Fall colors in Jasper, Alberta, Canada

After all the recent lake shots, I figured I’d post something a little different. This is an aerial view of the Athabasca River and a train snaking through Jasper town amidst splashes of brilliant Fall colors.

PS: I’ve been too busy lately. If I am late in replying to your question/request, my apology. I do try to answer emails and post new photos when I can.

]]> http://www.photofool.com/2011/11/17/jaspers-fall-colors/feed/ 9 http://www.photofool.com/2011/10/25/first-light-on-pyramid-mountain/ http://www.photofool.com/2011/10/25/first-light-on-pyramid-mountain/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:13:00 +0000 photofool http://www.photofool.com/?p=4081

Golden sunrise light on Pyramid Mountain – Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

I waited for nearly two hours to get this shot. It wasn’t a spectacular sunrise, but eventually, first light lit up the side of Pyramid Mountain for a few minutes. I love catching first light on mountain peaks mirrored by a perfectly still lake surface.

There is a sense of separation in this composition: the distant cloud formation seems to mimic the rock formation under water, and a piece of driftwood serves as a lone element connecting with the distant trees on the other side of the lake. The ethereal light on the mountain is the force that binds these displaced elements together. As I wrote in my previous post, light is what you see. I hope you see what you seek.

PS: Perhaps this scene looks familiar? It is the same location where I shot Every Man Should Paddle His Own Canoe.

Golden aspens awaiting first light as the morning mist rises from Patricia Lake, Jasper National Park – Alberta, Canada

I shot this image about fifteen minutes prior to my previous photo, Layers of Stillness. From this view, turn 120° left to see the alpenglow on the Triden Range. Patricia Lake is small and easily accessible, but when those aspens turn colors on a crystal clear lake water surface, this place is incredibly photogenic. Throw in a moody cold Autumn mist rising under a colorful sunrise sky, this place can take one’s breath away. The best part about this beautiful morning sunrise? I saw only two other sunrise watchers enjoying this scene in silence. Out on this small lake, I found my own space and time, and I loved the absolute stillness of this quiet sunrise. This was one of those rare intangible moments that I can’t described nor captured with my camera. I think of myself as a “light chaser”, but it is not just about the light, it’s about finding those “pauses” that make time stands still. “Light” is what you see.

Morning light and autumnal reflections on Pyramid Lake, Jasper National Park – Alberta, Canada

This photo is one of my favorite landscape shots that I’ve done to date. Technically speaking, this shot was difficult for me to pull off. I went to Patricia Lake for a sunrise shoot. After two hours of flat light and choppy water, I decided to move to Pyramid Lake where I found calm water just as the morning light began to light up the aspens on other side of the lake.

I setup my tripod inside this canoe, thinking that I’d get plenty of opportunities to experiment with different compositions; but every single movement I made caused ripples in the calm lake water, ruining the reflections. Then the wind started to pick up, sending ripples across the lake. So I sat inside this canoe and waited patiently for my shots as the morning light dappled in and out of the clouds. To get a good exposure was also a challenge. I stacked a two stops soft edge and a two stops hard edge Lee GND filter to keep the highlights in checked and to prevent the mountain details from getting lost in the shadows.

I love this shot not because of the technical challenges, but because how I felt so connected to this scene as I sat inside this canoe with my tripod and remote shuttle release cable. The wind was a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to contemplate about what I wanted my image to convey. Since I was in Canada, it’s fitting to quote Wayne Gretzky, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” In this shot, I aimed the canoe not at the light directly, but where I anticipated the light would be when I reached the other side of the lake. I’ve been paddling my own canoe since I was sixteen. Although my canoe might be old and leaky, it always takes me to where I want to go. Of course, I am speaking metaphorically. This canoe didn’t move at all during the time I sat in it, but it took me on a journey, a self-discovering journey that I will always remember.

Oxbow Bend’s aspens basking in Autumn morning light, Grand Teton National Park – Wyoming, USA

Perhaps some my regular readers remember my first Grand Teton post, Pre-dawn Stillness on Oxbow Bend, where I described how I waited on the bank of the Snake River in darkness? This is one of my favorite shots from my last Grand Teton trip. In a span of five days, I saw this grove of aspens turned from light yellow to deep orange. They were on fire in the soft morning light.

I shot this photo two days after my I recorded my previous two Oxbow Bend images. The first morning, I saw a few ducks breaking the pristine glass water surface, but wasn’t in position to get the composition I wanted. I returned to the same location two days later and waited for a duck to swim across my frame.

I hope my viewers who have not visited Grand Teton look at this photo for a while and imagine what it would feel like to be there in person soaking all of this in … and for those who have visited Grand Teton, perhaps next time, linger around a little longer to catch those fleeting moments that can only be experienced only if one allows oneself to feel motion in stillness instead of rushing through the park.

