I think every sports fan has heard the quote, "I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out". I sort of felt that way earlier this year when we visited Old Sturbridge Village and a car show broke out. Old Sturbridge Village is a large living museum in Massachusetts that depicts life in the 1790s to 1830s. We went there with family members visiting from New Jersey, and, when we got there, we realized that there was a large antique car show on the premises. For those of you who have shot at these shows, it can be hard to isolate the cars from the spectators, especially while trying to minimize people's reflections in the car's body. The best way is to get access before the show is open. I was able to get a good shot of this Ford Deluxe, as it was at the end of the row and was a bit in the shade.
Moraine Beauty - Banff National Park
No trip to Banff National Park is complete without an early morning visit to Moraine Lake. To me, it is the iconic location, even though Lake Louise (about 30 minutes east) gets all of the press and many more visitors. Don't get me wrong, during the summer season, Moraine Lake's parking lot is completely full, and you need to board a bus to get there. If you get there in the early morning hours, parking should not be a problem.
The reason I love this location is more about the mountains that surround the lake. There are ten mountain peaks that surround the lake, and the area is known as The Valley of the Ten Peaks. There are several popular places to shoot the lake, but I like the trail to the top of the rock pile that is the view that is shown in this photo. The only thing that I could have asked for this morning would be still waters that would have allowed for great reflections of the mountain peaks. I guess I will just have to go back to get them.
Orange Spring Mound - Yellowstone National Park
Today, we are headed to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The park was founded in 1872 and has the distinction of being the very first national park in the United States. To say that the park is massive would be an understatement. The park measures almost 3,500 square miles, and, to see it properly, at least 3 or 4 days are required (a week is better). My favorite area in the park is the Mammoth Hot Springs area, located in the northwest Wyoming corner that also includes part of Montana. This section is home to numerous hot springs that were created over thousands of years, as hot water from the surrounding Norris Geyser Basin deposited calcium carbonate as the water cooled. This left limestone and rock formations throughout the area.
The formation pictured in today's photo is known as the Orange Spring Mound, and it can be found in the Upper Terrace. The formation is very different in shape than the others on the Upper Terrace. I headed out early in the morning to drive through this section of the park. As I came to this formation, I noticed the reflection of the top of the mound in the water. Being such a sucker for reflections, I stopped the car and composed this shot.
For the best view, click on the image to see it against a dark background.
Demise of a Giant - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
I have always had a keen interest in history, and, whenever I get the chance to combine my love for photography with it, I am all in. Earlier this month I was able to shoot the Bethlehem Steel property in Pennsylvania. Founded in 1857, it was a key supplier of steel that fueled the Industrial Revolution in the United States. It's main competition during the 1800's was the Carnegie Steel Company, founded by the famed industrialist and later philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie sold his interests to another "robber baron" of the times, J.P. Morgan, and the resulting company was renamed U.S. Steel. The two companies competed head-to-head for steel supremacy for over a century, before Bethlehem Steel succumbed to a declining steel industry and foreign competition in 2003.
I wanted to capture a photo that conveyed the demise of this once powerful company, and found it in one of the parking lots on the property. I knew that in order to capture the full breadth of the ruins of this abandoned building, I needed to shoot a panorama. I love the cool arches, and the bonus was the steel stacks that were in the background of one of the arches.
For the best view, click on the image to see it against a dark background.
Mount Rundle Sunrise - Banff National Park, Alberta
Being a landscape photographer, there are three things that are sacred to me: mountains, lakes and reflections. I would probably add clouds and a great foreground, but why get greedy? All of these items were present at Two Jack Lake in Banff National Park. I have posted extensively about Banff, as it is one of my favorite places on Earth. I have been there three times and would visit there every year if I could. There are so many beautiful lakes in the area, but, until this trip, Two Jack wouldn't have been in my top ten. That was until my buddy, Jeff Clow, insisted that it was a stellar lake.
During our time together there, Jeff and I visited Two Jack every day, and the lake was always rippled with no reflection to be found. We had said goodbye the night before, and I was headed to Jasper National Park and Jeff was headed home. I decided to make one last stop at the lake, and the photography gods were smiling upon me as I came upon the scene in the photo. My only wish was that Jeff was able to finally see the reflection of Mount Rundle. I found out later that he too visited the lake a couple of hours later, and was able to capture its beauty reflected in the water.
For the best view, click on the image to see it against a dark background.
