In what might have been the best year I can remember for displays of the aurora borealis, this may have been my favourite of my night images within this magical year. For all you Canadians desperate to head south on vacation (hey, I'm guilty), consider coming up to the North some time. We see this stuff so much we take it for granted. One of the wonders of the world, and everyone should experience it at least once....
Stars of the Milky Way make their orbit over an hour-long set of approximately 60 exposures merged together. Photographed near the Sudanese border in Egypt. [2011]
Wildlife photography requires dedication...the willingness to wait for hours on end in trying conditions in the middle of harsh habitat...a super-long lens capable of looking up the nose of a frisky moose....and, wait, who am I kidding. No word of lie: this beautiful creature was digging around in the front flower bed of our Banff hotel when we returned from dinner tonight. I kept my distance, but was amazed at how many people when right up to it, almost within touching distance, to pose for a photo. Unpredictable animals, people.
The Peggy's Cove lighthouse. This is probably the most oft-shot location in all of Nova Scotia, but I couldn't resist trying to give it my own spin. The fog's rolled in about 10 minutes after this was shot and you could barely see 20 metres in front of you, but for about an hour - from 6AM until 7AM - it was pure Nova Scotia beauty. ISO 50, F/18, 1.3-second exposure. Used a Galen Rowell 3-stop GND filter on this capture.
Long Lake, Yellowknife, Northwest, 2012.
Ignonish, Nova Scotia, 2012. Photographed after dusk this evening when it was almost, but not quite, pitch black.
It's very easy to not be a landscape photographer. I love sleep as much as the next person, but ever since I caught the photography bug a number of years ago it seems that sleep is a rare commodity. Not that I'm complaining. With my alarm set for 6AM this morning I came *that close* to hitting the snooze button indefinitely. But I rolled my sorry ass out of bed, walked down to the beach, and was rewarded with one of the best sunrises I've encountered. It's now 8:20AM. My family is still sleeping. I'm nursing a coffee and seeing a rather grey day roll in. Sleepy, yes. Happy, even more. ISO 50, F/22, 1/4-second exposure. I used a Galen Rowell 3-stop GND filter on this exposure to hold back the brighter sky.
The sunset this evening in Yellowknife was pretty nice. Love this time of year.
Well, I finally made it out for another night of aurora hunting this evening - along with my buddy, the artist Robbie Craig. We weren't disappointed. The lights started strong, faded, and then picked up in intensity once again. As always, I just sat in awe in between exposures. The title of this reflects two of the things about the north: the artistry that Mother Nature presents to us almost daily, and the artistry of many of the people who I've had the good fortune to meet and be inspired by. Like Robbie.
Another image from last night's display of the aurora borealis; photographed outside Yellowknife, NWT.
We'd go down to the river / And into the river we'd dive.... (Bruce Springsteen/"The River") Yellowknife River, Northwest Territories
A pre-dawn image photographed at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. September, 2012.
A forest scene from the scenic Ingonish area in the Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia, Canada.
They say we live on the moon up here in northern Canada, but heading towards Death Valley in sunny California has got to be a close second.
This was an entirely epic scene, photographed outside Siwa, Egypt in the Sahara desert. Wind and sand played havoc with my gear, but I wasn't complaining. — with Tom Smitheringale at Siwa, Egypt.
Buddhist prayer flags atop the summit of Kala Patthar mountain in Nepal, looking back towards some of the giants of the Himalaya.
Without a doubt one of the greatest sights these eyes have seen. A full, bright tundra sundog and whipping, howling winds. Frozen face but elation. Photographed this afternoon on the Northwest Territories tundra at EKATI.
Photographed along the Vee Lake road outside Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. [2012]
A children's bike remains frozen in time (or, for about another month until the ice gives way) in the tiny and beautiful Arctic community of Arctic Bay, Nunavut.
"Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow...." - T.S. Eliot A sun dog warms the spirits of those below, as the endless expanse of a very frozen Great Slave Lake goes on and on in the far Canadian north.
The late, great American photographer Galen Rowell titled his 1977 book, about an attempt on K2, "In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods". I've always loved that title and it has always immediately brought to my mind scenes of epic, towering mountains - long before I got to see and experience some of this mountain beauty for myself. I have not yet made it to K2 (perhaps sometime in this life), but when I got to see some of the other Himalayan giants, including Mount Everest, Nuptse, Makalu, and Lhotse - in the moment - I couldn't get Galen's title out of my head.
Tibbett Lake, Northwest Territories.
An incredible display of aurora borealis fills the skies near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Winter - I'll love you way more than I'll ever hate you. Just froze my toes bouncing around capturing the absolutely magical light that's enveloped our city this morning, but well worth it.
Magic light hitting the tips of bare winter trees, photographed here in Yellowknife last week.
