Peyto Lake under the midday sun – Icefields Parkway, Alberta, Canada

Peyto Lake is one of those rare locations that is best photographed under a brilliant midday sun to get the full impact of its turquoise water from suspended glacial flour in the lake refracting the green spectrum of the sun’s light. The three most famous glacier-fed lakes with bright turquoise/emerald water color in the Banff-Jasper area are Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Peyto Lake. Each has its own beauty, but perhaps this view of Peyto Lake seen from Bow Summit is the most visually striking of them three.

This is a single exposure shot at 16mm with a two stops soft-edge GND filter.

]]> http://www.photofool.com/2011/11/08/peyto-lake/feed/ 15 http://www.photofool.com/2009/08/27/going-to-the-sun-road/ http://www.photofool.com/2009/08/27/going-to-the-sun-road/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:30:57 +0000 photofool http://www.photofool.com/?p=3048

The Garden Wall and Going To The Sun Road in the evening light – Logan Pass, Montana

Didn’t think I’d get good sunset light to work with on Hidden Lake, I left to find a better spot and found this scene near Logan Pass: The setting sun illuminated the Garden Wall, revealing the Highlight Trail above Going To The Sun Road.

This image is a digital blend from a single RAW exposure shot with a two stops soft edge GND filter. Getting this shot was a good way to end a productive shooting day: the previous five images I posted came from a single day of shooting from sunrise to sunset. I wished everyday in the park could be that fun, but it rained half of the time we were there.

Aerial view of Grinnell Lake from Grinnell Glacier Trail – Many Glacier, Montana.

After spending the morning hours photographing sunrise on Swiftcurrent Lake, I took off on a scouting hike up the Grinnell Glacier Trail. I normally don’t shoot much during the day time, but I took out my camera and tripod when I saw this mesmerizing view: sun to the left, waterfalls to the right, towering peaks in front, glaciers in the distance, dramatic clouds above, and the spectacular turquoise water of Grinnell Lake below. Although I used a 2 stops soft edge GND filter, the contrast was still too extreme: the mountains were in dark shadows. I needed a digital blend to bring out some details on mountains while retaining some of the sky textures. I also boosted contrast to reduce the distance haze on the left side.

Visiting Glacier NP in the near future? Definitely don’t miss this hike. The glaciers will be gone soon. Curious about the turquoise glacier lake water? Look up glacier flour.

PS: I’m on the road again this weekend – will resume posting more next week. Have a good weekend.

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.

Little Lakes Valley and the Sierra Crest seen from the Mono Pass Trail

I was going to post this shot over the weekend, but I was out of town and didn’t get a chance to get on the computer until now. So, continue where I left off from my last post … this is Little Lakes Valley seen from the Mono Pass Trail in the John Muir Wilderness. I couldn’t use my graduated neutral density filter for this shot. I blended two exposures one stop apart to get this final image. I was hoping for better light and colors, but had to settle for this shot.

We were planning to take the easier hike on the Morgan Pass trail, but I made a mistake and took the more difficult hike, the Mono Pass trail. As day light began to fade, we turned back. On the way back, I kept on walking and not thinking about where I was going. As the last day light disappeared, we were in still walking the the woods! I realized that we were heading into the wrong direction when we continued to gain elevation instead of loosing. After about forty minutes of backtracking, we found the main trail again. We got back to the trail head in the dark. A little mishap, but at least I know the terrain a little better for next time. Lesson learned: don’t hike too far into unknown territory for a sunset shot!

I still had no idea where to shoot for the next sunrise.

Last “snapshot” post from my trip to Zion Canyon. This is the view from the top of Angel’s Landing looking towards Zion Valley. I sat up there by myself for a while and waited for sunset. I was prepared to get down in the dark, but thought better of it and left early. There was no clouds, and I didn’t want to traverse the icy ridge in the dark to get back. The rest of my party had been sitting in the parking lot bellow waiting for me for a couple of hours, so I decided to call it a day.

Here’s how Angels Landing looks like from the bank of the Virgin River.

The view up there was amazing, but the hike to the top was the most memorable part for me as I had no idea what to expect. If I had time, I’d do this hike over again in a heart beat, but there are two other must-do hikes in Zion that are still on my check list: the Narrows and the Subway. Until next time.

So on my birthday, I wanted to hike Zion’s Angels Landing, and what a hike it was! This is the look back view towards Scout Landing before my climb to the top of Angels Landing. I’d say this point is about a third of the way to the top. This view reminds me that I actually “walked” all the way up here from the river below – quite a feeling!

The last half mile was one thrilling hike – best short hike I’ve ever done. This trail truly lives up to its reputation as one of the best short hikes in the world. It’s easy to see why this is one of Zion’s signature hikes. The view to and from the summit were spectacular – almost mythical. The best part of the hike for me was the journey there and back. Occasionally, I paused, looked around and took it all in. At times my jaw dropped. This was one remarkable hike to be remembered.

Normally, I don’t take my camera out during the middle of the day, but in this case, I had to make an exception. It’s not one of my better shots, but I just want to share the view from up there. Needless to say, the lighting was difficult to get a good exposure. The view from the summit was also spectacular (which I plan on posting tomorrow), but I don’t think any picture I shoot up there can do the place justice.

To say that Angels Landing is an unsafe hike is an understatement. According to the US national park service, at least five people had fallen to their death while hiking this trail. The day before my hike, it snowed for most of the day. Ice and snow made the last half mile more difficult for me than it already was. The last icy section before the summit was quite dicey to get over.

Those who love to hike, in good physical shape, not afraid of falling 1500 feet straight down to an instant death should do this hike at least once! Having done it, I think without snow and ice, this trail is very doable for those who are not afraid of heights. The “climb” up to Scout Landing is a walk in the park comparing to the last half mile to Angel’s Landing. I wouldn’t recommend any casual hiker to summit when the are snow and ice on the trail – no trail is worth a person’s life.

Here are some interesting links that I found about this hike (links opened in new window/tab):

http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-angels-landing-trail.htm
http://www.my-photo-blog.com/angels-landing-trail-zion-national-park

I shot this Poipu’s fisherman a few minutes after the previous photo. The clouds moved in and wrapped around the sun in a spectacular ball of light. I took a few shots, then looked around for another subject to add to the composition, found nothing. I was about to put myself in the photo, then I saw this fisherman walked right into my frame.

I saw him earlier back near the trail head, casting his line in the dark. Haft an hour later, he had caught up with me. He kept on casting his line, reeling it back in, walking up the coast and repeating the process. I waited until he got the the “right” spot and started firing after the water surface settled. He reeled his line back in, then walked out of my frame and disappeared. We never spoke; each worked quietly on his own. There was no one else out there but us. I’m glad that he was out there, adding a personal touch to my photo. For a moment, I envied his life on the island, fishing in solitude during a spectacular sunrise.

Poipu Sunrise, Kauai

Just returned from five days in Kauai. Had a wonderful time. Plenty of sunshine. Shot a few good photos. Will get around to posting some more.

This was shot during our first morning on the island. I set out for a short hike in the dark with a flash light. Although I hadn’t scouted this particular area before, it wasn’t too difficult to find the trail on the east side of Shipwreck beach towards the Makewehi Lithfied cliffs. By the time I got in position to frame this shot, the clouds had turned from red to yellow, and the sun was getting a little too high, but it was quite an experience sitting there watching the light and clouds show through my view finder.