 Morning mist and early autumn birch I had the pleasure of spending a morning out at Ministik Lake, and what a morning it was. The forecast was for clear skies and the first good overnight frost of the year, with temperatures down to a few degrees above freezing. As the sun rose, light fog rose from the lakes and hung in the still air, frost hung lightly on the understory leaves, and the clear autumn light shone off the first of the birch trees just beginning to change colour—it was exquisite.
 Receding Ministik shoreline This photograph is not brand new (it’s from earlier this winter), but I have been working with it recently, and would like to share it here. It had been a while since I’d had the time to hike in to this lake in the Ministik Game Bird Sanctuary, and it was a shock to see how far the water had receded since I’d last seen it. Not that I was terribly surprised–every lake at Ministik (and in most of Alberta) is showing the effect of the dry years we’ve had. What did surprise me was the colour of the mudflats–the pinkish-reddish hue in the photo is an accurate depiction (as much as is possible–but that’s another debate). The grey sky complemented the mudflats and dried grass, giving a very subtle, subdued pallette.
 Light frost on aspen sapling Here’s another photo from my recent early morning walk at Whitemud Ravine. This photo is much more monochromatic than the one I posted yesterday, and perhaps captures the cold, frosty feel of the morning better. I made this photograph perhaps twenty minutes after the last photo, but this sapling was shaded in behind some large white spruce trees which are visible in the background. What do you think? Do you prefer this one or the previous, more colourful photo? I always appreciate the feedback, you can just click the “Leave a comment” link below–Thanks!
This morning I went out early to Whitemud ravine. It has been a long time since I’ve been there for sunrise, and I’d forgotten how long it takes after the “official” sunrise for the light to reach the bottom of the ravine. In the meantime, I enjoyed the chilly late-autumn air and the little bit of frost on the bare willows and aspen saplings (and I froze my fingertips for the first time of the season). After walking most of the morning without finding much to photograph, I found the sun finally reaching down onto this frost-covered willow and alder thicket. I had to balance on a fallen stem to get the right perspective for this shot (shooting downwards, so the bright sky wouldn’t blow out the top of the photo).
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(Click photos to enlarge)
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