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April 2, 2015 by landm

Photographic opportunities galore

David Thompson Country, just east of Banff National Park in central Alberta, is one of our favorite places to explore and take pictures. There is spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife in the area providing wonderful photographic opportunities.

If a photography workshop is in your plans this year, you might want to consider our Outdoor and Nature Photography Workshop. May 21st to 23rd, 2015 is coming up fast, so don’t think on it too long, or the opportunity will pass you by. The best place to stay in the David Thompson Country area is Aurum Lodge and that is where we hold our workshops. Here are a few images that we have taken in the area around the lodge. – Leslie

Old stump above the Saskatchewan River, ©Mark Degner

Old stump above the Saskatchewan River, Nikon D700, Nikon24mm F3.5 T.S., ©Mark Degner

Cabin Window, Canon PowerShot G11, ©Leslie Degner

Cabin Window, Canon PowerShot G11, ©Leslie Degner

Waves crashing on shore, Abraham Lake, ©Mark Degner

Waves crashing on shore, Abraham Lake, Nikon D700, Nikon24mm F3.5 T.S., ©Mark Degner

Pine Grosbeak, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm F2.8, MC-14 Teleconverter, ©Leslie Degner

Pine Grosbeak, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm F2.8, MC-14 Teleconverter, ©Leslie Degner

Little Pine, Abraham Lake, ©Leslie Degner

Little Pine, Abraham Lake, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm F2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Rufous Hummingbird, ©Leslie Degner

Rufous Hummingbird, Olympus E-M1, Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Calypso Orchids, Nikon D700, Nikon 105mm F2.8 Macro, ©Mark Degner

Calypso Orchids, Nikon D700, Nikon 105mm F2.8 Macro, ©Mark Degner

Prayer Ribbons, Olympus E-M5, Olympus 40-150mm F4-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Prayer Ribbons, Olympus E-M5, Olympus 40-150mm F4-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Bighorn Sheep, Yearling, Olympus E-M1, ©Leslie Degner

Bighorn Sheep, Yearling, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm F2.8, MC-14 Teleconverter, ©Leslie Degner

Water flows over rock, Bighorn River, ©Leslie Degner

Water flows over rock, Bighorn River, Olympus E-M5, Olympus 12-50 F3.5-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Archive

January 12, 2015 by landm

“Developing Your Photographic Style” Photography Workshop

For the last six years we have offered our Women Only Photography Workshops at Aurum Lodge in the heart of David Thompson Country. We have had suggestions from some gentlemen who would like to participate in some of our workshops as well. So this year we are offering our “Developing Your Photographic Style” workshop to both men and women from May 21st to 24th, 2015 at Aurum Lodge.

This year as part of the “Developing Your Photographic Style” workshop we have made arrangements for special access to the Brazeau Collieries Mine site as one of the field shoot locations. Instead of the half-day we had last year, we will have up to a full day at the mine. We do not actually go underground into the mine, which is off limits to everyone, but we will be allowed to photograph in and around the buildings and equipment. The Brazeau Colleries mine at Nordegg has been a Provincial Historic Site since 1993 and was designated a National Historic Site in 2002. Opportunities for some interesting and creative photography abound at this site.

For more information on this workshop and to view more images from the area, go to our workshops page.

Spruce tree clings to the edge of the canyon walls, Nikon body, Nikon 24mm f2.8

Spruce tree clings to the edge of the canyon walls, Nikon body, Nikon 24mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Control gates at the storage bins, Nordegg Mine, Nikon D300, Nikon 12-24mm f4

Control gates at the storage bins, Nordegg Mine, Nikon D300, Nikon 12-24mm f4, ©Leslie Degner

Relic vehicles at the Nordegg Mine, Nikon D300, Nikon 12-24mm f4, ©Leslie Degner

Relic vehicles at the Nordegg Mine, Nikon D300, Nikon 12-24mm f4, ©Leslie Degner

Turquoise blue water of the Cline River, Nikon D300, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens

