This is my final image for our Canada adventure. I took it on the first day we were there but posted it last since it is my favorite. We had been at the lake for about thirty minutes when a light mist rolled through. I was shooting the mountains in the distance when this group of kayakers decided to head back towards the dock. I quickly changed the lens and settings, which resulted in this image.
As my long day of hiking turned into night, I spent sunset on the shore of Lake Louise. As you can see, there was pretty significant cloud cover, which diluted the typical sunset colors, but for about ten minutes, there was a yellowish hue. To capture this, I used a slow shutter speed to slow the water's movement and create a more dramatic image.
On this hike, I also took out my telephoto lens. I started looking for bears and other animals in the backcountry, but after not seeing anything for a few minutes, I turned toward the trees. I'm not sure what it is, but I really like the simplicity of silhouetted trees. When editing, I applied a black and white filter to increase the contrast between the trees and sky, resulting in
One day, I decided to do it all. I woke up at 4 am to watch the sunrise at Moraine Lake, went back a few hours later to go on a hike, then took a nine-mile hike behind Lake Louise. This image comes from that nine-mile hike. About two miles in, I joined a random couple who was also going to the top. About six miles in, I saw these two people standing on the horse trail, which is when I took this image. The people are a little small, but I didn't want to crop in and ruin the proportion of the size of the mountains.
I typically don't post images of people, but I felt this one was too good to not share. We had just turned around from close to the top (some people didn't want to finish the uphill) and were heading back towards the lake. Using an aperture of f2.8 and shooting from the hip, I blindly took many images hoping one would turn out well.
During one of our days in Canada, we took a day-long drive along the Ice Roads Parkway. Besides the snow on some peaks, there was no ice, but this stretch of road from Banff to Jasper was incredibly, incredibly beautiful. This particular image is of Peyto Lake, somewhere between the two cities. There was an easily accessible overlook with a fantastic view, but me being me, wanted to take something more unique. We started hiking towards the top of the mountain, went off trail to a pile of snow, when I turned back to the lake. I set up my tripod and took eleven images, each of a slightly different portion of the lake, which together made this piece.
I took this image during my afternoon hike at Moraine Lake. A brief rainstorm had just passed, and some low-hanging clouds were still around. I walked down to the lake's shore and took this image. There are many reasons I like it: the subtle, soft colors, layers of mountains upon mountains that draw your eye to the back of the image, and the clouds add softness to the hard rock.
This is Moraine Lake, as the title suggests. After a short but slow eight-mile drive up a winding road, you enter a land of no cell coverage and beautiful views. I visited the lake three times, once at sunset, another on the following sunrise, and a final time during the afternoon. While it may seem crazy that I woke up at 4am for this shot, yes, it is so worth it.
One of the many things I love about Canada is the weather. The entire time, the weather was incredible. There was sun, clouds, and the occasional rain. What I loved most about it was the fact that the weather was different every day. For example, on this day, it was partly cloudy but when the sky wasn't as moody as this, there was a significant amount of harsh light.
One of my favorite things about the mountains is how quickly the weather can change. One second it is clear skies, and the next is cloudy and rainy. For this image, an afternoon storm rolled in from nowhere, and everyone at Moraine Lake, including me, went to the Cafe to stay dry. But right after the rain passed, I went to the lake's edge and captured this. The trees are crisp with an f2.8 aperture with the mountain is slightly out of focus.
If you know me well, you know that I love adventure. Canada was no different. Each night I would search on Google Maps and find a spot I thought would be interesting for sunset. The problem was that I had no method of transportation, meaning bike or car, but I did have two legs. For this and the next image, I walked two miles to the Vermillion Lakes to capture the sunset. Should I have stayed out that late? Probably not, but thank you, mom, for picking me up and driving me home after it got dark!
Another reason I enjoyed our trip to Canada so much was the weather. The highest high was eighty degrees, and the temperature dropped to around fifty at night. Additionally, during most of the days, there was significant cloud cover, which allowed me to take images like this. While editing, I made sure to increase the contrast and sharpness to make the sky even moodier and show off the mountains' details.
During one of our daily adventures, we took the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. The views from the boardwalk were incredible, but me being me, I had to explore on some random hiking path. I followed the trail for about half a mile to this spot, where I could see the Trans-Canada Highway turning to the northwest. I used my telephoto lens once again and captured this image. I added a few blue and green filters on top of the piece to produce this final version.
Another piece of equipment I am glad I brought on this trip was a variable neutral density filter and a tripod. These two items allowed me to control the shutter speed and create images like these. I adjusted the filter to its darkest setting, set the camera on a tripod, and let it run for twenty-five seconds. I captured the waves crashing in the lower part of the image, clouds cast with sunset colors moving in the upper half, and a cool breeze from the water telling me I should have worn pants.
