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Banff Springs Driveway

I took this about six years ago while staying at the Banff Springs hotel in Alberta. This was out back facing the conference area.

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Banff Springs Driveway
The grounds of the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada

The Banff Springs is a massive property with majestic views of the Canadian Rockies on all sides. While there I walked around taking shots of everything. This image has a nice leading line and captures some of the environmental elements. I’ve had three bracketed frames in my archives for a long time. Now that I have the newest Aurora HDR software from Skylum, processing it is easier than ever.

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I’ve been going back into the archives a lot lately. It’s funny how you see things in a different light over time. I wish I could go back and change my camera settings, but it’s also good to notice how my technique has improved. The mountains, on the other hand, have not changed, they are just as majestic as ever. Time for another road trip.

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Spirit Island

This stand of trees is known as Spirit Island. It’s one of the most photographed sites in the Canadian Rockies and can only be reached by boat.

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Spirit Island
Spirit Island in Jasper National Park

You can trek here as well, but be sure to bring bear spray. Even so, if I were backpacking, I’d want to do it here. You can’t get the proper scale of the peaks from a photo; it’s beyond belief.

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I took this over five years ago with my old Nikon D800 which I’ve since sold. It’s not the camera that matters but what’s holding it. I’ve changed a lot, and so have my techniques, so I need to give it another go. In the meantime, it’s still fun to look at these and go back in time to a place that hasn’t changed since then, or hundreds of years prior for that matter.

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Castle Hallway

The Banff Spring Hotel in Alberta is one of the more amazing places I’ve stayed at. It was built to resemble a Scottish castle as it sits within the majestic landscape of the Canadian Rockies. The inside spares no detail and I spent hours walking the hallways taking pictures of the architecture.

Castle Hallway
The castle hallway from the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta

We started in Jasper and drove down the Columbia Ice Fields Parkway which is probably the most scenic highway on the planet. Everything about this area is so beautiful that you gladly forget the world you came from, at least I did. I am glad I took a ton of pictures to remind me of that trip. I’ve been itching to go back ever since.

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This is a tricky image produce. The hallways were basically dark except for the lamps along the way. I ended up combining five different exposures in AuroraHDR Pro to bring out all of the shadows without blowing out the highlights. I then processed in Tonality Pro for monochrome and then back in AuroraHDR for some finishing touches like radiance and glow. I never know how the image will turn out and I ended up doing about three versions, in the end I preferred the monochrome. It seems to be a good balance of all the detailed aspects of thus scene. Now with all that behind me, time to start thinking about a plan to come back here.

More images of interesting architecture from the gallery

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Mount Edith Cavell Before Sunset

Mount Edith Cavell Before Sunset
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This is the view of Mount Edith Cavell from Jasper Park Lodge that I took one summer evening before sunset. I think it’s pretty amazing how long the days are in the summer up here. Its kind of hard to fathom, especially now that I’m writing this in winter when it gets dark many hours earlier. In the evening the angle of the sun is low enough to cast a soft light on everything. I understand that Iceland can be like that for months, I guess that’s next on my list. In any case, Mount Edith Cavell is one of the more iconic landmarks of the Canadian Rockies and having hiked up along side of it, I can say it is indeed massive, even when viewed from twenty kilometers away. A couple of days ago I wrote about the age of the trees in British Columbia. Well, these mountains are millions of years old. That really impresses me because just like the size of these mountains, their age is something I can never really wrap my mind around.

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Lake Beauvert Jasper

 

Lake Beauvert Jasper
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A couple of years ago I was in Jasper Alberta to visit the Canadian Rockies. I arrived by train from Vancouver and then drove and hiked around. Along the way I stayed at the Jasper Park Lodge situated just east of town on Bueuvert Lake. I used a water texture from the mediterranean on the sky and water to add a mystical feel to the image. I would say there is quite a bit of good energy up here in the Rockies, mystical or otherwise. This is another one of those places I need to get back to and in some respects reminds me a little bit of New Zealand.