Turquoise blue water of the Cline River, Nikon D300, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8, ©Leslie Degner

Elliott Peak and pond reflection, Nikon D700, Nikon 24mm f3.5

Elliott Peak and pond reflection, Nikon D700, Nikon 24mm f3.5, ©Mark Degner

Coal car in the blacksmith shop, Nordegg Mine, Panasonic DMC-GX1, Lumix G Vario PZ 14-42mm f3.5-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Coal car in the blacksmith shop, Nordegg Mine, Panasonic DMC-GX1, Lumix G Vario PZ 14-42mm f3.5-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Archive

July 17, 2014 by landm

Smokin’ Hot Women Only Photography Workshop – Workshops

Over the years we have learnt to expect just about any conditions on our workshops, like hot temperatures, heavy rain and hail or even snow, but we have never experienced a forest fire before.  In the evening of July 3, the first evening of the workshop, we experienced a brief thunderstorm that really didn’t do much around the lodge, but unknown to us at the time, a lightening strike near the Banff National Park boundary about 30 km east of Aurum Lodge sparking what is now referred to as the Spreading Creek Wildfire.

We didn’t know that there was a forest fire till Friday afternoon when we were driving back to the lodge after spending a great morning photographing the Brazeau Collieries mine site in Nordegg.  We could see some really impressive orange coloured clouds billowing over the top of Elliot Peak just to the southwest of Aurum Lodge.  We stopped at a couple of places to photograph the clouds.

Smoke Above Elliot Peak, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40 f2.8 ©Leslie Degner

Smoke Above Elliot Peak, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40 f2.8 ©Leslie Degner

On the Saturday, our curiosity got the best of us and we drove toward the fire area on Highway 11.  The fire was on the other side of the North Saskatchewan River from the highway and only around 500 ha in size at that time.  We watched as a couple of helicopters were picking up buckets of water from the river and dropping them on the fire, which was neat.  From a photographic perspective, we were a little disappointed that we could only see a small amount of fire, but there was lots of smoke.

Smoke over the slopes of Mount Murchison, Nikon D800E, Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 ©Mark Degner

Smoke on the slopes of Mount Murchison, Nikon D800E, Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 ©Mark Degner

Smoke rises from Murchison Creek

Smoke rises from Murchison Creek, Nikon D800E, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 ©Mark Degner

Smoke amongst the trees

Smoke amongst the trees, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f/4-5.6 ©Leslie Degner

We went back Saturday evening to see if we could get some photos of the sun setting behind the fire, which we were able to, but the smoke and clouds quickly became too thick.  On Sunday, the last day of the workshop, the smoke finally started drifting down the valley to the lodge, creating just enough haze to begin to obscure the mountain tops.

Sunset through the smoke, Spreading Creek Wildfire, Nikon D800E, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 ©Mark Degner

Sunset through the smoke, Spreading Creek Wildfire, Nikon D800E, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 ©Mark Degner

Smoke hanging in the valley, Spreading Creek Wildfire ©Mark Degner

Smoke hanging in the valley, Spreading Creek Wildfire, Nikon D800E, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 ©Mark Degner

The Sun through the smoke, Saskatchewan River

The Sun through the smoke, Saskatchewan River, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40 f2.8 ©Leslie Degner

Reflections in the river, Spreading Creek wildfire

Reflections in the Saskatchewan River, Spreading Creek wildfire, Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm f/4-5.6 ©Leslie Degner

As of today, July 17th, the fire is still going and has spread to over 8,450 ha and there are 119 firefighters, 8 helicopters and various heavy equipment fighting the fire.  Since the area that the fire is in was scheduled to undergo a prescribed burn in the next couple of years, they have been just maintaining the fire boundaries so that it doesn’t spread too far.  The fire, although causing some major disruptions to people’s activities, will actually have some ecological benefits in keeping the forests in the area healthier.  We are also looking forward to some neat photographic opportunities in the burnt area over the next few years as the forest starts to regenerate. – Mark

