A good night in Victoria
A pair of photos from lovely Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from my visit there last summer...
Sometimes you get a couple of good ones on the same night!
Not always, but sometimes. I'm always trying, of course, because who wants to go home without a bunch of good photos? Not me. Heck, I spent time and money getting there. I have to make it worthwhile, right? So on this particular night in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada I happened to get a nice sunset and then a lovely blue hour.
These shots are literally just a few steps apart, so it's not like I was wandering all over the place. It barely evens qualifies as walking, and certainly it's not exercise. But hey, I got some shots that I like, so no complaints from me.
I spent quite a while at the BC Parliament Building (first photo) during that lovely sunset, before hopping across the street to fire away at the Empress Hotel during blue hour (second photo). The entire town is pretty small, but this harbor area is really pretty and quite photogenic, so no need to go elsewhere anyways. :-)
Sunset in Victoria
A stunning sunset in the harbor of Victoria, BC, Canada...
Sometimes the action is behind you!
We were in Victoria, BC and I was busy shooting the amazing Empress Hotel. Since it was sunset, some nice warm light was falling on the facade of the hotel and it looked pretty awesome. But of course, I always look behind me too (just in case) and when I did I noticed just how incredible the light was looking. So here's a quick snap from that!
The Kicking Horse River
A pair of shots from the Kicking Horse River in Field, British Columbia...such amazing scenery!
Just another beautiful spot in Canada!
I don't know how anyone in western Canada gets anything done. There is so much incredible natural beauty that I would never be able to sit still. I would be out shooting all the time!
This was in Field, BC which we stopped in while headed from Banff to Vancouver. Our destination was Emerald Lake, which is gorgeous, but after that we paused here for a quick snap of this gorgeous river and the natural rock bridge that straddles it.
See what I mean? We didn't even know about this stuff, and just stopped in case there was something to see, and wow was it amazing!
Emerald Lake
Emerald Lake, one of many beautiful spots to grab some photos in western Canada...
Another jewel in the mountains of western Canada!
Oh my, there is just so much incredible natural beauty to see in western Canada. It's almost impossible to go anywhere without wanting to stop and take some photos. I'm not complaining, of course. ;-)
This beautiful spot is Emerald Lake, which is accurately named. It's just over the border from Alberta as you are coming into British Columbia. I heard about this from another photographer when we were in Banff, and he mentioned that it's a great place to stop if you are leaving Banff and heading west (which we were, thankfully).
So we pulled over and hung out here for a little while. I wandered and took a few shots, but all in all it was just a quick stop. I would definitely like to return at some point so I could capture more angles and do some long exposures and sunsets here. Well there is always next time!
Sunset at The Empress
Sunset at The Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia...
Lovely Victoria, BC really sparkles!
If you haven't visited Victoria, British Columbia yet, I think it's well worth it. It's not a big place but it's packed with charm and beauty. The Empress Hotel is the centerpiece of the beautiful harbor and I got out to shoot it during sunset one evening. I had some lovely clouds and with the harbor in front of it, it's hard to take a bad shot!
An afternoon at Emerald Lake
Emerald Lake in British Columbia, Canada is just stunning. I caught it one afternoon and the clouds and still water were just perfect for some HDR photography...
This place is well worth a stop!
When we left Banff and headed towards Vancouver, there was one stop in particular that I wanted to make - Emerald Lake. I had heard about it from another photographer that I chatted with while I was at Moraine Lake one evening. It sounded gorgeous, and when I looked at the pics online I knew I wanted to see it.
We arrived about mid-day and the parking lot was a total mess. There were cars everywhere and even tour buses trying to find a place to stop. I was a little anxious because I knew this wasn't a place I could easily return to, and selfishly I wanted to get my shots.
Luckily, most of the tourists were on the trails or in the restaurant, because it was really easy for me to set up and take some shots. This is one of the first places I came across after leaving the parking lot. I think those red canoes just pop against all the greens and blues in the scene, and that's what caught my eye here.
