A Photography Tour of the Canadian Rockies

In mid-September 2018 my partner Dave and I led a group of photographers on an Arizona Highways photography workshop to the Canadian Rockies.  The photographer/instructor was Jim Steinberg, an award-winning photographer based in Colorado,   Dave and I are the Trip Leaders, providing all the logistical support to make the workshop run smoothly.

We started at the Comfort Inn near the Calgary Airport.  There were nine participants, divided into 3 mini-vans.  This was supposed to be a fall workshop, with autumn scenery.  However, snow came early this year and the whole landscape was white with snow.  Our first day was spent mostly in the Kananaskis Country area, a very large park area just west of Calgary.

Wedge Pond

Image of Wedge Pond

The next 2 days were spent in the Lake Louis area, within the Banff National Park.  This is an immensely beautiful area, which, of course, attracts tourists from all over the world.  With a combination of lakes, mountains, pine forests and recent snowfalls, the area became a photographer's nirvana.  We started early in the morning at Lake Moraine, a glacier lake.  We have to get there very early to get a parking spot, otherwise you'd have to park at a remote location and get shuttled to the lake.  With our photography equipment that'd have been quite a logistical nightmare.  On the first morning we were lucky enough to grab one of the last few remaining parking spots.  On the second morning, in spite of being there a little earlier, we were not able to find proper parking spaces for our 3 vehicles.  We parked illegally along the road but were told that we would not be towed away.

Snow-covered canoes beside Lake Moraine

View from a hillside

Snow and reflection

Colorful canoes, after the snow has melted

The next two days were spent in the Jasper area, a couple of hours away from Lake Louis.  Towering mountains, streams, rivers, waterfalls line the highway.  One could see photo opportunities at almost every stop.  We stopped at many of these places to shoot.  In Jasper we spent a fair amount of time shooting at Patricia Lake early in the morning.

Mist floating above the lake

Beautiful clouds

Reflections on the crystal clear water

Morning mist, sunrise combined for a beautiful picture

Our last 2 nights were spent in the town of Banff, where we shot at Vermillion Lakes.  Cloudy weather prevented us from spending more time shooting around the area.

A Jetty

Michael in a yellow jacket, provides a contrast to the gray around him

A group photo