Mount Rundle is located in Banff National Park overlooking the towns of Banff and Canmore, AB. The mountain was named by John Palliser in 1858 after Reverend Robert Rundle, who had visited the Banff area during the 1840s. Mt. Rundle could actually be considered a small mountain range as the mountain extends from Banff for over 12 kilometres (7.5 mi), ending at Whiteman’s Gap above the town of Canmore. It is not a particularly high mountain with a peak elevation of 2948 m (9672 ft) but its interesting shape has made it a favourite subject of photographers and visitors to the area. You may have noticed that it has appeared in a number of my blog posts, eleven to be exact. It is obviously very interesting to photograph and it is also a very prominent feature of our local landscape, difficult to overlook.
Today, I’m posting two similar views of Mount Rundle, close-ups taken about two years apart at the same time of year, mid-September. The first picture was taken in 2009 at about 4:00 PM.
There is still abundant light at this time of day so much of the mountain is clearly visible, with few shadows to obscure the rugged detail. Despite the clouds atop the peak, the sun was getting through and shining brightly on this face of the mountain. There is a little snow accumulation on the upper regions of the mountain, not unusual in September.
The contrast with the next picture is not unusual. The mountain light is quite different. It was taken in September 2011, later in the day, at about 8:00 PM, just before sunset.
You could take the same picture every day and the result would be different. That is one of the fascinating aspects of where we live, the ever-changing light conditions and their visual effect on the mountains. Of course, the sun is very low in the sky, casting a reddish glow on the mountain and creating shadows on its eastern side. The cloud pattern is very similar to what I photographed two years ago but clouds atop Mt. Rundle are not unusual. Interestingly, there is no snow.
The fact that I have two similar photos, taken at the same time of year is coincidental. On both occasions, I just happened to be in the same area and the look of the mountain was very appealing. Also, coincidental is that I chose to take similar close-ups. Both pictures were taken with the same lens, with almost the same camera settings; aperture f/11, focal lengths 70mm and 100mm and shutter speed 1/60 sec. On both occasions I was riding in the shotgun seat as Rolande piloted our vehicle homeward at the legal speed limit. I wonder if I’ll do it again, sometime?