Elk Island

Elk Island At Night

Elk Island At Night

It is an interesting experience to visit Elk Island at night.  We are a city creatures, not very comfortable with being in nature without the ability to see.  And then, there are the noises. It is so eerie to stand in the middle of nowhere, where it is pitch black and so quiet that every noise carries a long way. Hard to judge the distance separating us from the animals making that noise. 

Winter Has Come to Elk Island - Landscape Photography and more..

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

Bison Loop 1Feeding timeBison Loop 2Mother and childWinter woodsWinter has arrivedIt snowed last nightFollow the pathTawayik Lake

Autumn at Elk Island

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

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Spring at Elk Island

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

Missing Summer Skies.. Part 2

Due to our long winter this year, I have been missing very much the colors and drama of summer skies.  I am very happy, I have a bit of a back log of images to share with you guys, because now I can show some more of these to you and remember our photo adventures when we traveled outside the city to get them.  You've seen some of my summer skies in my post: Missing Summer Skies.. Part 1 and today, I would like to share some shots I took one time, during our visit to Elk Island. It was an evening of storms, when the sky was changing from one minute to another and we were quite lucky to be close to our vehicles in order to hide from nature's fury, shoot some pictures in between the storms and hide from them again.. I have never experienced a more severe storm being out in the country. It was, definitely, something to behold.. And no, I was not going to be outside our vehicle shooting the lightning. I was cowering like any other smart human being inside it, emerging only well before or after a while, when all this fury has moved well away from us.. Kasia

 

Hunting for Bison at Elk Island

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

 

Night Skies at Elk Island - Catching a Comet

I love photographing night skies! It's much better outside of a city (light pollution) and, in order to do so we need to travel away from it. We are lucky to be close enough to one of the 7 Dark Sky Preserves in Canada, located at Elk Island National Park. Mac has mentioned our recent trips to Elk Island in his post Two Sunsets - Alberta Landscape Photography.  We've traveled there a few times during last week, taking our kids with us, in hopes of showing them the elusive comet Panstarrs.  The first time we came searching for the comet the western sky turned cloudy and there was no way to see it. We have finally managed to accomplish it on Saturday night. It was freezing cold (temperatures dropped to -22 degree Celsius) but the skies were finally clear. The comet was very faint and barely visible, even, using binoculars, but it was there!  I have attempted to capture it using my 200mm lens, but was not successful.  Instead, I concentrated on capturing some beautiful night skies. The constellations were very well visible, regardless of a bright moon, and I did have a lot of fun capturing the stars and the colors of the sky turning from evening to a dark night.. I did not harbor much hope for capturing the comet, though, after the fiasco with the long lens.. Imagine my surprise when I saw it on pictures I took with our fisheye lens.. It is small, very faint and one has to look very closely to find it, but it is there! Veni, vidi, vici! ;D Kasia

 

Old Elk Island Sunrise

Oh I know that this is already 2013.  I know we should all get a fresh start to everything, but I still have so many images from last year that I haven't posted.  Like this set, for example.  Taken during the early fall, morning at the Elk Island National Park.  Me and my wife went out in the early hours to see if we can catch a sunrise in the park.  We got lucky with wildlife as well.  Not only we found some silly bison, but a sneaky coyote as well.  At that time I was testing the manual 70-210 Vivitar lens on the Sony NEX-7... and ended up with a few missed shots, but also quite a few good ones.  Here are the best of the bunch, from that lovely day.  Enjoy! alberta-landscape-sunrise-edmonton-photographyalberta-morning-sunrise-elk-island-landscape-sony-photographer-edmontonmorning-sunrise-alberta-nature-flowerbison-cow-alberta-park-wildlifebison-dust-wildlife-nature-albertacoyote-alberta-wildlife-naturecoyote-alberta-wildlife-nature-edmonton-photographer

Elk Island Sunset - Landscape Photography

I have a confession to make... I love Elk Island National Park.  I love going there and getting lost in the silence of nature.  It's a perfect place for landscape photography, lifestyle, family photography, and of course wildlife photography.  It's not far from where I live, and makes a great trip if you want to just get away for a few hours. Of course sunsets at the Astotin Lake are always quite a sight.  Each is different, and each offers unique opportunities for really great images.  I have a lot of these in my library, and I never get bored looking at them.  Since our cold and white Canadian winter is in full swing, I thought adding a little color might brighten up the day.  So here is yet another sunset, at Elk Island.  Enjoy!