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Maligne Lake

An early morning trip on Maligne Lake in Jasper Alberta. These lakes are pristine and in many cases appear turquoise due to the sediments from the surrounding glaciers. This is a popular lake however it's about ninety minute drive out of town. One you head out on to the lake you are surrounded on all sides by majestic peaks and unforgettable landscapes. But then again, that describes the Jasper in general.
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An early morning trip on Maligne Lake in Jasper Alberta. These lakes are pristine and in many cases appear turquoise due to the sediments from the surrounding glaciers. This is a popular lake however it’s about ninety minute drive out of town. One you head out on to the lake you are surrounded on all sides by majestic peaks and unforgettable landscapes. But then again, that describes the Jasper in general.

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View from Jasper

Mountain lakes are peaceful first thing in the morning. On this morning I was lucky enough to get a few colors of the sunrise as well as the calm water. That's Mount Edith Cavell in the distance which has a big glacier that hangs precariously over a small lake. However there are no glaciers around this lake and so the water is clear without the typical aqua blue which is typical of glacier fed lakes.
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Mountain lakes are peaceful first thing in the morning. On this morning I was lucky enough to get a few colors of the sunrise as well as the calm water. That’s Mount Edith Cavell in the distance which has a big glacier that hangs precariously over a small lake. However there are no glaciers around this lake and so the water is clear without the typical aqua blue which is typical of glacier fed lakes.

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Lake Louise

Lake Louise is a must see. Only what you don't see in this photo is the bus loads of people behind me. But that's because it was the middle of summer and this is a must see. So, if this is the middle of summer, how come there's snow back there? Well, ...those are big ass mountains, and sitting on top are glaciers. So the scale is grand, as in really really big, as in OMG. So there you go, now you know, now you know why you need to visit the Canadian Rockies. You're welcome.

Lake Louise is a must see. Only what you don’t see in this photo is the bus loads of people behind me. But that’s because it was the middle of summer and this is a must see. So, if this is the middle of summer, how come there’s snow back there? Well, …those are big ass mountains, and sitting on top are glaciers. So the scale is grand, as in really really big, as in OMG. So there you go, now you know, now you know why you need to visit the Canadian Rockies. You’re welcome.

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Maligne Lake

If ever there was a place to rent a canoe and be inspired by all that surrounds you it is Maligne Lake in Canada's Jasper National Park. It's about an hour drive off the highway to get here and you are rewarded with one of the most scenic settings on the continent. In fact the drive is just as awesome. We were here in the peak of summer and I sat on the deck of the lodge looking out at the lake as I took this photo.

If ever there was a place to rent a canoe and be inspired by all that surrounds you it is Maligne Lake in Canada’s Jasper National Park. It’s about an hour drive off the highway to get here and you are rewarded with one of the most scenic settings on the continent. In fact the drive is just as awesome. We were here in the peak of summer and I sat on the deck of the lodge looking out at the lake as I took this photo.

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Logs Along the Coast

Tomorrow I'm taking a ferry from the mainland to Vancouver Island. All along the coast are ferry terminals like this one at Horseshoe Bay. I took this shot a few months back and I was intrigued by the big logs along the shore. Logging is big here so maybe these are the remnants of that or just trees along the coast that succumed to the elements. Nevertheless, summer is winding down and everyone seems to be frantically enjoying the last of the good weather before the short rainy days of winter return. For now, that's distant concept and theres much to do on the long weekend here in British Columbia. Happy Friday everyone.

Tomorrow I’m taking a ferry from the mainland to Vancouver Island. All along the coast are ferry terminals like this one at Horseshoe Bay. I took this shot a few months back and I was intrigued by the big logs along the shore. Logging is big here so maybe these are the remnants of that or just trees along the coast that succumed to the elements. Nevertheless, summer is winding down and everyone seems to be frantically enjoying the last of the good weather before the short rainy days of winter return. For now, that’s a distant concept and there’s much to do on this long weekend in British Columbia. Happy Friday everyone.

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