But the Moon was Steady and Still

Mt. Inglismaldie above Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park

Getting to the Alymer Lookout is a long 24 kilometer day with over 1000 meters in vertical elevation. Anybody familiar with Lake Minnewanka knows that place can be extremely windy, as it was on this particular day. As you can tell by the waves in the water, I was caught right in the middle of two weather systems and could not escape the wind.

The image expresses that although we may be in considerable turmoil at times, we can be like the Moon… steady and still despite the calamity around us, using the bedrock below to stabilize no matter what demanding crisis assails us.

The concept was generated in my mind from listening to the lyrics of an ancient hymn written by a guy named Robert Lowry…


“No storm can shake my inmost calm, 

while to that rock I’m clinging.

Since Love is Lord of Heaven and Earth

How can I keep from singing?”


I had to dodge the wind gusts at the top in brief moments with the camera to illustrate the conditions lower on the lake and above me in the sky.

Now I See

Mount Kidd Reflected, Kananaskis

Have you ever heard the phrase, “I’ll sleep on it.”?

Often, we just need to have a little time before making a good decision, and that’s the reference point made in this image.

“Now I See”.

If you think about it, the same reference is present in the lyrics of the hymn, “Amazing Grace” written centuries ago.  “… was blind, but now I see.”

Pulse

Mt Rundle, Banff National Park

My heart lifted again at this iconic place and gently pumped out the idea for “Pulse”. The conditions were perfect to capture a powerful reflection of Mt. Rundle in the evening sunlight. 

To achieve this concept, it was imperative for the photograph itself to resemble an E.K.G reading, because I was asking the image to represent the heartbeat of the Rockies.

If you don’t have a pulse viewing a scene like this, it might be time to see a doctor!

 

Judgement Day

Great Slave Lake

All of us are tempted to embrace a pirate’s life from time to time.  It seems so carefree and rebellious at the same time.  After all, we’ve watched Johnny Depp prancing about in the movies and even see the good side of the villains in those films… sympathy for someone who’s made mistakes.

When I saw the fishing boat in the picture frozen into the ice with a pirate flag above snapping in the cold stiff wind it struck me as a scene of justice for a wayward life.  However, since I am a bit of a pirate myself at times, it seemed that more than harsh consequences should be present.

When I’ve felt trapped and frozen in certain moments, I’ve banked on mercy from above.

It was a long time coming, but the night sky eventually spilled a brilliant aurora of kindness across the stars… justice and mercy in the same moment!

 
 

Awaken Your Friends

(and go Dancing in the Sky)

Monarch Butterflies

If I was to ever release a collection of Monarch Butterflies to my portfolio, I would have to act fast. Monarch Butterflies are unfortunately disappearing from the face of the earth at a very alarming rate. This is tragic considering how fascinating they are…

Monarchs take 5 generations to migrate to an area only 30 kilometers in circumference way up in the high mountains of Mexico and back again to their summer homes in Canada. They fly only when temperatures rise to 13 degrees celsius and the temperature must never dip below 0, because they will freeze.

At night and when they cannot fly, these delicate Mariposas fold their wings and collectively resemble the bark of a tree, which is a strategy to elude avian predators.

This picture was made as temperatures were just touching the magic mark. The first of the Monarch’s are waking their friends, asking them to join for a daily dance across the sky, chasing the sunny warmth through the meadows and preparing for their long journey north again in the spring.

 
 

A Battle Prince

September Moose

Do you ever feel like a young bull, always having to prove yourself?

I imagine this must be the way a young Bull Moose feels as he gets ready for the series of battles that will be necessary each autumn, to possibly make him the king of his domain.

As the title suggests, this is a moment of preparation. His crown is dramatic.  His resolve is strong.  As many young people seeking a partner know, that’s “A Battle Prince”.

 
 

Traffic Stop

Black-backed Oriole & Monarch Butterflies

There are but two birds that can eat Monarch Butterflies without being poisoned, and the Black-backed Oriole is the stealthiest and deadliest.  The bird quietly approaches from the underbrush to and hops down a branch toward the colony.  It gets to within inches before plucking a sleeping mariposa from the group.

This moment I’m told is the first time that the attack has been successfully photographed with such clarity and I’m very lucky to have witnessed it, let alone having come away with a prized image.

The title suggests what we all dread as butterflies among rush hour… a black and white pulling us over with consequences pending.

 

Free Your Spirit

Monarch Butterflies

When the Mexican government granted myself and my assistant special access to the Monarch Butterfly Conservation Area, they allowed me to be as close to the colonies as I liked to document the spirit of this incredible treasure.

I can still remember my assistant asking as I placed a polarizer filter on my 14 mm lens, “What does that do?”

“We’re going to want the sky to be very blue now.”  I replied.  “The filter removes all haze. The picture may look as though we’re in the ocean if I hit the exposure properly.  It will also slow my shutter speed so that flying mariposas will appear in blurs, painting their freedom.”

I moved to within inches of the cluster.  The sun was heating the colony now, and just a few of the butterflies were beginning to flutter about.


They spoke in whispers to the camera:

“We are many, but we are fragile.”

“We are many, but each of us has a different gift to give the world.”

Can you hear them?

 

Lookin’ Back at Banff

Black Bear Cub

This image is intended for a visitor to our National Parks to have as a momento to recall their time in our part of the world. It’s always an eye opening experience for any little baby to engage with their new reality, and that can be the case for all of us at any age as we explore the wonders of the natural world.