Fairholme Range Reflection

I was going to start the new year with a pun about reflection, but all the ones I contemplated were too cheesy by far so I opted for a more descriptive title instead.  

The Fairholme Range dominates the sky to the east of the Bow River outside the town of Banff.  A number of lakes surround the eight main peaks of this stunning range with Lake Minnewanka being the largest by far.   But todays shot is of a much smaller body of water 'Johnson Lake'  in the forest to the west of the range.  

The Johnson Lake area will often be snow free early and late in the season making it a great spot for hiking, it's also a great spot to find liquid water in wintertime.  The lake does freeze solid for skating and ice hockey which the locals relish, but down on the western corner of the lake where the water pours over a small outlet you will often find a half circle of calm, still water.  There are rocks by the shore and the water is very shallow here so little bravery is required to get down low and make the reflection.  

If you look closely at the image below you'll see that in the centre and centre left foreground, what appears at first glance to be cloud, is in fact rocks on the bottom of the lake.  You really do need to get your camera down low to make the most of this location but it is worth what little effort it takes to do so.  

At this time of year I'll take any reflection I can get to help make an image more interesting and this one is an easy win.  A short walk from the car park and a little effort will get you this image, and at the other side of the outlet a stream full of ice covered rocks will provide a few bonus images too. 

So next time you are in the area taking in all the wonders of Banff National Park, don't forget the smaller wonders tucked away in the nearby forests, after all who wouldn't want to make this shot with little effort.