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Aurora Painted Sky

Sometime ago, in my post Waiting for Aurora, I have shared some of my photos of northern lights, taken at the end of September at Elk Island National Park.  Today, I would like to show you some more of the images from that night when magic was happening in the sky.  Such amazing views!! We are so lucky being able to witness and record this amazing phenomenon.  So here they are , the pretty colors of  the night sky that always fascinated me.  Enjoy! :) Kasia

A Man that Plays with Fire - a Different Angle

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Several weeks ago in his post A Man that Plays with Fire and the Fuji X-Pro1, Mac has posted some of his shots from our trip to Elk Island where we've had the opportunity to shoot a talented young artist (Bryton Keomanivong) who does some very cool things with his hoops and fire.  I took a side line position, wanting to capture him working his art from a different perspective.  Here is a few of my images taken that evening.  Enjoy! Kasia

 

A Man that Plays with Fire and the Fuji X-Pro1

Since I got the Fuji X-Pro1, I wanted to try it out at night.  Something more interesting than the normal night street photography.  The opportunity presented itself when we were asked to photograph a local artist, who wanted to show off his skills.  We quickly agreed, and setup a date at Elk Island National Park, which seemed appropriate for these activities.  I brought two cameras, my Sony NEX-7, and the Fuji X-Pro1.  My wife brought her Canons 5D, and 40D.  All tripod up, and ready for action.  I have to say, Bryton Keomanivong is pretty damn amazing.  The way he was, almost with out any effort, playing with fire hula hoop, and other fire accessories (for which the name escapes me), was simply astonishing.  One of the best performances I have witnessed, and was allowed to photograph.  Since I had only one tripod, the Sony went to the bag and Fuji came out.  I was hoping to freeze some of the action using an off camera flash.  I was using my old Canon speed light.  The setup worked just as I intended.  Fuji X-Pro1 again exceeded my expectations, as did Bryton.  You have to check out his Facebook page here: BrytLyght.  Here are my shots from that spectacular evening....  Enjoy! Mac

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Waiting for Aurora

It was Sunday night when we got a red alert about northern lights... Regardless of a working week ahead of us we've decided to take a trip to Elk Island National Park and see if we'll be lucky enough to witness this spectacular event.  Because of the almost  full moon blasting it's light on the sky, there was a chance we won't see much, but we were lucky yet again.  Though the beginning was slow and we were waiting for a while before we would see any activity on the sky, we were awarded at the end with a wonderful display!  The way I see it, we are very lucky to be able to experience these fairly often. Such wonders!!  Enjoy! 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

 

Golden Hour at Elk Island

Elk Island National Park is a great place to take your family to for a few hours of close contact with nature or a loving couple for a little romantic photo shoot. Not only it's peaceful and quiet there but you can experience an amazing golden hour, of which, I was taking a shameless advantage every time I was able to.  Here is a little collection of shots I have taken this summer during that wonderful time of day when the sun hangs low above the Astotin Lake.

It's gorgeous out there and when the sun gets low in the sky the world turns magical. I hope these images will bring you as much pleasure as they  bring me and I am sure I will gladly be coming back to them when the cold winter months arrive...

Kasia

A Summer Sunset at Elk Island

It seems Elk Island National Park is one of those handy spots to escape the city and enjoy a bit of nature at it's finest.  Close enough that the trip can happen spontaneously, far enough to be able to enjoy quiet and peace and one or two of amazing sunsets.  Mac has recently shared some of his images from one of our trips in his post Nature walk with the Fuji X-Pro1 and here are some shots from our most recent trip there.  It was one of those spur of the moment escapades that paid of with a gorgeous light and a wonderful colour of the sky beautifully reflected in the quiet waters of Astotin Lake..

And after the sun has finally set the view has changed yet again and granted us yet another set of wonderful colours:

There just isn't anything more peaceful than watching a beautiful sunset surrounded by nature.. Even the hoards of mosquitoes were not able to keep us away from the view for a long time. ;D

Kasia