Steel Graveyard - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
On Labor Day weekend, I was fortunate enough to join Denise Ippolito's first tour to the once famous Bethlehem Steel. Denise had gotten us access to an abandoned warehouse on the massive site of Bethlehem Steel. We were only allowed access to one extremely large warehouse (although we could walk around the public areas), but there was a treasure chest of objects to be found there. The warehouse was packed full with items, from fire engines to machinery to miscellaneous parts. The challenge was to find what you wanted to shoot and try to isolate the subject in a way that conveyed the abandonment of the plant.
Whenever I am in a situation like that, I look for two things: an interesting subject (at least to me) and, more importantly, the light. I spotted this wheel that I imagined to be on the side of a large boiler. What caught my attention was how the wheel was lit through the dirty windows above. The wheel's rust and age came to life for me then, and I might have walked right past it had it not been backlit.
For the best view, click on the image to see it against a dark background.
Desert Glow - Moab, Utah
For the last couple of weeks, I have been showcasing some photos from my trip to Glacier National Park. I thought I would head south about 900 miles to the American Southwest for today's post. When I think of where the colors of the southwest come alive for me, it is Moab, Utah, that comes to mind. Surrounded by beautiful national and state parks (not to mention Monument Valley to the south), Moab is in the center of it all, and can be used as a great base of operation for photographers.
The areas around Moab show off some wonderful sandstone formations that seem to glow during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. The orange hues are often contrasted with deep blues skies, and, if you are lucky, there are some clouds to add interest to the scene. The photo above is indicative of the scenes you will encounter if you set the alarm clock to go off before dawn, and head a half-hour or so down River Road (which should be either a state or national park itself). The light was glorious on this cold March morning and the crisp air was refreshing. It sure beat the end of winter in the cold northeast.
For the best view, click on the image to see it against a dark background.
Heaven's Peak - Glacier National Park
By now, you are probably tired of seeing images from Glacier National Park, so, starting next week, I will be back to varying my posts from the many locations that I have traveled to over the past few years. I think today's panoramic image is appropriate, as it captures the grandeur of the park's landscape. The location in this photo is the Heaven's Peak area on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. It is a popular place to stop and enjoy the vista, not only because of the view, but also because it is the most convenient parking area along an extreme hairpin turn in the road. We were blessed with great conditions, including nice morning light, terrific clouds and wonderful low-lying fog in the valley. The only way to convey the feeling that I had was to shoot a panorama in order to capture its beauty.
Streaming - Glacier National Park
When shooting in overcast and rainy weather, there are still plenty of opportunities to capture good images. One perfect subject in these conditions is to shoot long exposure photos of moving water. The overcast sky acts as a giant soft-box, which reduces the typical glare that you might encounter in bright sunlight. We took advantage of these type of conditions, photographing one of the many streams that are located throughout Glacier National Park. This particular stream was somewhere along the road in the Two Medicine area of the park. The colors were a bit muted, and processing the image as a black and white brought the tones out of the rocks, while contrasting with the silky water.
Glowing Reeds - Flathead National Forest, Montana
On the first night that our full group got together for our Glacier National Park photo tour, our tour leader, Jeff Clow, did what he does best: finding obscure locations that most other tours don't visit. This location was actually outside of the National Park, and is found instead in Flathead National Forest. The forest is huge, with a size of 2.4 million acres, and is home to all kind of wildlife, lakes, streams and rivers. Jeff took us to one of its lakes, Lion Lake, pictured here.
The light this particular evening was really nice and parts of the landscape were absolutely glowing. I took a particular liking to these reeds across the lake and wanted to feature them against the greens of the forest and blue of the sky. What a great start to the tour.
Exploring Swiftcurrent Lake - Glacier National Park
This photo is one that I never thought I would take, at least on the day that I took it. We had stayed on the western side of Glacier National Park and had some pretty nice weather. Our plan was to head to the Many Glacier area in the northeastern part of the park after lunch. Something drastically changed during lunch, as the storm clouds were very much on display. With Glacier's ever-changing weather in mind, we headed to Many Glacier and hoped for the best. When we got there, the heavens opened up. There was no sign of letup. Being three hours from our hotel, we finally decided to sit in the parking lot and hope that it passed. About 40 minutes later, the frontal system passed, and we were able to explore Swiftcurrent Lake.
Swiftcurrent Lake is home to a grand old hotel that is a must-visit because of its age and the great view of Grinnell Point (aka Mount Grinnell). I found this very tight trail to the left of the hotel and headed along the shore of the lake. When the trail ended, I pushed on, and I finally ended up at the sight pictured in this image. The light wasn't the best, but it definitely beat sitting in a parking lot in the pouring rain.
