The curving lines of dry grass provide so much picture fodder.
Taken in Elk Island National Park.
Taken near Beaverhill Lake.
If anyone knows what species of grass these are, I’d be very curious. I’m getting better at my fauna taxonomy, but when it comes to grass, I’m lost.
I really wish I could have taken this photo from higher up. Maybe some day I’ll go back with a stepladder or something. But I still kind of like the photo.
Not sure if there will be photos tomorrow or the day after – my Wildlife Biodiversity and Ecology midterm is coming up quick, and lots of memorization is involved.
A small pond in Jasper National Park.
I found this cute columbian ground squirrel in Sunshine Meadows in Banff National Park. They’re super tame in the parks, which is cool for taking pictures, but a little disturbing too. I think it was looking for a handout.
You can’t see it very well in this picture, but this guy has some serious claws. I’ll just happily continue assuming they’re for digging.
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park was created in 2005 just north-west of Edmonton. In fact, it’s almost in the city. Cars are constantly driving by and industial buildings are quite close. The park is hard to get to, except for one wildlife viewing platform on the east end of the lake. Not sure if this is the result of wildlife conservation and not wanting people to disturb this area or if it is just poor planning. On the north side of the lake there is a road that goes in, but it is a gated private road going to oil wells.
I’m pretty annoyed at the park actually. I think parks should either be for the public or for the wildlife. This park seems like it’s for corporate interests trying to look conservationy and not succeeding. There are huge power lines going through it, traffic going all around it, private oil wells in it.
Taken a few days ago on Big Lake.
People often say that direct sunlight in the middle of the day is not acceptable light for landscapes. There’s a small bit of truth to that, but don’t let that stop you from taking awesome pictures. When the light is contrasty, look for things to shoot that look good with that amount of contrast, or things that create interesting shadows. When there are clouds, look at the shapes of the clouds and look at the subtle details brought out by the soft light. All light (and lack of light) is good to shoot in, you just have to look at things differently and be aware of the light.
I’m not the guy who waits for 8 hours for the right light for a scene picked out days in advance. I’m too impatient and there’s too much to see. In that 8 hours I would have missed twenty different compositions that were perfect for the light at the time. Don’t get me wrong, being at the right place at the right time is a beautiful thing. I’m just not often willing to sacrifice a day of exploring for one good photo. Maybe someday I’ll grow up and calm down.
Shot in Whiteshell Provincial Park, Manitoba at 1:45 in the afternoon.
It’s one of those fall days where you look outside and shudder. Winter’s coming. It’s dark, grey, and just below freezing in the middle of the day. It’s not the kind of day that inspires one to get outside, but once I feel the crisp bite of cold air on my face and hear the silence magnified by the foggy air, I am reminded that almost any conditions can be magical if you embrace them.
All photos taken in Elk Island National Park.