 Mountain Ash berries on bright morning A good friend of mine recently asked if I had a photo of a mountain ash tree, and this one sprang to mine. I took this photo in January 2004, having just traded in my film camera for my first digital SLR camera. I still remember the walk — it was a classic sparkly, crisp, bright Edmonton winter morning. This is one of my best-selling christmas card images, so I thought I’d share it, and wish you all the best for the holidays and in the new year.
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 Mountain Geraldine ridge I took this photograph while driving south from Jasper along the Icefields Parkway on a very chilly, and very bright, (and very beautiful) winter morning. While it was nearly mid-day when I made this exposure, the sun is so low at these northern latitudes at this time of year, the ridge was still sidelit — defining the jagged line between the eastern and northern faces.
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 Oyster mushroom folds While sitting at the art sale this past weekend a good friend of mine dropped by and asked me to make her a print of this image. It has been a long time since I’d looked at this photograph, but I’m glad she asked because I’m really enjoying revisiting it. This was one of the largest Oyster mushroom clumps that I’ve ever come across. I was employed doing bird surveys near Calling Lake, AB in the summer of 2004, and it’s one of the best places I’ve been for photographing mushrooms (and black bears). I like how I was able to fill the frame with the folds and gills of this mushroom, emphasizing the organic shapes and colours. And it smelled absolutely terrific.
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 Ruffed grouse portrait I don’t make many wildlife photographs, but this one I couldn’t pass up. I took this photo while working at the Beaverhill Bird Observatory near Tofield. I must admit that while this is a wild Ruffed Grouse, he wasn’t particularly free at the time of this photo. One of the things that I love about banding birds is getting to see them so close. At this range, even the drabbest sparrows (and grouse) are full of subtle detail, pattern and colour. I like how this photo captures some of those close-up details that are normally missed at regular grouse-viewing distances. It was a treat to catch this bird, and I’m glad to have this photo as a reminder.
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 Miette range from Talbot lake One of my favourite photographs I’ve taken, (yes, I’ll have a copy at the show this weekend), is this one which I called “Miette range from Talbot Lake.” I made this exposure back in February of 2007 as I was driving home through Jasper National Park. The dead trees in this photo were killed in a controlled burn forest fire in 2003. The still-standing, blackened trunks contrasted beautifully with the dusting of snow on the ridge. What I really love about the post-burn Talbot Lake area is that you get to see the subtle ridge and valley topography of the hills, which is normally covered by a thick blanket of spruce and fir trees. Combine that with a little side lighting, a dust of snow or blooming fireweed, and me with a camera – I could happily spend all day.
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 Altocumulus sunrise and willow Here’s another photo that I’ve prepared for the Goldbar craft sale (see previous post for details). I made this exposure in the summer of 2008 while working banding birds at the Beaverhill Bird Observatory near Tofield, AB. I saw many beautiful sunrises that summer, although I didn’t always get the chance to capture them in a photograph.
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 Colour and sun patches on mountain ridge This weekend I’m going through photos that I’ve taken in the last year or so as I prepare for this year’s Goldbar sale (see previous post for details). It’s great looking back at these photos, remembering the times I was out to capture them, and realizing that it’s been far too long since I’ve updated my website to share some of these with you. So, perhaps for the next few posts I’ll show you some of the images I have particularly enjoyed re-discovering as a teaser for the website updates I’m currently working on (shouldn’t be too long now…).
I took this photograph while hiking the Sulphur Skyline trail in Jasper National Park. It’s a shorter hike, with pretty steep (and constant) elevation gain, and the view from the top is incredible. This one is from the way back down (easier to think about making photographs once the pulse has slowed down a little), looking southeast I believe – which would make this either Utopia Mountain or Mount O’Hagan. Does anybody know for sure? Besides the view, the best thing about this hike is that the trailhead is a few hundred meters from the Miette hotsprings – definitely a great way to end a day of climbing, I would certainly recommend it next time you’re in Jasper.
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(Click photos to enlarge)
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