Mountain Photography from Kimberley
Here are a collection of my favorite “arty” photographs taken at the Kimberley ski area in mid-February 2024:
Some interesting photos from the chair lift:
More images of trees and snow:
Rocky Mountain Beauty in Early-December
I recently visited the Sunshine Village ski area in the Rocky Mountains near Banff (Canada). I was struck by the beauty and here are some of the photos of the mountains, the infrastructure and activity, that I captured:
A January Day in Photos
Here are a collection of my favorite winter photos from January 3rd, 2023 in Edmonton’s river valley:
Falling Into Winter 2022
Here are a selection of my favorite photos taken in late-September, October and November 2022, in Edmonton:
And some abstracted photos from mid-October:
Into November, with a rather sharp transition to winter:
The Best of My Summer 2022 Photos
Here are some of my favorite photos (in a variety of styles) taken in July, August and early-September of 2022, in the Edmonton’s: river valley:
Flowers of summer:
Here are some favorite black and white or monochrome photos:
In early August I captured some interesting geometric abstracts mostly from at MacEwan University:
and in an abstract vein, using Intentional Camera Movement:
And a few more nature-y images from late summer:
Finally a monochrome photo of Dawson Bridge, with a late-summer evening haze:
Landscape/Nature Photo Art – Spring/Early-Summer 2022
Here are a collection of photos captured from late April into the middle June, 2022, mostly from the river valley at Edmonton, Canada.
The following set of photos are of flowers in bloom at the St. Albert Botanic Park (2022 June 20)
Seeing Winter in Different Ways
Here are a collection of some of my recent photos, of different winter subject matter and processed in different ways:
All of these images were taken in Dawson Park in Edmonton, Canada on 2022 February 11.
Winter Beauty in Photos
Here are a variety of recently (January 2022) captured winter nature photos:
Deep Freeze
The following set of photos were taken in late December 2021 in Edmonton, when the temperatures (daytime highs) were in the -25C range. This made the photography a bit of a challenge as I didn’t want to expose the camera nor my hands to the cold for too long.
The preceding photos were taken on a cloudy afternoon and the following set, on the next day, with a mostly sun and blue skies.
Old But Not That Old
I’ve recently been experimenting with software that simulates the look of photos created through the history of photography. The software that I am using is DxO’s FilmPack 6 (FP6). Among the historical looks that appeal to me and that I have been applying to some of my photos, are the style of the early 1900’s and especially that of Eugene Atget, a French photographer.
I thought that some of my photos, taken in the 80’s, in Paris, might be particularly suited to the historical treatment. My photos from that time were obviously taken on film and I subsequently scanned and digitized them, so they lost some of the detail in the process but given the limits of film and processing from a hundred years ago I think that only adds to the authenticity of the look. Here are two of my photos software-adjusted to simulate the look of photos from around the year 1900:
Here are photos that I took in 1984 at Paris’s Père-Lachaise Cemetery. These are intended to look like something Atget may have captured in the first couple of decades of the 1900’s:
One of my reasons to visit that cemetery was to see the final resting place of Jim Morrison:
So what do I think of software manipulation of photos to give them an antique or historical look? Well it is kind of fun and I’ll probably play around with it a bit more, particularly on old, low quality images. I’m not trying to fool anyone but if the look of the photo contributes to the mood conveyed by the image and that helps tell the story then I think the historical treatment is valid.
More From the Icy River’s Edge
Here are another set of photos from Edmonton’s river valley. These were taken down near the North Saskatchewan River’s edge late in the afternoon on November 24th, as winter slowly, steadily settles in.
The Sun is Setting
Some images from a late-summer (early-September) evening walk in Edmonton’s river valley – the shadows are longer, the paths are a bit darker and moodier, the white poplar tree trunks seem to jump out of the darkness.
Sticks and Stones – Photos at a River’s Edge
Here is a little photo essay of the sights to be seen, details to be noticed, at the edge of the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, in late-summer:
These photos were captured on 2021 August 26, on the east side of the North Saskatchewan River, south of Dawson Bridge.
2018 – The Best of Black and White
As much as I love color there is something about black and white images that has always appealed to me. Inevitably when I go out a shoot a bunch of photos a number of them (maybe 10%) will scream out at me to be represented monochromatically.