Archive

February 12, 2014 by landm

Workshop – A unique opportunity has been added to our “Developing Your Photographic Style Workshop”

For the last five years we have been offering our Women Only Photography Workshops at Aurum Lodge in the heart of David Thompson Country. During some of these past workshops we have visited the Brazeau Collieries Mine. The Brazeau Colleries mine at Nordegg has been a Provincial Historic Site since 1993 and was designated a National Historic Site in 2002.

This year as part of the “Developing Your Photographic Style” workshop for women only (apologies to all the guys, sorry but this is for the ladies only) from July 3rd to 6th, 2014 we have made arrangements for special access to the mine site as one of the field shoot locations during the workshop. Opportunities for some interesting and creative photography abound at this site. For more information on this and other workshops we are doing, go to our workshops page.

To view more images taken throughout the David Thompson area and from the Brazeau Collieries Mine at Nordegg, please visit our image gallery, David Thompson Country

Coal Car in the Blacksmiths Building, Brazeau Collieries, Panasonic DMC-GX1, Lumix GVario PZ 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 ©Leslie Degner

Coal Car in the Blacksmiths Building, Brazeau Collieries, Panasonic DMC-GX1, Lumix GVario PZ 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 ©Leslie Degner

Axles and wheels at the Brazeau Collieries ©Mark Degner

Axles and wheels at the Brazeau Collieries, Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0 ©Mark Degner

Cars at the Brazeau Collieries site, Nikon D300, Nikkor 12-24mm f4.0 ©Leslie Degner

Cars at the Brazeau Collieries Mine site, Nikon D300, Nikkor 12-24mm f4.0 ©Leslie Degner

Switch at the Brazeau Collieries, Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0 ©Mark Degner

Switch at the Brazeau Collieries, Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0 ©Mark Degner

Inside the Briquette Processing Plant at the Brazeau Collieries, Nikon D300, Nikkor 12-24mm f4.0 ©Leslie Degner

Inside the Briquette Processing Plant at the Brazeau Collieries, Nikon D300, Nikkor 12-24mm f4.0 ©Leslie Degner

Control gates at the storage bins, Brazeau Collieries, Nikon D300, Nikkor 12-24mm f4.0 ©Leslie Degner

Control gates at the storage bins, Brazeau Collieries, Nikon D300, Nikkor 12-24mm f4.0 ©Leslie Degner

 

 

Archive

February 5, 2014 by landm

Workshop – Fundamentals of Digital Photography Workshop with Leslie Degner

Hosted by the Art Society of Strathcona County

Friday, February 28th, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm and Saturday, March 1st, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm

This workshop is designed for those who want to get a better grasp of their digital cameras functions and help you to take control of your camera by taking it off auto or program modes to create the image. This workshop will give you a good start at understanding the basic fundamentals of photography.

Leslie will help you understand some of the key camera settings and what those buttons, dials and menus on your camera do. She will talk about exposure and when to use your aperture or shutter speed modes, and provide an introduction to composition to help you create better photographs.

Those interested in taking this workshop should have a DSLR camera or a compact digital camera that has the ability to shot in manual, aperture or shutter speed priority modes. For a little more information on this and other workshops we are doing, go to our Workshops page – Leslie

Blueberry field in Pitt Meadows, B.C., Olympus E-M5, Olympus 40-150mm f4-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Blueberry field in Pitt Meadows, B.C., Olympus E-M5, Olympus 40-150mm f4-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Cabin, Olympus E-M5, Olympus 12-50mm f3.5-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Cabin, Olympus E-M5, Olympus 12-50mm f3.5-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Snow covered tree, Olympus E-M5, Olympus 40-150mm f4-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

Snow covered tree, Olympus E-M5, Olympus 40-150mm f4-5.6, ©Leslie Degner

 

Archive

August 7, 2013 by landm

Women Only Photography Workshops 2013 – Images from Barbara Iwaniuk

Barbara Iwaniuk attended our Women Only Photography Workshops at Aurum Lodge this past June and has sent us a few images that she captured. As you can see Barbara got some wonderful images and it was great to have her participate in the workshop. We are just finishing up the details for our 2014 Women Only Photography Workshops and will be announcing them shortly so keep checking back to see what we will be offering for next year.

