This morning, accompanied by friend and fellow photographer Greg Bourque, I went to the Vermilion Lakes near Banff to capture the sunrise. We were not disappointed. It was a very clear morning, albeit a little crisp, -5 deg C with light winds. This first picture is a shot facing eastward toward Mount Rundle. The actual sunrise was obscured by Mount Rundle, but we enjoyed the bright glow emanating from behind the silhouette of the mountain and some nice reflections on the ice. (Yes, ice! The lakes are already frozen.) If you look closely at the very peak of the mountain you’ll notice a thin sliver of red. That is the early morning sunlight striking the opposite face of the mountain. We see only this small facet exposed to our viewpoint; the entire upper part of Mount Rundle’s eastern face would be coloured red at this hour.
Mount Rundle has a very distinctive shape, especially when approaching Banff from the west. It is the town’s premier landmark, an indication to travelers that Banff is not far away.
Turning 180 degrees to the west, the lighting is entirely different. In this next scene featuring Mount Bourgeau (right), the sun is behind us and shining directly on the mountains to the west. No silhouettes and the landscape looks much brighter, despite the fact both pictures were taken at nearly the same time. In this shot you can see the reddish colouring created by the early morning sunlight on the mountain peaks.
After about 45 minutes, fingers were beginning to numb so we called it a morning and returned to Canmore.
Great shots Peter.
It even looks like a cold day!