Pre-dawn colors and reflections at the Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park – Wyoming, USA

I decided to dust off my camera and spent a few days in Grand Teton to find the motivation and inspiration to return to photography. I shot this image during my very first sunrise at this classic Grand Teton location, the Oxbow Bend on the Snake River. This is a fifteen seconds exposure made before first light reached Mt. Moran.

I love to photograph colorful sunrises and sunsets, but on this occasion, the quietness and the stillness of this scene resonated deep within me. I wasn’t looking for brilliant colors; I wasn’t looking for dramatic lighting; I was searching for a place that I could loose myself, and I found it. On this cold Autumn morning, although I shared this river bank with a few other photographers, I felt like I was the only one out there on this misty Snake river, breathing the cold morning air, watching the pre-dawn pink sky slowly revealing the surrounding landscape on a perfectly still water surface. I exposed a few different compositions, then sat down and waited for first light. In front of me, autumnal aspens waited for their turn to bathe in the warm morning sun. Above me, a late moon-set lingered on a muted pink sky. As first light struck the mountain peaks, I returned to my camera. Soon after, the river wildlife awoken and broke the silent dawn…

PS: I am still going through the selection process to decide which images to share. I don’t have time to post every day, but will do my best to post more often.

Autumn Aspen colors in Lundy Canyon.

After my sunrise shoot around Rock Creek Lake and a quick hike into Little Lakes valley, we spent the afternoon in Lundy Canyon before heading over to Bodie. I decided to leave my tripods in the truck and took a short hike. This image was shot not too far from the trail head leading to Lundy Canyon Falls. Tall bushes obstructed my view from the second beaver pond, preventing me from getting those reflective shots that I love to shoot. This was one of those rare occasions that mid-day light worked for me.

Planning to visit Lundy Canyon? The last 1 1/2 mile is on narrow dirt road. We saw a few cars that didn’t make it to the trail head. Personally, I wouldn’t even attempt to drive to drive all the way to the end without a high clearance vehicle or a 4×4. Also, don’t forget to bring mosquito repellents.

Aspen trees in the early morning light on Lake Sabrina

After my morning shoot on North Lake, I headed over to Lake Sabrina, sat out on the rocks and waited for the water surface to settle; it never did. I turned my attention to the east side of the lake. There were a lot of trees getting lit up as the sun rose above the mountains behind the trees. The slope seemed to catch on fire with the bright leaves burning in the morning sun. Didn’t want to photograph just a bunch of random trees, I scanned the lake side looking for interesting compositions.

I found this group of aspens forming a flame-like pattern. Knowing that a “proper exposure” would produce a flat and washed out image, I under exposed my shots to get the highlights to really pop against a dark background. I am not comfortable with the whole “expose to the right ” theory quite yet. Being a computer science major, I totally get why it makes sense to “expose to the right”, but having a washed out RAW image and having to dial back the exposure to obtain a more “correct” exposure later during post processing seems unnatural for me. I still tend to under expose my shots to keep my highlights in check. For what I typically shoot, shadow details aren’t that important to me. As long as I get my highlights the way I want, I’d be contented to let the shadows fall where they may.

I had a productive morning in Bishop Creek Canyon. After the light became too harsh, I went back to town to pick up Mrs Photofool (she rarely wakes up early for my sunrise shoots). We then drove up the mountains and spent the next few hours enjoying Autumn colors flowing down various creeks and streams. Well before sunset time, we left for Little Lakes Valley to scout for potential locations for my next sunrise shoot.

Bishop Creek Canyon’s aspens awaiting morning light on North Lake.

I really rushed my last post out because I got a little excited with the clear reflections that I waited for since pre-dawn. Had I taken my time, I would have posted this shot first. I photographed this North Lake sunrise about half an hour before the previous shot when the morning light began to fill the valley.

About my trip to the California Eastern Sierra last weekend, except for the high elevation locations, most of the trees were still green. The Sabrina Basin (above Aspendell) should be peaking by now. Elsewhere, I saw mostly greens and patches of yellows here and there. There were some good colors on Lake Sabrina, Rock Creek Lake, and deep inside Lundy Canyon. Barring storms, the Fall colors should be peaking in the Eastern Sierra during the next two weeks. Planning to photograph sunrise in the Bishop Creek Canyon area? Out of the three main lakes there (South Lake, Sabrina Lake, and North Lake), North Lake usually gets the first morning light. After North Lake, I typically head to Lake Sabrina to continue my morning shoot.

PS: I’m way too busy… will try to post the next one in a couple of days … same bat-channel, same bat-time ~12-1am PST.