Barbara Iwaniuk 0033

©Barbara Iwaniuk

Barbara Iwaniuk 0113

©Barbara Iwaniuk

Barbara Iwaniuk 0138

©Barbara Iwaniuk

Barbara Iwaniuk 0210

©Barbara Iwaniuk

Archive

July 6, 2013 by landm

Travels & Wanderings – Balanced Rocks

During our Beyond the Basics Workshop at Aurum Lodge we take the participants out in the field to put to practice the lessons that were talked about. This year one of the locations we visited was the Mistaya Canyon in Banff National Park.  Along the bank of the river at the start of the canyon we came across these small inukshuks, built by someone who must have had some fun balancing the rocks on top of some boulders out in the river.  Leslie

Rock Pile 1

Inukshuk beside Mistaya River 1 ©Leslie Degner

Rock Pile beside the Mistaya River 2

Inukshuk beside the Mistaya River 2 ©Leslie Degner

Rock Pile beside the Mistaya River 3

Inukshuk at the Mistaya River 3 ©Leslie Degner

Archive

April 30, 2013 by landm

Women Only Photography Workshop – Images from Donna Tomaszeski

Donna Tomaszeski has attended our Women Only Photography Workshops at Aurum Lodge for the past two years and she finally got around to sending us a few images from the 2012 workshop.   As the old saying goes, better late than never.  We are really glad that Donna sent them as she has some great images.  Nicely done.

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

©Donna Tomaszeski

Archive

March 27, 2013 by landm

Women Only Photography Workshops – Images from 2012

In June we teach a couple of photography workshops for ladies only that are held at Aurum Lodge in the heart of the Rocky Mountains of Alberta.  Here are a few images from some of the participants that joined us at the lodge last year for the workshops in 2012. Enjoy!

©Sharon Tomaszeski

©Sharon Tomaszeski

©Sharon Tomaszeski

©Sharon Tomaszeski

©Pauline Smith

©Pauline Smith

©Pauline Smith

©Pauline Smith

Among the prayer flags

©Gail Chin

©Gail Chin

©Gail Chin

Archive

February 11, 2013 by landm

Women Only Photography Workshops

Each June since 2009 we have been holding our “Women Only Photography Workshops” at the eco-award winning Aurum Lodge located in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains of Alberta.

This year we will again be offering two workshops:

Landscape and Nature Photography – Beyond the Basics I – June 6th to 9th, 2013

Landscape and Nature Photography – Beyond the Basics II – Taking your photography further – June 13th to 16th, 2013

These workshops are limited to a maximum of 7 participants, giving plenty of opportunity for individual attention.

So if you are a lady (or know of a lady) that enjoys taking pictures at an advanced beginner or intermediate level and would like to advance your photography skills, then these workshops may be just what you’re looking for. So head over to our workshops page to find out more information on them.

 

Rocky outcrop North Saskatchewan River

North Saskatchewan River flows past a rocky outcrop ©Leslie Degner

The area around Aurum Lodge has many great photographic locations but we may also get the opportunity to view and photograph wildlife such as bighorn sheep or flowers like the Calypso Orchids. Calypso Orchids also known as Fairy Slippers are one of the earliest orchids to flower in the Rockies, usually in late May to mid June.

Calypso bulbosa

Calypso Orchid also known as Fairy Slipper ©Leslie Degner

 

Calypso Orchid

Calypso Orchid ©Leslie Degner