I have recently focused on aerial photography, and when I use my camera, it is with my wide-angle lens. This trip was a nice reset as most images came from my camera, and I was rotating between my wide-angle and telephoto lenses. For this piece, I was scanning the ground to see if I could spot any bears or other wildlife, then looked up and found this person hiking along the ridge. I utilized the 300mm zoom on my telephoto lens to enlarge the hiker as best I could, then took this photo.
Later that night, I took flight with the drone to see the landscape from a new perspective. I found what I believe is a hiking path and centered it in the image. It creates a nice separation for the picture and contrasts the rows of trees. Then while editing, I changed the color of the trees from a lush green to more of an orange tone to increase the sunset effect.
As the sun set on our first night, I wanted to find somewhere to capture it. I took a quick walk to Bow Falls, where I was delighted with views of the fall and Mt Peechee. The majority of people were looking at the falls, but I found this view more interesting since the sun was cast against the mountain.
Welcome to Canada! Over the next 24 images, I will highlight the adventures we took across Alberta. This first picture comes from the top of Mount Norquay around Banff. After a simple switch-back road, we made it to an outlook point where we could see the town of Banff and all the surrounding mountains. To create this piece, I used four images stiched together, allowing me to show a greater perspective of the scenery.
As I close out this series, I saved my favorite image for last. After receiving the low battery warning, I slowly lowered the drone in for a landing. I stopped to take this image, which is now a favorite, but hovering to take this image cost me too much battery time. I was at 2%, the drone was losing power, and a moderate wind prevented me from landing where I took off. I quickly scrambled to look for a new landing zone, but the closest one I could find was across a highway. With fifteen seconds left to fly, I quickly located an open parking spot, marked the location, landed, and hoped it was there after I drove over. After a tense car ride and a short fence I hopped over, I found the now out-of-battery drone and safely recovered these images.
One of my favorite experiences while flying the drone is when clouds are at the same level I am taking pictures. It feels unreal to have a camera up that high. I took this image at 1000 feet, with clouds at 1250 feet. There has only been one instance when I have taken an image completely above some clouds (during last Thankgiving's trip to Florida) but seeing landscapes from this angle is always incredible.
This image is a perfect example of why I add grain. During a humid and warm sunrise, a thick layer of clouds rolled in and blocked my view of the sun. The mood quickly turned gray and gloomy. To increase this feeling, I added grain. The buildings became less clear, the sky bluer, and the overall image darker.
During one of my sunset excursions, I flew the drone over Freeway 366, or Woodall Rogers Freeway. Fortunately, I put on my neutral density filter, which allowed me to blur the motion of the cars on the freeway. The cars ended up moving enough that they were blurred, but not too much that the cars didn't look like cars. Additionally, the neutral density filter adds vibrancy to the colors, which helps the main building, called The Fountain Place, stand out.
After going downtown during a moderately interesting sunset, I chose to go down two more times, another sunset and one sunrise. In the past, I have been looking at weather apps to determine what I thought would be a good sunset or not. Recently, I downloaded this app called MySunset. Based on the clouds at the horizon and above it, it rates how good the color will be for the sunset and displays it as a percent. This sunrise was rated as a 80%, but the colors were better than expected. It is a good app and certainly one I will use again.
For my last image of this series, I went to where the Dallas North Tollway and Bordeaux Avenue intersect. My goal was to capture cars moving on the tollway with the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in the background. The challenge with it was the shaking bridge. Every time someone drove over it or a big truck underneath it, it would shake, ruining my image. After 155 tries, this is the result.
After taking Wednesday's image, I was nearing the first warning telling me to land the drone before the battery died, and this was my last battery. I looked down and found myself over the intersection of Interstate 35 and Freeway 366. I knew I didn't have much time left, and unfortunately, there wasn't much traffic. Regardless, I took the image, and after editing it, I like how desolate the piece looks. There isn't too much action, and the lone stopped car, I believe, is the highlight of the image. Without seeing that still object, I think there wouldn't be anything that catches your eye.
As I continued on battery number three, the sun set, and the city lights started to turn on. I flew to where I took the first photo of this series and took a long-exposure image of downtown. I liked the picture but felt it was flat and didn't give off much emotion. Utilizing a preset in Lightroom, I added a vintage filter, increased the grain, and increased the brightness of the buildings to make them stand out. Now, this image has become one of my favorites.
As I continued my flight around the buildings, the sun was constantly in my way. I hoped it would have set enough for me to take images with ease, but I started photographing too early for that. To compensate, I flew behind the Comerica Bank Tower, but even then, the sun kept peaking around and almost ruined my shot. Another reason why I like this angle is because there is a direct line to the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. When I first look at this image, the buildings in the foreground stand out, but after looking around, it is a fun surprise to see the bridge.
When I first arrived in downtown, I had hopes to fly through the buildings and make some videos. I soon realized that the radiowaves from Wifi, TVs, and radios created a much weaker connection to the drone than I thought. This meant that the drone lost signal as soon as I was behind one building. The first time this happened, there was quite a bit of panic and fear of losing the drone, but after four times, I felt like a seasoned veteran. Unfortunately, the signal was too weak to weave in and out of buildings, but I captured this image of the places I hoped to fly.
