Canadian Rocky Mountains Part 2

Black and white photographs can convey a different feeling if done properly. You don’t ‘feel’ the warm glow of sunlight, nor see the splendid sunset palette upon the sky. No balance of colors to observe. They are a bit more refined and you tend to pay more attention to the textures of objects. You capture the soul and the landscape. It turns things down a notch or two and I feel this is why more people like having a B&W in their home or office. You also don’t have to worry about them clashing with your interior!

This is probably one of my favorite black and whites I’ve shot in the 10 years I’ve been photographing the outdoors. I’ve had images like this in my head for the longest time, but I’ve never had a good subject for it. This was on the first morning of the trip, where I watched the sun slowly catch on the snow capped peaks. I have this one printed on a 20×30 metal in my own home. It forever difficult for me to pick something out to hang on my own walls. My favorite shots change year to year.

It’s difficult for me to not stop and pass up the chance for a good road shot. Every twist and turn of the road lead to yet another unique shot. I’ll never forget being out in the early morning, with puffy clouds dotting the mountain tops. It may take about 4 hours to get from Banff to Jasper, but that’s if you don’t stop. This was about a 12 hour day on the road.

The last rays of daylight were catching on the snow capped peaks of Castle Mountain. Small sheets of ice were had formed along the small creek, so you had to watch your step while walking on the smooth rocks even more than usual. While looking nearly inaccessible from the Trans-Canada Highway, there are numerous rock climbing routes available on the mountain. That’s a no for me though, I’m perfectly fine staying low!

“Black and white is abstract; color is not. Looking at a black and white photograph, you are already looking at a strange world.”

Joel Sternfeld

I had just photographed sunrise and was still in the mood to explore. A relatively cold blast had snuck in overnight and the temps were floating right around zero. I’m talking painfully cold! On this trip I realized that due to mountains, it’s a bit difficult to time a sunrise and when light will start to reveal itself. It also allowed me to take photos much much later in the morning which was an absolute treat to be out for hours and still get great shots to share.

This was on my first night in Canmore, before my Canadian adventures kicked into high gear. I really like how the immovable mountain range stands solid and the clouds just dance around the peaks in passing. All of which are in the up-side down and blurred world reflection.

Check out Part 1 below if you missed it!