Beautiful British Columbia - Part 1 - Travel Photography

It's been a while since my last posts, but I do have a very good excuse. We went for a road trip to Tofino and back. It's been only my 3rd ever venture to BC, my first to Vancouver Island and I was really looking forward to seeing the land and venture to places I have not had a chance to visit before as well as re-visit the few I have.  Travel photography is wonderful because it gives one opportunity to practice all sorts of things. From landscapes to architecture, nature, macros, night shots... It is so much fun, though it does require bringing a lot of different lenses and a bit of gear. Today I would like to share some pictures I have taken on our way to Vancouver. It's quite a long way from Edmonton so we took a break from driving to visit our friends in Kamloops, BC. While enjoying their company and a wonderfully hot evening I took a few shots of their world.  We did have a view of quite a lovely sunset as well from their patio...

The next day we resumed out drive through the Rockies.  Our first stop was at Kamloops Lake where I took a few shots of a lovely view:

While driving I couldn't help but to notice a great contrast between very dry mountains, covered with sage and bluish grass with level ground that is quite often used for agricultural purposes. It does require lots of watering, as we were able to notice, and the lush greens of the meadows are so very different in colour than surrounding mountains..

Travelling through canyons and summits, on our way, along rivers and mountain slopes gives you an opportunity to see very many interesting things. Too bad one cannot always stop when one wishes... The landscape changes often on the way and at least one is not bored, stuck in a vehicle for hours on end..

I've always wanted to visit Hell's Gate again.  The first time I went there (over a decade ago..) I was awed by the incredible power of water flowing at this particular spot in Fraser Canyon.. You can see it churning under your feet while crossing a bridge. It does give you a bit of a weird feeling.. Here is a few shots I have taken while there:

Our long journey that day ended finally in Vancouver where we met one of our friends who, very kindly, took us for a tour around the city. What we saw there I will share in my next post. For now, just one more shot taken while driving, just before we reached our destination. There is not always a chance to stop on a highway to properly take photos, so I do try to shot some things from a moving vehicle. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but one must try, right? Especially, when I am in the very lucky position of a passenger and I can devote my full attention to surrounding views (which Mac is always bemoaning, having to always be the driver.;D).

To be continued..

Kasia

A Year In Macro Photography

Our recent chat about macros on a podcast Shuttertime with Sid and Mac has given me an idea for this post.  We were talking about the fact that it is easy to shoot macros all year round, for it doesn't requite taking any long trips to exotic places or getting up at a crack of dawn. All you need is a decent macro lens or extension tubes, a few plants in your backyard or a trip to the park with your family and you can always find something interesting to shoot. Whether it is a cool plant, a bug or a spider web there really always is something out there to take pictures of. As long as you find an interesting angle or a colourful background  you can came back home with tons of gorgeous shots.  I start the year with a trip to one of the neighbourhood nurseries in early May, before our outdoor planters can be filled safely with growing things.  It is always a great pleasure to look at all the beautifully colourful flowers just waiting for the weather to warm up enough for safe planting and the bugs are usually there as well. A couple of hours of being lost in such surroundings and I come back home with a memory card full of shots.   Here is a few of such spring shots that kept me happy over the recent years before the outside world turned green:

Then, things are starting to bloom outside and I start taking my camera out and about to see what new things are showing up out there.  I have shared some spring images I took close by in my post Spring 2013 so I'm going to just include a couple of more recent shots today:

During the podcast we have mentioned the fact that having an interestingly coloured background makes a difference. Here is an example - a couple of shots of the same spider web covered in dew and how the angle of the shot, utilizing different colours of the background, makes a difference:

Summer! Ah.. This is a macro photographer's paradise.. Over the last couple of years I have gathered so many wonderful shots and they've kept me very happy during long winter months..

There is always something magical in catching reflections in water droplets.. You can see the whole world inside a drop if you find a proper angle. It's always so much fun!!! And if you don't want to bother with these there is always the occasional trip into the country. I try always to take my macro lens with me. You never know what you'll find on such an outing..

And if you are tired of all that colour, you can always play a bit with an image and come up with something like that:

Fall has it's own pleasurable moments with it's fogs turning into frost and covering all and a wonderful soft, warm light.  There is always something that catches my eye..