The Natural Bridge
An interesting little stop in British Columbia...so much beauty there!
Found this little gem in British Columbia, and I'm so glad that I stopped!
After we left Banff, we headed towards Vancouver with a planned visit to Emerald Lake en route. I had seen some amazing pics of Emerald Lake and since it was just a short detour off the highway it made total sense to check it out.
It was well worth it (and I just realized I haven't edited those pics yet), but upon heading back to the highway we saw a sign for the Natural Bridge and decided to pop in there and see what it was.
Basically, it's where a river has eroded rock to sort of make a bridge across the river with the water running under/through the rock. It's beautiful, and I'm glad we stopped. It was also crowded as hell, but then again this was high summer season. While I didn't dare walk out there as this young lady did, I certainly found a few spots to take it all in (and take some photos, too).
Vancouver sparkles
Vancouver Canada is a beautiful city, and I had the best view of the skyline when I was there...
I love shooting skylines, especially when the light is beautiful!
When we were in Vancouver, we lucked into an amazing AirBnB with this outrageous view of the city. When I first walked into the apartment, I went straight to the balcony to check it out, and started shooting about 5 minutes later (even though it was daytime). When the day ended and the lights started coming on, I was on the balcony with the tripod and all that so I could fire away. It's rare to get an exceptional view in a hotel, but this apartment was perfectly situated, plus I had a balcony so there was no issue with shooting through the glass.
And by the way, this is an HDR photo made with the amazing new Aurora HDR 2018. If you want to learn about that and get in a preorder for this new version, check out my lengthy blog post here which includes screenshots, sample images and a video, too.
Fire in British Columbia
A roadside stop in British Columbia this summer, due to massive wildfires...
We were forced to stop, and this is why.
When we were driving across British Columbia, we found ourselves stuck in major traffic on a small road in essentially the middle of nowhere. It's not the place you expect to get into traffic, but there we were. At the same time, we were noticing some strange colors and clouds in the sky.
We put two and two together and realized it was one of the fires that was rampaging across parts of BC at the time (this was back in July). Sadly quite a bit of area was burned. We were lucky - we were only stuck here for about 30 minutes while crews got to where they needed to be to go fight the fire. I sure hope those involved made it out safe and sound!
The skyline of Vancouver
A look at the skyline of Vancouver, Canada...
Wow, Vancouver Canada is quite a city!
I have been to Vancouver before, but it was many years ago. We stopped there for a few days on our road trip and really enjoyed it. It didn't hurt that this was the view from our AirBnB rental! I literally just walked onto the balcony and fired away, about 5 times a day. In fact most of my shots from Vancouver are of this view, it was so awesome!
Blue hour at the BC Legislature
A lovely sunset ends over the Legislature in Victoria, BC...
I've wanted to shoot this for years and finally made it here!
I have been to Victoria, BC before but it was prior to me really being a photographer. Over the years I've seen countless shots of the BC Legislature building here and just wanted to get my own chance to shoot it. Finally it happened.
We spent 3 days or so here on this family road trip (which is still happening...we are now in California) and one evening I got out to shoot around the harbor. I had hopes for a good sunset and Mother Nature delivered! It's wasn't amazing, but the light was great with some color in the sky and I was quite happy to stand here and fire away. It's great when a long-imagined photo opp comes to life!
Canoeing at Emerald Lake
A family heads out on Emerald Lake in a canoe...and the red canoe really stands out among all the green!
Wow, this lake! Gosh the color is CRAZY.
I love taking photos of places like this. It looks like I totally Photoshopped the thing but honestly I did not. The water really is that color, and it's gorgeous. I am still working through all the photos from this trip (and technically, I am still on the trip and taking plenty more).
Emerald Lake is about an hour from Banff (in the Canadian Rockies) and technically it sits in Yoho National Bank, not Banff National Park. Oh, and it's in British Columbia, not Alberta. Hope that's not confusing! :-)
Just Google it whenever you find yourself in the area and bring the camera. It's incredible.