It just occurred to me that I have blogged three posts this week that featured canoes. It was not intentional, but there was probably something in my subconscious. Anyway, when we got to Lake Louise, it was mid-morning, and the crowds were out in force. We knew we were in trouble just by the number of tour buses in the parking lot. After surveying the lake, it was clear that there were few places that wouldn't have hundreds of people in the shot. From my stay there in 2006, I knew that the best place to shoot was by the boat house. I quickly headed there, and the boats were being rented out at a frantic pace. There were only six canoes left to be rented, and I knew I had little time to capture them before they were gobbled up. I quickly shot off a few brackets and before I knew it, they were gone.
For those wanting to capture the lake, glacier, Chateau and mountains without the crowds, my suggestion is to either stay at the Chateau (quite pricy) or get up quite early in Banff and get there at sunrise. Having stayed at the Chateau my last time in Banff, if you are there at dawn, you practically have the lake to yourself.