During winter months I try to find something at home that can be photographed. Whether it is my son's guitar or a flower that was given to me, it makes not very big difference except it is not always easy to get good, strong light inside. I still go out and explore if I can. It may be cold, but if the weather conditions are right one can find little treasures outside, such as a couple of snowflakes (I've shared a few of those in my post Beauty of a Snowflake - Part 3) or frost covered foliage:

So keep on shooting guys.  There is really no need for long trips to exotic locations and you don't need too much time . Just a few minutes here and there. Cool stuff can be found everywhere!!

Kasia

Yup! Fall is here...

Summer is over. Not only by the calendar but you can see the colours changing almost in front of your eyes out there and turning the recently green world into a myriad of golds, yellows, oranges and reds.  Since the day was wonderfully sunny and warm yesterday we have pretty much spent it all outside on photo shoots.  First we've decided to check Elk Island for morning mists (which have never showed up, BTW), than I took a walk about the neighbourhood with my camera and then, towards the evening, we have taken off to check out the countryside again... Wherever we went the colours were there. In just a couple of weeks everything has changed... Let's start with a sunrise at Elk Island:

And here is a few shots from the city, which is also quickly changing it's colours:

The morning sun has highlighted everything beautifully bringing out the colours and shapes of fall  :).  And , as the day progressed towards the evening and we took a ride in the country, the evening sun has brought out the colours out even more..

Our luck held and we were given a beautiful sunset to enjoy as well, with a big sun on a hazy sky giving the world a beautiful glow..

As you can see, the signs of fall are everywhere. The gathering of birds that are already flying south, the colours of leaves and ripe fruit on the trees, the general feel of the world are all crying out: Fall is here!!!   I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can hoping, that the frost and winds won't come too early and cause the beautiful leaves to fall and leave the world naked and monochromatic again..

Kasia

Water Droplets and Flowers

I don't know about you, but I find water droplets on flowers incredibly beautiful.  Like tiny jewels on velvet they shine and sparkle, if the light is right. I always find myself quite fascinated by such sights and, when I have my camera handy will always take tons of pictures. Here are a few of them from my records. I am gladly sharing them with you in hopes that they'll brighten your day as much as they always do to mine. :) Kasia

Fall Colours - Part 2

Some time ago, in my first post of this series, I have shown you what amazing colours a mountain ash turns during fall. Today, I would like to share a few pictures I took during our trip to the Rockies in October of last year. Mac has already shared some of his images in his post Fall Leafs in Jasper and I thought, it would be nice to show you some of mine as well... When we arrived the foliage was still covered by frost, that has not managed to melt in the morning sun, but as the day grew warmer all that was left behind was amazing colour.  Here it is, the splendour of last fall in Jasper National Park.

Kasia

Singular Perfection

Yeah, it's cold out there again.  With temperatures reaching -24oC in the morning one really doesn't feel like going out and about and taking pictures.. The world in fog is beautiful (and our river was covered by a nice vapour this morning) but, considering the cold, I decided against taking the camera and freezing... That's OK, though. One can always dive into the store of pictures from last summer and surround oneself with glorious colour :)  Today, I thought, it would be nice to focus on pictures of single plants. Some of them were taken in Devonian Botanical Gardens, located close to Edmonton, Alberta and some in the surrounding area, and some in my own backyard... You can guess of which I'm talking ;)  So simple and yet so beautiful... Kasia

Star

Sedum burrito

Fall Colours

Mountain Ash, such a common tree around these parts that we tend to pass it by without paying it the slightest bit of attention.. But comes fall it can change into the most striking thing to behold.  The vivid colours draw me to it every year. And it's not just the juicy berries but the foliage that captures my attention every time. Last fall I took some images of a very young one that has planted itself in our yard a couple of seasons back and has granted me with a spectacle of colour that I'd like to share with you. Kasia

Young mountain ash

Among

Can you resist this color?!

Rest stop

Colours of summer past...

This winter has been dragging it's feet, and specially this month of January has been pretty drab, and black & white.  Haven't seen a lot of sun or blue sky this month, so I want to add some colour to the blog right now.  These are photos taken last summer during various outings in Edmonton.  As you can see, we can have some colour in the summer time.  Enjoy!