Winter Sunrise with Hoar Frost and Mists

I woke up yesterday to a promise of a beautiful sunrise.  Not having been blessed with those very often this winter I decided to go to my favorite spot by the river with my camera and see what I can find.  It was beautiful!! Cold temperatures combined with rather high humidity caused formation of hoar frost on all the trees and weeds and the beautiful pink light from the rising sun was just breathtaking.  Such a glorious morning!!! Gives us a bit of hope that the world is not such a bad place, regardless of the horrifying news coming from around it... Kasia

Foggy World - Part 2

The world often looks somewhat eerie, when blanketed with fog. Fortunately for me yesterday, the sun was up and the sky was blue above the fog thus I was able to admire the golden haze surrounding it without feeling uncomfortable. The moisture in the air and the cold temperatures resulted in frost covering grass and trees, adding to the appeal of the scenery.  Surrounded by Mother Nature's splendour I seem to have forgotten about the cold for quite some time and managed to take a lot of pictures, which I'd like to share with you. Way too many for just one post, thus today's part 2 and there will be more...  Hope you like them. Kasia

Foggy World

With relatively low temperatures this morning (-12oC) came fog.  It rises sometimes from the river when the conditions are favorable. The sun was shining on a cloudless sky and I wanted to see the fog up close and decided to stop by my favourite spot by the river during my usual coffee run. I was smart enough to take my camera with me!  And it was quite a remarkable experience, too!  Such a thick fog hid world from my view leaving only things that were close, surrounding them in golden hue.  One could barely see the river from the hight of the ravine.. The fog, after a while, started to rise up from the river valley and crawl onto the streets above.  Since it was so cold it left ice crystals on the trees and grasses, that shone in the morning sun. Such a beautiful world we live in!!! Kasia

Downtown at Sunset

This is from a little trip I took with the whole family to Edmonton River Valley.  Took my Fuji X100 for a little test run, to see how it performs.  I have to say, that it performed quite admirably.  It's really a great camera.  Yes there are some quirks that one has to get used to, but I think that's the process of learning new gear, and how it works.  It was a beautiful day, with the sun setting behind the Edmonton skyline.  Enjoy!

Suzi X and Effie Ether

A few weeks ago, my very good friend Randy Pond asked me if I wanted to test my strength and go on a little photo shoot with him.  I agreed, but was a little apprehensive if I could carry my equipment, or at least part of it.  Randy arranged everything, the models the place to shoot, he even picked me up from home.  He is one cooool guy.  Here are some shots from that little outing.  Enjoy.

From Northwest Territories

Here are some more shots from our trip to the Northwest Territories.  The picture above is of a new bridge being built on the Mackenzie River.  Since the beginning crossing the river was done either via the ferry in the summer, or via the ice bridge in winter.  This has always cause some problems specially in spring time, when the ice broke up.  I'm curious if the bridge will be completed for our next trip up north.

There is not a lot of traffic on the roads up north.  Also there is no cellular coverage what so ever.  It really feels isolated, and free.

Alexandra Falls N.W.T

On the way to Northwest Territories, one has to stop at the Twin Falls Gorge Park.  It is situated not far from the Alberta / NWT border, and it is a site to behold.  Alexandra Falls is the first set of falls on the Hay River.  It is the largest of the two falls, measuring about 36m (107ft).  The site is absolutely spectacular.  On one side you have this caramel coloured river:

On the other you have a long and deep canyon:

In between there is Alexandra Falls.

The deep caramel colour of the river is a caused by  its flow through acidic peat and has no connection with human pollution.  I have ventured to the side of the falls, just to see how close I can get to the edge.  Not the smartest move on my part, as the rock by the edge was wet and slippery.  The roar of the water was deafening and the drop was mesmerizingly terrifying.  I managed to snap this shot from as close to edge as I dared to go:

Researching the falls a little I found this video on youtube, (it's not my video!) that shows a person walking to where I dared to go.