The weather in Alberta has been unusually warm this winter. The past few weekends have been warm in the Rockies as well, so I've tried to take advantage with two ski trips.
On the weekend of February 6th I did a 62km ski trip with two friends, camping for 2 nights on the Columbia Icefields in Banff and Jasper National Parks. We didn't manage to summit anything due to crevasses high up on the mountain but I did manage some nice lighting! It's hard to take 'formal' landscapes while mountaineering due to the cold and simply because you're usually roped to another person who doesn't want to stand there for 20 minutes while you fool around with gear!
Last weekend, on February 11th I did another ski trip. This time I only went for one day but managed to ski a vertical 1.5 kilometers and about 15km distance on Mount Patterson in Banff National Park. This mountain is rarely ascended on skis due to it's extreme avalanche potential but with low avalanche risk everywhere in the Rockies this was the time to do it! We were the first people to sign the summit register in almost 2 years.
As we got high up on the mountain a huge bank of clouds started rolling in from the west. We managed to get off the summit before dark, but ended up skiing back through 3km of trees in the dark with only one headlamp!
wonderful images and beautiful landscapes vern...i share your love for the rockies even tho i live in seattle. i travel there at least twice a year. bill
Feb 14, 2012 at 12:27 PM
David Leask Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
#1 is nice. I wish the skinner (track) traveled a little more across the frame. But the light is wonderful. #2 is nice as well, I think you could cut a smidge from the bottom.
I like the isolated light in #3.
#4 is too cyan. I know that can be hard in late alpine light, but you can fix her a bit in post. Maybe just too many shadows with high enough sun. It's a great travel shot/mountaineering shot. Just a little blue for me with all the blue shadows for a high art landscape print.
#1 is nice. I wish the skinner (track) traveled a little more across the frame. But the light is wonderful. #2 is nice as well, I think you could cut a smidge from the bottom.
I like the isolated light in #3.
#4 is too cyan. I know that can be hard in late alpine light, but you can fix her a bit in post. Maybe just too many shadows with high enough sun. It's a great travel shot/mountaineering shot. Just a little blue for me with all the blue shadows for a high art landscape print.
Good thread.
Thanks for the feedback! You're right about the cyan but that's the nature of the light with that much snow and blue sky...
Scott Stoness wrote:
I am jeoulous of your youth and ambition in taking these hikes. And the pictures too. 1 and 2 are really nice and 3 and 4 are nice as well.
Although I realy like 1,2 - to be picky - I think a little more off the top and more below would improve in cropping to move the horizon off middle.
Great job.
Scott
Lol, thanks Scott. I agree with the cropping the only issue being a messy ski track...
