Landscape Photography

This Photo Is so Simple

by

Last week I spent a couple of days in Kluane National Park. It wasn’t specifically a photographic trip and much of the time was spent hanging out with friends, but I did duck out a few times to grab some photos when the opportunity arose. One such opportunity arose when the sun did the same thing. The lovely little Airbnb place we rented for the weekend had a stunning panoramic mountain views from the window. On the first morning I was a little lazy and shot the view at sunrise from the deck of the house. The photos are ok, …

Read more

Behind the Shot: Dawn in Kluane National Park

by

Kluane National Park is undoubtedly one of the gems of the Yukon, and on this cold winter morning we were treated to some beautiful calm weather and clear views across Kathleen Lake. After spending a little time photographing some of the hoar frost covered trees that surround the lake, I walked around the corner and was greeted with this wonderfully expansive view. Gear Used for This Shot Nikon Z 7 (full-frame mirrorless) Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S Lens Breakthrough Photography 6-Stop Dark CPL Really Right Stuff TVC-24L tripod Really Right Stuff BH-55 Ballhead. MindShift Backlight 36 Backpack With the mountains as a …

Read more

Behind The Shot: Frozen Forest in the Yukon

by

It’s definitely winter in Canada now so the BTS posts are likely to be snowy ones for a while! This is a recent shot from a hidden valley near Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon Territory.

BTS: Black Tusk + Polarizer

by

This shot is a pretty classic view of Black Tusk in Whistler, British Columbia. You can get this view at the top of the Peak Chair on the ski hill, but the dramatic lighting in this one is courtesy of sunrise light while we were filming the Choose To Be Bold film about my work. I love the dramatic contrast between the white peak and the dark clouds, but this was hugely enhanced by the use of my Breakthrough Photography X4 circular polarizer filter. CPL filters have the largest effect on images when the sunlight is coming from 90 degrees …

Read more

Behind The Shot: Yukon Ice Cave

by

On a recent trip to the Yukon I captured this photo of a gigantic ice cave that exists year round near Haines Junction. Local photographer Matt Jacques and I set off on this little adventure, expecting a relatively easy hike, but mother nature had other plans! The trail gradient was relatively shallow, but in the second half of the hike we were blasted in the face by incredible arctic winds that had the gusting strength to knock you off your feet. Sometimes you had to really lean into the wind to keep moving forwards! Once we reached the cave I …

Read more

Sometimes I Forget That I Have This Power in My Pocket

by

Last week my partner and I were walking our dogs around the local lake in the evening, when we spotted this wonderful patch of floating vegetation. A rain shower had just passed through and droplets of water still clung to many of the leaves. Despite the flat light from an overcast sky, the colours were vibrant and the whole scene stopped us both in our tracks. Not having my DSLR with me, I decided to grab my iPhone instead. I took three of fours shots, then opened my favourite one in Lightroom Mobile and processed it right away before posting …

Read more

Behind the Shot: Sky Pilot Pano

by

I was tweaking a few galleries on my website today when I came across this panoramic photo of Sky Pilot mountain in Squamish, BC. The smaller peak on the right-hand side is called the Co Pilot. This photo was taken from a viewing deck outside the lodge at the top of the Squamish gondola, just a few seconds before sunset. You can see the last light of the day is just kissing a few parts of the mountain, but largely the whole thing is in the shade by this point. Something about the symmetry of this scene made me want …

Read more

Behind the Shot: New Year’s Eve in Whistler

by

Happy New Year folks! In this BTS post I’m going to be talking about a nightscape photo of the Whistler, BC, that was taken right as the clocks ticked over into 2018. Equipment Used for this Shot Canon 5D Mark IV Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L II Really Right Stuff TVC-24L with BH-55 ballhead Lexar Professional 128GB CF Cards Adobe Lightroom CC Having just returned from a two-week vacation over the holiday period the day before, I decided to get right back to work on December 31st. Mountains of fresh snow had just fallen in the valleys around my home town …

Read more

Behind the Shot: Milky Way Surprise

by

This photo of the Milky Way rising over Wedge Mountain in Whistler had a little surprise in it when I looked closely through my shots on a computer. What at first might appear to be a shooting star in the centre of the frame, is in fact called an Iridium Flare, and it’s caused by sunlight bouncing off the solar arrays of a passing satellite! It’s the first time I’ve ever captured a photo of this phenomenon, so I thought it would be a fun one to share. Equipment Used for This Shot Canon 5D Mark IV Canon 24-70 f/2.8 …

Read more

Behind the Shot: Watersprite Lake Panorama

by

In this example we’re looking at a 9-shot panoramic photo that was created at an alpine lake in British Columbia. Read on to find out which of the big “rules” I broke when I was shooting this…

Behind The Shot: Cirque Lake Lookout

by

I took this photo of my dog on an overnight camping trip to Cirque Lake near Whistler, British Columbia. I thought I’d include it in the Behind The Shot series because it gives me an opportunity to discuss backpacking with photography gear, specifically when you’re also carrying a tent, sleeping bag and other overnight kit. Equipment Used for This Shot To access this camping spot above Cirque Lake requires a kayak to cross nearby Callaghan Lake, and then a hard scramble up a boulder field into the alpine. There are occasional ropes along the trail in the woods, so that gives …

Read more