Mountain Light - Sinopah Mountain, Glacier National Park
I have mentioned the Two Medicine area of Glacier National Park a number of time this week, and, today, I am showing one of its more photogenic scenes. This is Two Medicine Lake, with Sinopah Mountain in the background. The weather was it's normal unpredictable self, and, along with a chill in the air, there were high winds on the lake. When I first got out of the car, I headed to the area on the left side of the lake where these boats were, not because of their presence, but rather for the trees that blocked the wind. It proved to be a good decision. Using the boats as a nice foreground to anchor the composition, all I had to do was wait out the ever moving clouds that continually changed the light on the mountain. After a few minutes wait, there was a quick break in the clouds that allowed the early sun to light up the mountain.
Hiking on the Edge - Glacier National Park
Those of you who know me well know of my love of hiking. I usually walk at least 5 miles every day, and rarely miss unless I am on a vacation or a photo tour/workshop. Sometimes it is not the distance of the hike, but rather the beauty of the hike. Fortunately, Glacier National Park is home to some outstanding hikes, both in length and beauty. On the first clear day, a few of us hiked the Hidden Lake Trail, while others tried the Highline Trail. On our last day, we spent a few hours back at Logan Pass and tried the Highline Trail.
I headed up the trail with my new best friend, Jaki Good Miller. We knew that there were sections of the hike which were high up and narrow (it is called the Highline Trail for a reason) from the others in our group, but it was even tighter that I expected. As you can see in this photo, it is not for those who have a fear of heights. Fortunately, neither Jaki or I have that fear. This particular section only has room for one person to pass, and has a cable for those who want to make sure not to fall. Since there was a lot of foot traffic in both directions, a lot of stopping to let others to pass was the norm.
In this image, I wanted to capture the sense of height and the narrowness of the trail against the great backdrop of Logan Pass. In the distance is Reynolds Mountain, and below is the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road. I highly recommend this hike for any who visit Glacier.
The Long and Winding Road - Going to the Sun Road, Glacier NP
If you are thinking about visiting Glacier National Park, make sure that you plan enough time to get from location to location. The size of Glacier, coupled with the road system, guarantees a lot of "windshield" time in the car. The main and only road that traverses east and west Glacier is the famed Going-to-the-Sun-Road. The road is 50 miles long, but, given the very tight and winding road, it can take up to 3 hours to drive, depending on traffic and construction.
In my opinion, the area surrounding Logan Pass is the prettiest section of this dramatic road. On our last morning, we headed to Logan Pass one last time, and the light, clouds and fog were perfect. Since we only had one car, we were able to pull into one of the few pullouts on the road. After having been on four tours with Jeff Clow (the king of road shots), I thought a road shot would be the best way to convey how twisty and narrow the road is. Not only is the road itself challenging, but drivers are faced with a rock wall on one side and a drop of at least a couple thousand feet on the other. This composition also shows the beauty of the surrounding mountains and the McDonald Creek Valley. The low hanging fog was a bonus.
Glacier Park Lodge - Glacier National Park, Montana
Glacier National Park has four areas that are a must see to photograph. One of those areas is Two Medicine, located on the eastern side of the park a bit northwest of St Marys. Our group left our hotel in Kalispell, Montana, in a three-car caravan, leaving at 5:30am. A few hours later, our tour leader extraordinaire, Jeff Clow, knowing that our group required a pit stop, outdid himself by stopping at the Glacier Park Lodge (sometime all that is available is a port-a-potty).
I had never been to the hotel before and I knew that it was going to be a great stop as soon as we started down the long driveway. The lodge was built in 1913 by the Great Northern Railway. Its purpose was to bring tourists via the railroad to explore the eastern part of the park. At that time, there was no road that connected the east and west side of the park. When I walked inside, I knew that I would be shooting the lobby with it's large size and the 60 40-foot tall Douglas fir columns that lined the supported the roof. I should have prefaced this post by admitting that I have an addiction to shooting rustic architecture. In any case, I decided to capture the architecture by shooting hand-held brackets, knowing that I would probably process the images as an HDR.
Hidden Lake and Bearhat Mountain - Glacier National Park
The first day in Glacier National Park, we had planned to hike the Hidden Lake Trail at Logan Pass. The trail is a 6-mile round trip, where you climb an elevation gain of 500 feet over the first 1.5 miles to the Hidden Lake Overlook, and then descend another 500 feet over the remaining 1.5 miles to the lake. It was drizzling when we got to the parking lot and began raining hard as we got out. Time to adjust our plans. We went back later in our trip, and only three of us decided to go to the overlook and back due to time limitations. The weather was much improved, as you can see in the photo.
