This is the second series of photographs from my field trip with Bob Bear and Hugh Williamson to the south end of Kananaskis Country yesterday. We began with high hopes that the recently re-opened King Canyon area would produce some fine opportunities. It was closed for some time after last year’s devastating floods and alas, it just doesn’t look the same. The raging King Creek is now just a trickle but for a short period last June, it was a raging torrent wreaking destruction to the canyon floor. The area is strewn with boulders and deadfall and is not really very scenic. We stretched our imaginations in search of something that looked worth capturing but we soon concluded there were better places to look. Very unfortunate, this area used to be among the most picturesque places I’ve seen.
We did tackle a challenging shot, King Creek illuminated by the afternoon sun. The exposure is difficult to get right with the sun directly in front, backlighting the clouds, the mountains in the distance and the trees in the foreground. The intent is to capture the glistening stream, without overexposing it or the sky in the background. I used a neutral density, gradient filter to balance the sky and foreground exposures and chose to leave most of the scene fairly dark. I wanted the water and its surrounding rocky banks to be clearly discernible. The trees and mountain slopes are silhouetted, without much definition but they do complete the scene.
Moving on to Spillway Lake, we were able to get a number of good pictures, including some expansive views of the lake with the Opal Range in the background and some interesting shoreline shots featuring the summer foliage. I begin with this wide angle view of the lake with the Opal Range reflected in the water. This scene is very familiar to one I photographed 4-5 years ago. If you watch the revolving sequence of pictures in the masthead at the top of this page, you’ll see that photograph. It’s the first one to appear when you open the blog page. I prefer this later version having captured more of the lake and the shoreline, including a better reflection of the mountains and some colourful fireweed on the bank.
Turning my attention (and the camera) to the southeast, I took this next picture along the lake’s shoreline, capturing Mount Pocaterra and its reflection in the still waters. I positioned myself to include the fireweed and the reeds on the shore.
There were many perspectives on this pretty lake, no end of the photographic possibilities. Exercising some restraint, I concluded my shooting but not before I got his next picture. It’s a variation on the previous two, this time featuring the Opal Range’s reflection only. I adjusted my circular polarizing filter to enable me to include a view of the lake bottom near the shore, as well as the reflected mountain range and the sky. I particularly like the transition I was able to make from the reflection to the lake bottom.
Tearing ourselves away from Spillway Lake, we moved a short distance down the road for some pictures of a marshy area, including some deceased lodgepole pine trees. I hope you find the picture looks better than the way I describe it!
We wrapped up our day with the “lamented lodgepoles” and set out for home, ever vigilant for wildlife that might agree to be photographed. Very shortly afterward, we did see a black wolf crossing the road in front of us, but he didn’t linger to pose. Despite getting shut out on wildlife, we had a great evening.