Foggy Morning

Yesterday morning I ventured out seeking a new perspective of Ha Ling Peak, a prominent mountain in the Town of Canmore. I was on a mission to photograph it for some friends and I was looking for something different from the many photographs I have taken of this omnipresent, local landmark. When I arose in the morning, there was nothing at all to be seen, the entire area was socked in with fog. Knowing that the day’s forecast was bright, sunny weather I waited for the sun to start burning through and I was rewarded for my patience.  I left for my destination just before 7:00 am and arrived at the Three Sisters Dam, near the Canmore Nordic Centre soon after. The dam maintains a reservoir which feeds a small hydroelectric generating plant just below it. The view of Ha Ling Peak from this area is quite striking and I anticipated that the combination of dissipating fog and morning light would produce some good opportunities. I was right.

The object of my mission was not yet visible when I arrived, but there were many other beautiful scenes to keep me busy while I waited. Today’s first picture features the two structures atop the dam that house the machinery for controlling water flow to the hydro plant below. Warm light from the rising sun is coming from the right and I was fortunate to have good reflections on the reservoir’s surface and the view of the mountains across the valley emerging from the fog.

Shortly after I had taken this picture, the summits of Ha Ling (right), Miner’s Peak and the Canmore Wall emerged briefly, allowing me a good shot from the water’s edge at the dam. Sometimes it’s really worth getting up early!

My next picture spotlights a lone building located on a small promontory jutting out into the reservoir. I don’t know the building’s purpose but I found it eye-catching and worthy of being photographed. I like the simple composition and the sense of solitude created by the masking of the surroundings by the fog. It is reminiscent of pictures we see of remote northern lakes in Canada. Makes you want to go fishing.

The fog began to break up as the sun rose in the sky. Ha Ling Peak became more visible and I was able to get a number of very satisfying pictures of the mountain. I’m including the following two, just a sampling of the many different perspectives I was able to capture. The fog was moving around, revealing different areas of the scene, offering many variations on the theme. I moved around quite a bit, tackling it from different angles and I used different lenses to get wider and narrower perspectives.

The first picture of Ha Ling shows it emerging from the mist with its lower slopes still largely shrouded in mist. The picture was taken with a 70-200 mm telephoto lens, using a focal length of 70 mm. It’s an “in your face” view with the mountain very dominant in the image. At this focal length, this is as wide an angle as I can get, but sufficient for me to include the reservoir and forest below to complete the composition.

My second picture of Ha Ling and last photograph for this post, is a wider angle view taken with a standard lens, 24-70 mm. The focal length was 43 mm, enabling me to largely isolate Ha Ling but take in a much greater view of its surroundings; a glimpse of Miner’s Peak on the left and a substantial amount of foreground. I particularly like the reflection of the mountain, fog and trees in this picture.

My thanks to Carla and Hans for motivating me seek a new perspective on Ha Ling Peak. It led to a fabulous morning and a great photographic opportunity.