Autumn in Alberta

Foothills County

I recently went out to photograph the autumn colours, accompanied by Dave Foreman as my guide. We went to an area southwest of Calgary, ranch country just east of the foothills. We were not disappointed, the colours were very vibrant , close to their peak autumn splendour.

I captured this first photograph alongside an off-road trail. In addition to the golden colours of the aspen tree and the surrounding shrubbery, my attention was drawn to the rickety fence running parallel to the trail.

This next scene is very typical of the area, ranching country. Three horses are grazing in a lush pasture, framed by the ubiquitous aspens, without which we’d have not the brilliant orange and yellow autumn colours.

Here’s a big, old aspen that caught my attention. It has lost quite a few leaves already, but it still sports an impressive mass of foliage in its upper branches.

We followed this trail for a short distance into the woods, in search of more autumn magic. We didn’t get very far, soon reaching a fenced boundary of Kananaskis Country. It was mostly coniferous trees with a few small aspens, so we did’t linger for long.

I did find this trio of diminutive trees, spotted with a few remaining leaves. I liked the forest setting and the presence of the fence, straddled by the trees.

Rocky View County

My next series of autumn images was taken a few days later in Rocky View County, specifically in an area north and east of the Town of Cochrane. I was accompanied by Stewart Hamilton, a longtime photographic companion.

As we traveled eastward along Highway 1A, we encountered some heavy fog along the Bow River. We decided to turn northward to get away from the fog but before reaching our next turnoff, we found this view awaiting us. Although not as colourful, the fog on the river makes this scene compelling and we chose to take a few pictures at this location.

Our next stop, after turning northward took us back into some heavier fog. This scene did not escape my attention and I was able to catch these bare trees, backlit by sunlight beginning to break through the mist.

Some fog persisted as we traveled northbound, enough that it complemented the colour of the trees, bushes and grasses nicely. This picture features an old fence with a makeshift gate, an apt subject for a rural landscape.

Fog free at last, this view is a timely change of scenery. This picture, which features the last remnants of harvested straw, some vibrant coloured trees, an eye-leading fence line and a pleasing blue sky has it all.

It was a great morning, with a good variety of autumn weather and some beautiful, rural countryside to explore.