Indian Paintbrush Photo, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

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Indian Paintbrush, wildflower in bloom, summertime, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Hey Folks,

Here’s a photo of an Indian Paintbrush, wildflower Castilleja miniata, from the Canadian Rockies, in Banff National Park. Banff National Park and the surrounding Greater Canadian Rockies ecosystem is a simply amazing place to photograph, with a myriad subjects to seek out and photograph. It has awesome mountain scenery, forests and montane ecosystems, sub-alpine and alpine regions, lakes and ponds, sloughs, rivers, glaciers, icefields, waterfalls, canyons, rockfaces, wildflowers, shrubs and grasses. Aspen trees, pine, larch, spruce, and so on. Wildlife photography in the area is probably some of the best in North America, second only (maybe) to Yellowstone National Park, which is just over a day’s drive south. Elk, moose, caribou, mule deer, whitetail deer, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes, foxes, bald eagles, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, to chipmunks, magpies and jays – a long, long list of subjects.

I think one of the hardest things to deal with as a visitor to Banff National Park intending to photograph the area is Continue reading →

Tourists at Moraine Lake Photos, Banff National Park, Canada

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Tourists enjoy the view lakeside, at Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, the Canadian Rockies, Canada.

Hey Folks,

Here’s another image from Moraine Lake, a couple of tourists enjoying the view, lakeside, of Wenkchmena Peaks and Moraine Lake. Banff National Park is a sweet place, with an incredible array of photographic opportunities and interesting subjects to shoot. I could go up to Moraine Lake a thousand times and not get bored with that view, I reckon. It does get a little sticky, inundated with bus loads of tourists as the day goes by, but early in the morning there’s usually very few people there.

One of the cool things about Banff National Park, for the nature photographer, is there are so many simply awesome scenes that are super-accessible. Just a short walk off the road and you’ve got this incredible scene. For the more adventurous traveller, there’s a ton of hikes and trails to explore and places to get into the backcountry and away from it all, which is great too, but for some really easy access, Banff National Park is the spot. Moraine Lake is just one of the places among literally dozens of scenic opportunities. I’ll try to post a few more along the way.

Cheers

Carl

Banff National Park Photos.

Moraine Lake Photo, Wenkchemna Peaks, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

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Moraine Lake photo, Wenkchemna Peaks, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Hey Folks

Here’s another image from the Canadian Rockies – immortalized on the Canadian $20 bill. Moraine Lake is one of the classic views of the Canadian Rockies, indeed, of anywhere. It’s a special place. The lake is most likely mis-named – it’s probably not a moraine that formed it at all, but a rock slide. The peaks that tower above the inviting turquoise lake are called the Wenkchemna Peaks. “Wenkchemna” is the Stoney Indian word for 10. The Stoney Indians lived in the area, and guided early European settlers and explorers in the region.

Samuel Allen and Walter Wilcox were 2 of the first European explorers in the area, and they’re generally credited with much of the initial exploration of the Canadian Rockies – given, of course, that various Indian Nations already lived there, and had done so for centuries, and called the place home. Wilcox was especially fond of Moraine Lake and Wenkchemna Peaks, Continue reading →

Peyto Lake Photo, Banff National Park, Canada

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Peyto Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Hey Folks,

I promised I’d stop with the dog-fest today, so indeed, being a man of my word, I did exactly that. Here’s a photo I shot last September on the now infamous trip thru the Canadian Rockies with my parents. This is Peyto Lake, one of the icons of the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park. Little trivia again. Anyone care to explain the rich color of the lake? I’ll give ya a hint. It’s cold. 🙂

Cheers

Carl
Banff National Park Stock Photos.

Sled dog racing, Iditarod, Anchorage, Alaska

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The start of the Iditarod, 2008, brings sled dogs racing down 4th street, Anchorage, Alaska, as they

Hey Folks,

Another, possibly the last for now, from the Iditarod last weekend. The dogs can’t wait to get started, I swear its as if they count down with the starter, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and they leap into the traces. It’s amazing to me to think that the leaders are over halfway to Nome already. A few years back I was fortunate enough to spend some more time with the race, a few days out on the trail, which was a blast. Maybe one year I’ll get out to Nome for the finish. Until then, I’ll suffice with the excitement of the start of the Iditarod in Anchorage.

Cheers

Carl

Iditarod photos

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The start of the Iditarod is dog mayhem, Anchorage, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

I know, I know, another photo from 4th street, downtown Anchorage. This was one of the later dog teams of the morning, towards the end of the teams, and they seemed mighty keen to make up for the late start. Right now they’re making their way across the frozen tundra of the Alaskan wilderness, and I bet they’re not quite pushing it as hard as they are here.

Anyway, rather than go on about the race, I want to get back to a subject I briefly mentioned the other day. Customer Service. Whilst a good rant about some lame-a** company who fails at every turn to offer reasonable support is good for the soul, it’s probably more important to throw a word out for those companies we do enjoy doing business with. For me, there are a few, and I’ll try to give a shout out to each as time goes by, but the first one I would like to mention is My Photo Pipe. The good people at this Atlanta, Georgia, store, formerly called Color Genesis, offer the best service around for prints and printing. Continue reading →

Iditarod 2008 photos

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Iditarod, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Run little doggie, run!!!

This morning I went downtown here in Anchorage and watched a little of the start of the Iditarod. The sled dog race, known as mushing, runs from Anchorage to nome – well, pretty much. they actually do the “proper” start tomorrow, Sunday, in Wasilla, just north of Anchorage. They race all the way to Nome, over 1000 miles away. Crazy, I say.

It’s a treat to watch the dogs take-off — they’re so super-woundup, eager to run, the energy level is amazing. The din is pretty amazing down on 4th street too, with hundreds of dogs barking, howling, whining and generally causing mayhem. but once they hear “mush”, they’re all business, and off they go. Shooting photos of them as they race down main street is tons of fun.

Cheers

Carl

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and the Supreme Court

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Sunrise in wintertime, Kennecott Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

I was going to write tonight about another company that I’ve had great dealings with, and do a little plug for them, but I’ve changed my mind. The news has been all about the Exxon Valdez case, so maybe I’ll make a few notes here about this subject. For those of you who haven’t been following it (and I haven’t followed this latest round too closely), the US Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments from Exxon and the plaintiffs, folks from the the Prince William Sound, Alaska area, specifically concerning punitive damages. I’m no lawyer, so my comments are worth the price you’re paying to read them – but I’ll share them here regardless. 🙂

In late March 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil tanker dumped nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. These estimates come largely from simple math – 53 million (the number of gallons originally onboard), minus what was later reclaimed from the vessel equalled 10.8 million gallons missing, i.e., spilled. Many watch groups argue these estimates, though widely accepted, are underreported, because much of the oil recovered from the ship was diluted with sea water. The accident occurred, investigations found, primarily because the ship’s captain was drunk and sleeping at the time. Continue reading →