A hike through Johnston Canyon
A trio of waterfall photos from the amazing Johnston Canyon, outside of Banff, Canada...
A must see spot when you are in Banff!
As you have heard me say before, Banff is magical. That entire area is a dream for photography and nature lovers. Everything is beautiful, and it's all pretty close too. Johnston Canyon is about a 30 minute drive from the town of Banff, and well worth every minute.
As the name implies, it's a canyon with a gorgeous river running through it. You hike a trail alongside the river for about 1.5 hours or so (I can't remember exactly, but it's uphill and you stop every 20 feet for a photo!) until you reach the large waterfall at the top.
This was my 3rd visit there in my lifetime, and I would go again today if I could. There is an interesting view at every turn as you wind your way up the trail through the canyon, following this beautiful river the entire time. Stop and take photos, sit and have a snack, and just enjoy this incredible location.
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.
Moraine Lake is gorgeous!
Moraine Lake in Banff National Park is just off-the-charts gorgeous. It's a place I would gladly return to again and again. I was lucky enough while there to get 2 beautiful sunsets...
This just in - Moraine Lake is beautiful! ;-)
Moraine Lake is shot SO often and I have seen millions of amazing photos from there. It's just an incredibly gorgeous place. During our 7 nights in nearby Banff, we spent 2 of them here so I could shoot the sunset. It didn't disappoint. I had great light and obviously amazing scenery. All I had to do was point the camera in the right direction!
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.
Sunset at Lake Louise
The day ends at Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Canada, and I am out with the camera trying to make some magic.
What an amazing place to watch the day end!
I love Lake Louise, as does probably everyone else that has ever visited. It's a gorgeous alpine lake surrounded by peaks, and the water has that amazing mineral-laden blue color that just screams "take my picture!". So I did. And did. And did.
I took a lot of them.
While I can't claim to have witnessed any amazing light that evening, I sure can't complain about the view. I love the little canoe dock there and that slight pop of red. So awesome!
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!
On the road in Canada
A road shot from Canada, where it's wide open and mountainous...so pretty there!
Just a quick post as we continue our epic summer family road trip...
I captured this one afternoon along the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada - just north of Lake Louise. I was out shooting with my daughter and kept looking for some good road spots. I had to wait out a little traffic but otherwise pretty easy to do.
Peyto Lake, finally
A destination that has been on my list for years, and I finally made it!
I've been wanting to visit this lake for years!
This is one of those things that you see online and say to yourself "I have to go there someday". That someday happened recently for me, and I'm glad that it did. Peyto Lake is about an hour and a half north of Banff, Canada which for me was a no-brainer. That's pretty close considering I was coming from Texas!
So I spent a day out on a photo tour with my daughter. What I was surprised to find is that the viewing deck that I took this photo from is only about a 10 minute hike from the parking lot. For some reason I assumed that a view like this required some serious work, but thankfully it didn't. You literally pull off the highway into the parking area and hike for 10 minutes. Then you fire away like mad and celebrate the fact that you made it here after all these years!
By the way, doesn't the lake look like a wolf's head?
The grandeur of Moraine Lake
Here's a super long exposure (3:20) of Moraine Lake at sunset...such fun and such interesting results.
Wow, what a place! I already want to go back!
I absolutely loved it here at Moraine Lake outside of Banff, in the Canadian Rockies. It's about an hour from Banff and worth every minute of your time, believe me. This place is just incredibly gorgeous, even if you don't care about taking photos. Just look at it!
This photo is my favorite from this trip, thus far. I had climbed up to the top of the rock pile that sits at the end of the lake, and had been taking some HDR brackets before I decided to go for a long exposure. I used my MeFoto Roadtrip tripod, and my Vu Filters 10 stop filter. Although I usually shoot in Aperture mode, for these long exposures I use Manual.
Once in Manual Mode, I choose Bulb and then make sure I have my remote trigger attached to the camera. I use it to depress the shutter, and lock it in place until the time is reached. It's a bit of experimentation trying to find the right exposure time and f/stop for these shots. I moved it around a little until I got something that looked good. It's fun to experiment with these, especially with the 10 stop filter since you can get such long exposures.
Sony A7II, f/16, ISO 100, 16-35mm wide angle lens, 200 seconds
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.
Sunset at Moraine Lake
The first of many photos I will be sharing of Moraine Lake, this one taken during a lovely sunset...
Although I am still on the road, I am trying to find time to edit some of the many shots I took at Moraine Lake. It's an incredibly beautiful spot!
I may go on record and say Moraine Lake is the most beautiful spot I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot. It's just so breathtaking. During our time in Banff, we spent two evenings here while I was firing away. I have a lot of shots to get to but wanted to start with this one.
Sunset was pretty stellar on that evening and I was atop the large rock pile at the end of the lake. There's an easy trail you can walk on to get to the top, and numerous points where you can set up and start shooting. I wandered all over looking for multiple vantage points and found plenty.
I will be sharing a LOT more photos from this spot, not just because I have them, but because this place really got into my soul in a way. I have been here before but this was the first time I have really photographed Moraine Lake. I hope to return someday and do it all again.
This photo is a 3 exposure HDR built using Aurora HDR by Macphun (learn how right here) and then some adjustments were made in Luminar using some of my presets (you can find those here).