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September 2, 2016 by landm

Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour – Jan. 11th to 15th 2017

It is hard to think of winter when it is still summertime, but winter is creeping up faster than we realize. This coming January 11^th to 15^th, 2017, myself along with Alan Ernst of Aurum Lodge, are again running our Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour. This is a small group tour and space is limited to only 6 participants, and it is starting to fill up as we presently have only a few spaces left; so don’t dwell on it to long or the opportunity will pass you by. To find more information on this tour here is a link to the Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour or go to the page at Aurum Lodge. Here are a few images taken from places that we may visit this upcoming tour. Make sure you don’t hibernate this coming winter. – Leslie

Abraham Lake Ice, Mount Abraham, Nikon D610, Nikon 24mm TS f3.5, ©Leslie Degner

Cracked and shifted Lake Ice, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Beauty Creek Flats, Jasper National Park, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Ice formation, Jasper National Park, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Frozen bubbles in Abraham Lake, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Howse Peak, Banff National Park, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Solitary Tree, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Mount Abraham, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

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February 27, 2016 by landm

Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour – Leslie Degner’s Images

When I finally got through editing and processing my images from the Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour, I found it really difficult to narrow down my favorites but eventually I did. Looking back at all my images from the tour it’s already hard to think of winter since we are currently getting temperatures on the plus side of 0° C and most of the snow around here has disappeared. Here are my favorite images from the tour. – Leslie

Frozen bubbles in Abraham Lake, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Solitary tree rises above the snow Banff National Park, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Trees line the edge of a pond, Beauty Creek Flats, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Slabs of ice at the edge of Abraham Lake, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Totem Tower cliff face, Banff National Park, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Little did we know we were being watched from above, as I didn’t see the three Mountain Goats until I got back home and was editing my images. They are in the upper left corner of the above image, cropped view below.

Crop view of Mountain Goats on cliff, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Heart shaped bubble in Abraham Lake, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Pure Energy Ice Fall, Cline River Canyon, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Icicles at the edge of the Cline River, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Sunrise at the Reflecting Pools, Kootenay Plains, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Cliff face on Mount Abraham, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Silhouette of a burnt tree in David Thompson Country, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Ice bubbles of many shapes, Abraham Lake, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Wind blowing over the lake ice, Abraham Lake, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 60mm f2.8 Macro, ©Leslie Degner

Alan gets blasted by the wind and snow while photographing on Abraham Lake, Alberta, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 60mm f2.8 Macro, ©Leslie Degner

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February 15, 2016 by landm

Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour – Alan Ernst’s Images

Alan and Madelaine Ernst are the owners of Aurum Lodge where the Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour was held in January. Alan wrote a little message along with the images that he sent for the posting:

Madeleine and I are blessed to live and work in one of the lesser known but exceptionally scenic regions of the Canadian Rockies. Grand vistas, iconic locations, majestic sunrises are what most photographers seek out when they come to the area, however, I have found that over time it is the beauty and variety of smaller things, landscape details, rocks, trees and flowers, textures, patterns, shadows and the warm light of winter which really speak to me.

I love nature, the great outdoors and hiking, so years ago when micro four thirds cameras were introduced, I switched to this mirrorless format for its convenient size and weight. It has its limitations in resolution, low light capabilities and dynamic range, but I appreciate the convenience and portability it offers. Images were taken with Lumix GM1/GF7 cameras and the following lenses 15mm f1.7, 12-32mm f3.5-5.6, 35-100mm f4-5.6, 100-300mm f4-5.6 (bird – Pine Grosbeak).

Bubble Party, ©Alan W. Ernst

Colours of Winter, ©Alan W. Ernst

Fir Frame Frozen, ©Alan W. Ernst

Pure Energy Ice Fall, ©Alan W. Ernst

Eye of the Ice Dragon, ©Alan W. Ernst

Frozen Curtain, ©Alan W. Ernst

Pastels of Winter, ©Alan W. Ernst

Spruce Pageant, ©Alan W. Ernst

Remnants of Summer, ©Alan W. Ernst

Pine Grosbeak, ©Alan W. Ernst

Winter Light, ©Alan W. Ernst

Sunset on Abraham Lake, ©Alan W. Ernst

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February 6, 2016 by landm

Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour – Mary Lane Anderson’s Images

It was a pleasure to have Mary Lane Anderson participate in the Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour in January. She was very exuberant and outgoing, and we all had lots of fun together over the 5 days of the tour.

Mary Lane is the competition chairperson for the Forest Grove Camera Club (FGCC), which is a member club in the Columbia Council of Camera Clubs (that includes a number of camera clubs from California, Idaho, Washington and Oregon). I am sure at least an image or two from the tour will find their way into some of the club’s competitions.

Here are a few of Mary Lane’s favourite images from the Tour. – Leslie

Mary Lane Anderson Photography, ©Mary Lane Anderson

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January 28, 2016 by landm

Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour – Kevin Schafer’s Images

Just over a week has passed since I returned from Aurum Lodge where Alan Ernst, the owner of the lodge, and I lead our Winter Mountain Magic Photography Tour. The group was fun, very energetic and enthusiastic and we had a wonderful time both while out photographing and back at the lodge in the evening. During the day it was pretty much none stop photography at a variety of locations around the lodge area and into Banff and Jasper National Parks.

Below are some of Kevin Schafer’s favorite images that he took on the tour. Not only do they show some of the great scenes and subjects that he photographed, but they also show how much fun we were having. More of Kevin’s work can be viewed at www.kevinschafer.com

Frozen gas bubbles beneath surface of frozen Lake Abraham, Canadian Rockies, Alberta, ©Kevin Schafer

Mt. Chephren, winter sunrise, from Waterfowl Lakes, Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, ©Kevin Schafer

Hiking out onto frozen lake surface with crampons, Lake Abraham, Winter, Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Canada, ©Kevin Schafer

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)

Mt. Outram, Saskatchewan Crossing, Banff National Park

Young shrub among snow mounds, Waterfowl Lakes

Frozen gas bubbles beneath surface of frozen lake

In addition to photographing with his Nikon gear, Kevin also took the time to take some photos with his iPhone. Also Kevin spent some time before and after the tour photographing at a few other places on his drive to the tour and back to the Calgary International Airport. – Leslie

Drumheller badland, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada

Drumheller badlands, sediments of Cretaceous age in area famous for its dinosaur fossils, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, ©Kevin Schafer

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December 7, 2015 by landm

Winter Mountain Magic Photo Tour

Panasonic DMC-GX1, Lumix G Vario 12-35mm f2.8, ©Alan Ernst

When winter comes, most of us seem to go into a hibernation mode. We want to get out to make some winter photographs but maybe we don’t want to go out alone and if we don’t know other photographers to go with, we tend to stay at home and not get outdoors to embrace winter. Over the years I have found that my personal development and growth in photography increased considerably when I was out with other photographers.

So if one of the best ways to improve your photography is to get out with like-minded photographers, what better way than to sign up for a tour where photography is the main agenda? Alan Ernst, the owner of Aurum Lodge and an outstanding photographer in his own right, and I just happen to have a winter photography tour coming up on January 13^th to 17^th, 2016. Space is limited to only 6 (six) participants and the dates are fast approaching, so don’t dwell on it to long or the opportunity will pass you by. To find more information on this tour here is a link to the Winter Mountain Magic Photo Tour or go to the page at Aurum Lodge Mountain Magic Photo Tour Page. Here are a few images that show off the area. – Leslie