The snow is mostly gone, here on the prairies, but it will be some weeks before we see greenery and flowers blooming. I can’t wait! It has been a long winter and I sure could use a bit of color. Late spring or early summer images are great for it because all is fresh and green is bright and not dimmed by dust of late summer days.
We are lucky here in Alberta, because some nights are full of light show. We had a couple of gorgeous Aurora showing last fall and I have managed to capture some shots without leaving the city.
I know, I know it is winter and everybody posts winter photography, but I am not ready for it yet. I see it outside my window every day, so I want to see something warm, colorful and pretty. Hope you are in need of this as well.
It has been a while since I’ve posted anything about Elk Island National Park. So, I think, it is time for some lovely sunset from the beginning of summer, when all was green, flowers were blooming and days were warm and long.
Even during the coldest days, there comes a time when sitting at home is no longer an option. I have been very lucky to be able to escape the city as often as I have. Even if it is only for a couple of hours, just being able to spend some time in the open, with sun shining above and a big Alberta sky..
I, simply, cannot believe, how fast this year has passed. It seems like just a moment ago I have had a hard task of selecting photos I liked the most from last year and now, I have to do it all over again. However, I will not be showing you my selection in this post, due to some minor technical difficulties. Instead I will share my latest images.
December - one of the busiest times of year. It is so hard to find a minute to relax with a camera, take a walk, take some pictures... I am like most, hardly find a moment to indulge, but I do try. There is just so many opportunities to play with bokeh this time of year, when everywhere you look there are lights that can be used to make things pretty.
One of my favorite things to do, after a fresh snowfall, is to go out and look for nice snowflakes to photograph. Snowflakes are quite fascinating and so lovely to look at. It needs to be rather cold for perfect snowflakes to form and stay that way for a bit. If it's too windy, they will be blown away or, simply, be destroyed (not mentioning impossibility to focus one's lens on them). If it's sunny they will melt..
When you set up on a trip, you never know what kind of weather you encounter. This summer, we were, mostly, spared the rain but, quite often, were forced to drive through a hazy world, due to smoke being blown to our province from BC fires. At times, though, the haze lifted, giving us a clear view of the surrounding world. Driving for hundreds kilometers, you can see lots of different types on landscapes, especially, if you are moving east from the Rocky Mountains towards central parts of southern Alberta. From hills partially obscuring the Rockies, to the very flat prairies, there is always something interesting to see.
It is a bit nasty outside today, so it's not a huge surprise I have turned to pictures, I have taken during our early morning trip to Rundle Park, here in Edmonton's River Valley. I can't believe it has been a month since we have visited, though the world looks much changed from that morning. We have lost all that brilliant foliage that was covering all the trees, glowing beautifully in sunrise light..
As the weather becomes colder, I find myself missing summer more and more. It is a good thing, I have so many pictures from our travels to look at. With my family visiting from Poland we were given a perfect excuse (not that we ever needed one, really ;D) to travel all over our province to show them around. This time, we have taken them to visit Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta.
Our fall colors, here in Alberta, don't last too long. We consider ourselves lucky if we get them for a couple of weeks in their full glory, thus, if we have a moment to spare we go shooting. There is something magical about the light during that time of year that makes me want to go and explore, even if it is only a neighborhood park.
I love visiting Rockies in summer! Just the fact that one can explore without layers of clothes to keep one warm is so appealing. No need to worry about road conditions and closures, no need for heavy winter gear. There are things, of course, one needs to prepare for such a trip. Bug spray, sun screen, lots of water, snacks and a jacket or a sweater - we are visiting mountains, after all, are a must. Good pair of shoes and a bear spray are a good idea as well, especially when one thinks about hiking.
I'm not very happy that summer passes so quickly in these parts.. There is not enough time to take full advantage of it, however, we do what we can. This year we have had a rare opportunity to take some of my family and friends along for a trip to the Rockies. It was a wonderful adventure, though there was not much time for fine art photography. There is simply not enough time to wait for a perfect light / conditions, especially when you try to cram as many places to show your visitors as you can. However, one can always practice a bit of travel / family photography while visiting all those beautiful places in Alberta Rockies.
It has been a few years since we have taken this ride into the rural Alberta one May evening. The weather was good, the prairies called and we went to visit one of our favorite places to see what was happening. It wasn't the most beautiful of a sunset, but we still enjoyed ourselves driving along Alberta roads,