Here are one of my favorite black and white images, from each month in 2018:
January:
 Trail in the snow along the edge of the frozen North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton
February:
Plastic pins of a toy for capturing a 3D representation of an object
March:
An exposed and therefore snow-free, south-facing bank of the North Saskatchewan River valley in Edmonton.
April:
Large chunks of ice at spring break-up on the North Saskatchewan River.
May:
Bridge pillars on the Sturgeon River in St.Albert
June:
The bell of a trombone, at the Edmonton International Jazz Festival
July:
Trail in Edmonton’s river valley (upper Dawson Park)
August:
Bend in the road (Rowland Road) in Edmonton
September:
Pillar of the Dawson Bridge in Edmonton
October:
Squirrel sounding off.
November:
Ice starting to form and collect on the North Saskatchewan River
December:
River ice sheet breaking under pressure.
Colorless Autumn
The season known for its expressive color also has a beauty in a black and white expression. Here are photos taken in the river valley of Edmonton in early September 2018.
Edmonton’s Dawson Park, September 2018
Forms on a Frozen River
It is the end of January and the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton is frozen over and covered with 15 centimeters of fresh snow. I venture to the river’s edge and am captivated by the abstract forms that I see:
Best of 2017 (Part 1)
I’ve looked back at my photos (those taken with my Nikon) from 2017 and picked out my top 20 favorites. The first ten are presented here and the second 10 will be in the “Best of 2017 Part 2” blog post.
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My top 20 photos from 2017Â continued in Part 2.
In a January Fog
While not unheard of, foggy days in Edmonton are also not very common. This last weekend in Edmonton was however one of those times – a fog just heavy enough to hide the far side of the river valley and flatten out depth. The high humidly and sub-zero temperature resulted in a delightful, frosty coating on the trees.
Combining the fog, frost and late afternoon/early-evening light lead to these moody, black and white images:
Frosty Thorns
Poles in a Frosty Landscape
The Five
Three, with Frosty Wires
Rowland Bend
Usually Colorific, but Not This Time
Autumn is famous as the season of glorious displays of color, but that doesn’t have to be all that intrigues a photographer at this time of year. Here are some black and white images of what has caught my eye this early October:
Strong Verticals
Especially on a wet fall day the strong contrast of tree trunks makes for a dramatic image.
Near and Far
Wet Corner
Reaching Upward
The autumn season is also when the river is at its lowest level, exposing sandbar “beaches” not normally seen. And those beaches reveal some interesting forms, very suited to black and white (or mostly monochromatic) presentation:
Sandy Beach
Waves in the Sand
Under the Bridge
Verticals and Horizontals
The above photos were all taken October 1st and 2nd (2016), in the river valley in Edmonton, Canada.
River’s Edge
A look at the shapes and tones at the edge of the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton (in early April 2016). A few weeks earlier the river was covered in ice but now the river is clear with just a few big chunks of ice sit washed up on the shore. The ice decaying but reveals a captivating crystalline structure:
Paths – in Black and White
Here is a collection of photographs of paths, taken in Edmonton’s river valley and Mill Creek Ravine on 2016 April 9.
Path to the City
Pleasant Path
Light at the End of the Path
A Rooty Path
Bends Through the Spring Woods
Spring Arrives – in Black and White
Perhaps I should say “winter departs” – somehow spring doesn’t feel imminent until color returns to the landscape. While there was the bit of exposed green moss or grass and blue sky as I hiked Edmonton’s river valley, for the most part everything is a shade of grey or brown.
That said, here are 5 photos that “don’t need no stinking color” to look interesting:
Arrival
Ravine Path – Shady and Slippery
Slope and Sky
Nothing but Sticks
Spring Sky over a Late-winter Valley
These images were taken in Edmonton’s Dawson Park on 2016 March 25th.
Trees of Late-Winter
Here is a little collection of photos of trees, taken on the last day of winter (2016 March 19) in Edmonton.
Greenless Golden Path
Tangle to the Sky
Under the Spruce, Between the Fairways
Character Tree
Gnarled Trunk and Twiggy Shadows
Way Up
Moodier in Black and White
Here are some photos taken on the same outing as my hike last Sunday in Edmonton’s Mill Creek Ravine – but taking out the color the images have a much moodier feel.
Spring Slope
Stairs and a Patch of Snow
Trunk on a Diagonal
All Quiet Under the Bridge
Tangled Slope
and as a bonus, a black and white image from beside the river in Edmonton’s Louise McKinney Park:
Promenade Beside the Ice
Randall Talbot - Artist 