© National Geographic Stock Image Library "Trinity" This was just one of 'those moments'. This was photographed in early 2010. I was driving down the highway outside Yellowknife with a couple of clients (photo tour) from Florida. On the outskirts of Yellowknife there's a spiritual centre with a cross in front. Well, this particular night - and this is the first and only time I've seen it - the spotlight shining on the cross caused a giant shadow to appear on the low moving clouds/ice fog above, which was made even more interesting by the fact that there's red and green aurora borealis shimmering behind the thin cloud cover.
Selective light filtering through the trees behind my Yellowknife house.
Intergalactic-themed couples shoot, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
A non-traditional view of a oft-photographed Nova Scotia icon.
This is an image that when I was in the moment there taking it, I actually said to myself "these colours look Photoshopped". Mother Nature is an amazing artist and this 15-minute stretch at Cavendish Beach in Prince Edward Island was one the best canvases I've seen. About 10 minutes before this was taken a giant storm system passed through, absolutely drenching the area. As I drove down to the beach I could see car after car of people leaving the beach - no doubt their plans ruined. But it paid off: the sky broke just as the sun was hitting the horizon and I was treated to one of my most memorable experiences with light. ISO 100, F/13, 3.2-second exposure. Canon f/4 17-40MM lens @ 32MM.
"Gently Into That Good Night" A post-sundown image as the sun disappeared behind the horizon and filled the Australian coastline with hues of pink and blue. Coffs Harbor, Australia. ISO 500, F/13, 1/5-second exposure. 3-stop GND filter used.
Photographed from the Rosedale suspension bridge along the Hoodoo Trail in Southern Alberta. ISO 320, f11, 1/125-second exposure. Used a 3-stop GND filter on this image to hold back the sky.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Winter, 2012.
Southern Alberta. ISO 1250, F/5.6, 1/400-second exposure. Would have preferred a more closed aperture on this one (like f22) but made the rookie mistake of leaving the tripod in my hotel room, so had to go handheld.
"Ballad of the Badlands" Another one from this summer's family trip through southern Alberta. ISO 320, f16, 1/250-second exposure.
Rosedale suspension bridge along the Hoodoo Trail in Southern Alberta. Early morning, 2012.
From my beautiful former home province of Nova Scotia, the famous Peggy's Cove lighthouse. ISO 50, f18, 0.8-second exposure.
The surreal and beautiful world surrounding Ingonish, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. ISO 100, f22, 15-second exposure.
The first rays of pink morning light hit a small hill near the tiny Northwest Territories community of Dettah. 2013. ISO 100, f22, 2-second exposure.
"Take Me Away" Yellowknife River, just outside Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Although this time of year is fantastic for viewing the aurora - the light shows are plenty - my favourite time to photograph these breath-taking displays is in late August and early September. The reflection of the aurora always adds to an image (opposed to photographing in winter, when the lakes and rivers are frozen), in my opinion...and not freezing your butt off is always an added bonus.
When I was a boy growing up in Northern Alberta I remember winters being a mix of icy cold conditions, hockey - I was an avid fan (I used to buy and memorize every new edition of the annual record book) - and the occasional display of aurora borealis. I can remember my father running into the house excitedly, telling us to "chuck our parkas on over our pajamas and get outside, pronto!". This image, which I photographed last February, symbolizes Canadian winters to me.
A total experiment. I've played with zoom-blur while photographing people in the past, but have never tried it in nature. This was photographed on Friday at Elbow Falls - I wanted to try to give the feeling of 'going over the edge'. ISO 160, Canon f/2.8 70-200MM lens, handheld, zoomed out from 200MM to 130MM during a 1/60-second exposure. f/14.
"A Love Story For Yellowknife" Fingers and toes are frozen but dammit, I love this city. Just finished an engagement photoshoot with a couple who wanted something out-of-the-ordinary but representative of the city that means so much to them. This was a heck of a technical challenge to pull off, trying to get a sharp long-exposure (this was about 20-seconds) working in pretty much blackness with gear freezing up. But worth it. Big thanks to my polar subjects, Nathalie Nadeau and Rachelle Saulnier, who braved 90 minutes of cold while I did my thing.
The thing about sitting in a hotel in Mexico...is that you finally find some time to edit your photos from your last trip to Mexico.Photographed this back in November, on the shores of laid-back Mazatlan, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
"Morningside"An image celebrating the simple beauty of southern Alberta. Photographed outside Drumheller, Alberta this image was the result of a wrong turn: searching for the famous hoodoos I ended up in farm land rather than the rugged valley I was looking for. I blame my 6AM brain. But it ended up working: I got several images in the fields surrounding Drumheller I was happy with - a spectacular sunrise helped.