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.
I can't believe summer vacations are almost over! Cruel time waits for no one... Fall will be here soon and I haven't enjoyed summer as much as I wanted to... It's a good thing that I have managed to take some pictures of the summery world to go back to later in the year, when it isn't sunny and warm and colorful any more, when it's more difficult to go out of the city and enjoy nature..
Well, apparently, it's spring... It is difficult to believe it somehow with snow falling and wind blowing outside. It's going to be a few more weeks before we will see anything green around. But I will not despair. I will simply look at my pictures from last spring and enjoy them with a hope to witness similar views soon.
Yes, we got snow! It seems it's been a regular occurrence at the beginning of November for the past few years.. Well, can't do much about it but try and enjoy the event, so we have taken a trip to Elk Island with a group of photographic friends and went exploring. Here is a few shots from that outing. Must say, the world looks quite beautiful in a fresh layer of white! Hope you enjoy :D Kasia
It's been a while since we last visited and posted something from Elk Island National Park (Spring at Elk Island). We went for a short trip there to capture a sunrise a couple of weeks ago. The sunrise was not very spectacular due to the thick layer of clouds, but soon after the sky started to clear a bit and we decided to stick around for a moment longer to go and check a few of our favorite places. We got lucky and spotted a few animals as well. The thing about nature photography is that it really brings me a lot of pleasure to be able to capture some animals in their natural environment, but it also allows me to experience that environment. And if I'm lucky it is as spectacular as it was that day! Here is a few shots from that trip. I must say, I really like Elk Island dressed in fall colors ;D Kasia
The last time we've ventured to Elk Island National Park the world was covered in deep snow.. (Hunting for Bison at Elk Island). Now all this snow has melted and turned the land into one almost everlasting wetland.. There was no silence when we arrived there about a week ago in the evening. The music of frogs and mosquito buzzing, interrupted on occasion by a bird call or two was everywhere.. Thank Goodness for bug spray!!! If it wasn't for a heavy layer of it we would have been eaten alive!! But, we were rather well prepared, having a tube of the heavy stuff stashed inside our vehicle at all times :D. And it was great because if we weren't prepared we would have missed all the sights we've seen: beavers going about their supper, lots of birds and a surprisingly beautiful sunset - which we didn't really expect due to the clouds gathering on the western horizon. All in all, it was another wonderful trip, made better by the fact that when we started our drive we never planned to arrive at Elk Island.. It just happened ;D.. And, since today, the sky is rather heavy with dark clouds a little bit of colorful sunset and vibrant spring world will do us good, I think.. So enjoy! Kasia
As I have mentioned before, in my post Night Skies at Elk Island - Catching a Comet, we have visited Elk Island National Park a few times recently. It is a great pleasure to be able to visit a wild place without having to drive for hours on end.. Escaping the civilization is a wonderful way to relax and if you are lucky enough, you not only see some gorgeous skies, but get a glimpse of some animals as well. We have been lucky this time to catch a few shots of bison. We have started our search for animals with Bison Loop, alas there was no bison there. We did manage to capture a couple of lovely sunset pictures, though (some of them shared by Mac in his post Two Sunsets – Alberta Landscape Photography) but we had to move a little bit deeper into the park before we saw any animals. The world looked beautiful covered in the golden glow of setting sun. The shadows were long and the light just great and it was a pleasure to spend some time in a peaceful place... Here is a few shots I was able to take. No blood was spilled during our hunt, and that's the way I like it! ;D Kasia
We got a little lucky this time around in Jasper National Park. We did manage to see a bear, which is usually rare for us, plus some possessed molting mountain goats. Both great opportunities to try out my 200mm f4 Pentax lens. I find that even though the lenses are manual, it gives me a lot more creative freedom on a great camera. The 200mm lens is really easy to focus, smooth, and light, making it perfect for hand holding. Here are some wildlife images from the park, shot with the 200mm. The last set of images are of an amazing sunset we encountered on our way back from Jasper. A perfect ending to a perfect trip. Enjoy!
When I decided to try to shoot my star trails I came out to the Elk Island park, a little early. I really wanted to try out my friends 24mm tilt-shift lens. I have to say, that it is going to be really hard to give that lens back. Really hard. I had to try it out on landscape photographs, and what better place for that than Elk Island National Park. Arrived at the park, just before the sunset, and here is the first part of what I captured. Enjoy.
Shooting with the Canon 1D Classic is a pleasure. I really like how it feels in my hand. It's big, heavy and solid. The shutter button compared to my 5D is a little sensitive and I found myself firing shots by mistake. Also adding a 70-200mm lens with a canon 2x extender adds a lot of weight. Shots at 1/100 shutter speed become challenging unless on a tripod. Still I did manage to get a few good shots handheld. Here are the last shots from my trip to Elk Island.
I know I'll be showing my ignorance of the animal kingdom.... but I think this is Elk....
What is the best way to finish off a picturesque trip to Elk Island? With a beautiful sunset of course :)
So a couple of days ago, a package arrived at my door.... post marked from Australia. I almost cut myself opening it. My hands were trembling a little when I dug into the styrofoam. What I uncovered was a beautiful black Canon 1D. Yep no other designations, no Mark this or Mark that... none of that nonsense :) . This is an original Canon 1D and right now I could easily call it Classic. The camera is in perfect condition, apart from little scuffs on the top. Works great too. Yes it's only 4.5Mpx, but the megapixel race is over, and this is a 10 year old camera, so I'm not concerned. I charged the batteries the same day, and decided to take it out for a spin in Elk Island.
I took both of my Classics, the 5D and the 1D. I put a 70-200mm plus 2x extender on the 1D, and a wide angle 17-40mm on my 5D. I mainly concentrated on the animals with the 1D. Luckily they were very photogenic that evening.
Also our canadian beavers were out in full force building their new house. There were 5 of them and they really didn't pay any attention to me. I was standing at the edge of the pond maybe 8-10ft from them.
The pictures have minimal editing on them. White balance adjustment, levels, and a little sharpness. I have to say that the 1D passed with flying colors. More pictures from the trip, on the next post.
