gives you oranges instead of apples then you might have to make orange juice instead of apple pie! This is only the second time in the last year that everything came together perfectly for me to get my shot, and I have honestly been trying almost every month!