As the school year is wrapping up and I finally have more free time, I decided to use it to take images! On this first excursion, I ventured to three spots in downtown Dallas. Surprisingly, there are few drone restrictions. Due to Love Field, sometimes I have to fly below 150 meters, but for most the most part, I can fly as high as I want. For this image, I captured the skyline along with Freeway 366. I then threw the picture into Photoshop and Lightroom, and added a filter creating a blue and almost vintage look.
For my final image of this series, I specifically chose this one as I think it is my favorite. It starts with the grainy and fuzziness of the Instax camera. The image is not as clear, but I like that style. Next, the skiers going down the slopes help lead the viewer's eye to the background, where a slightly overexposed mountain lies. Unfortunately, with the Instax camera, I cannot control the shutter speed, aperture, or any of my typical settings. It makes the images different than what I would like, but again, sometimes the worse-looking image gives off a better message.
Going back to the flight on my first day, where decreasing the drone's altitude was a struggle, I managed to take this image on my way down. I wanted to emulate one of the images I took last year in the mountains. To change it up this time, I found a spot where trees surrounded not one but two roads made from snow. What I found fascinating about these roads is that someone has to go out and remake them every time it snows. While I did not walk on this one, I did on a similar road. Let me warn you though make sure you walk in the middle of the path and not on the side unless you want to sink to your knees in snow.
After a fun day of skiing, I again went on another adventure. This time, dinner was a little later, which allowed me to explore later into the evening. Around 5:20, the sun set behind the mountains and started to change the colors of the sky. The unedited version of this image is not nearly as interesting as this one, but the filter trick again changes this image for the better. It adds the pink and blue-ish hues and darkens the whites on the mountains.
On our second day, I decided to continue adventuring by riding the aerial tram up to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, I might have chosen the absolute worst day to explore the summit. This image makes the weather seem calm, but I took it between gusts. The temperature was 16 degrees (I read that on the display they had), and I estimate that the winds were upwards of 50 miles per hour. My mask ended up freezing to itself, and at one point, I grabbed onto the snowcat in fear of being blown off the mountain. Even one Instax image froze and created this green pattern that ruined the image. All of this occurred over ten minutes, and the next thing I knew, I was taking another tram back down the mountain.
On this adventure, I brought along a new tool, well, a new tool for me. My new weapon of choice is an Instax Mini 26. I found it in my sister's room, thought it would look cool, and added it to my arrangement of photography devices. I have to say, sometimes the old feel on the images looks better than a perfectly crisp image. The colors are muted and slightly desaturated, the focus is not the clearest, and the overall hues are different than those I saw while taking the image. Of course, while it may not capture the moment as I expected, this Instax camera will definitely stay in my toolbox.
I captured this image before all the events I describes in my last post. At just under 400 feet, the straightness of the sole road that led to town fascinated me. I like the contrast between the two sides, one side with scattered trees and the other with smooth snow. The clouds provided an interesting touch as they streak diagonally across the image. I wish the mountains in the background were larger and you could see them more clearly, but that would take away from the emptiness of the land. I guess every image cannot be perfect.
After finishing the college writing process, I took an adventure to Teton Village, Wyoming. Not even five minutes after my dad and I arrived at the hotel, I took my first adventure. The views from the ground were incredible, but the views from above were outstanding. On my first flight, everything was normal as I flew up to 394 feet (specific, but it is the maximum within city limits), but when I tried to come down, it barely descended. Fortunately, it was slowly drifting down at two miles per hour, and I had enough battery life that it floated to the ground instead of falling, but for multiple minutes I was thinking about where the best spot for it to crash down to Earth.
Continuing from Monday's description, this house stood out to me after a recent drive. The pink glow of Dallas reflecting on the low clouds, bright white porch light, and a large number of trees all combine into a dark and fascinating piece. When describing images like these, I try to keep my commentary basic. I prefer to let the viewer interpret the image as they please instead of self-imposing characteristics that someone might disagree with.
Taking pictures of suburban America is a fun and slow process. After sunset, I drive slowly around various neighborhoods, and when I find a house that appears different than others, I snap an image. When editing, I do not have criteria for exactly what I want to see, but I want something unique and mysterious. In this image, it is the leaf-less trees in front of the houses. They split the photo into numerous pieces, and create a chaotic aspect to the image.
Welcome to 2022! After taking a nice break to recharge, I am back to capturing images. For this next series, I am capturing how suburban America has changed due to humans. I took this image to highlight people coming home from work. I combined multiple drone images of a road cutting through trees into one to add more streaks of light to the piece. While the combination process may seem simple, it is more complicated than one thinks. You can even see where I messed up in the bottom right, as one car is driving just slightly off the road. I tried multiple times to fix it, but this was the best I could do.