Along the boardwalk trail, it was quite beautiful, with wildflowers in the meadow that made a nice foreground to the towering Reynolds Mountain. As we finally got to the overlook (with a little huffing and puffing - I walk 5 miles a day, but you can't train for elevation), we were blessed to see this beautiful vista. Hidden Lake lies directly below Bearhat Mountain and was a beautiful shade of blue. To the right of the mountains, low hanging clouds partially obscured the peaks in the distance, but added some nice interest to the scene. I shot a few images, but I realized quite quickly that only a panorama would be able to show all of the lake along with the mountains. An added bonus of our hike were the mountain goats hanging around the overlook. If you ever visit Glacier, this hike is a must do.
Glacier Weather - Bowman Lake, Glacier National Park
We landscape photographers are a strange group with expectations of how we want a scene to look. We want it all. Great golden light in early morning or late evening. Just enough clouds that will add interest to blue skies. Terrific foreground and background elements. You name it, we want it. I remember thinking to myself as I was composing this shot, this would be a great sunrise or sunset shot. Guess what? If I was standing at this same spot and had all of the things I wished for, I would be thinking that I needed great drama in the sky, moody light and a bit of foreboding in the scene (okay, the elements in this scene). We are never satisfied.
If you are reading this and say to yourself that this sounds like you, jump on a plane and head to Glacier National Park. The weather there is so changing that all you have to do is have a little patience and the right conditions will come. This location is Bowman Lake, about six miles from Polebridge (not many tourists ever see this location). The gravel road is as bumpy and narrow as you can imagine, especially when not driving in a high-clearance vehicle. We got there around noon and this was one of the first shots I took. Lots of drama in the sky and lots of a dark and foreboding mood. By the time we left about an hour later, the scene was much brighter with sun lighting the hillsides. This weather pattern was quite persistent our whole trip and is probably the norm for Glacier.
Afternoon on the Lake - Glacier National Park, Montana
Next Destination: Glacier National Park
As you read this, I will be on a plane heading to Montana to photograph Glacier National Park. I have only visited this park once, in 2006. Back then, we had terrible weather, with it raining most of the time we were there. To top that off, there had just been a huge fire there, and there were still remnants of smoke in the area. Suffice to say, I didn't get many photos on that visit. When Jeff Clow announced that Glacier would be a new destination for his photo tours, I quickly signed up. I am really looking forward to seeing my buddy Jeff, and hopefully the weather will cooperate this time.
I will not be posting on the blog until I get back late next week. I will be posting a few iPhone photos on Facebook during my trip. I leave you with this photo of Swiftcurrent Lake from 2006, on one of the rare times that the weather was actually good (didn't last long). See you in a couple of weeks.
Looking for Food - Banff National Park, Alberta
I am primarily a landscape photographer, and, when I travel out west, I don't go out of my way looking for wildlife. Wildlife photographers usually carry around these long lenses that look like bazookas, and I have no desire to try to lift them to get a shot (not to mention that they cost thousands of dollars). There are times, though, when the wildlife just appears close to you, and it is hard not to take a photo of them. On my Banff trip, we were often blessed with all kinds of wildlife, from bears to elk to porcupines to goats to coyotes (I may have missed naming a few). It is usually not hard to find them, especially where there is a car or line of cars pulled over. We found this bear looking for his favorite meal, dandelions. We were the second car that found him, and we were able to get some decent shots of him when his head wasn't buried in the grass.
Along the Shoreline - Banff National Park, Alberta
Along the Icefields Parkway just north of Lake Louise is one of my favorite lakes, Bow Lake. There are numerous well-visited vantage points that many tourists and photographers take photos from and I am no exception. I do like to explore a bit to get something different. On my last visit to Banff in 2006, I remembered finding a spot that allowed me to use the shoreline as a leading line to the mountains. Back then the weather was not as nice, so I wanted to see if I could find that spot again. On my last day in Banff, I drove up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, and I stopped at Bow Lake along the way. Near the southern end of the lake I found that little dirt road that I had discovered on my prior trip. It was exactly how I remembered it, only the weather was much nicer this time. If you look closely near the mountain, you can see the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge's red roof. I have always wanted to stay there, and, if I ever get back to Banff, I will.