Winter Blue in Kananaskis
All of Kananaskis, Canada is wonderful, comprised of several parks and an ecological reserve it covers more than 4000 square kilometres and is replete with photographic opportunity. Without doubt my favourite location is the Upper Kananaskis Lake area. No matter what time of year there are a dozen different things to do here including hiking, bike trails, waterfalls, fishing, camping, picnicking, canoeing, paddle boarding etc. the list is endless.
I try to visit the upper lake area every winter at least a couple of times, the thick ice formations protrude from all areas of the lake as the water level drops revealing wondrous scenes. Obviously the temperatures leave a little to be desired but it is more than worth the effort of wrapping up and heading out. On this particular day I set out specifically to capture the feeling of winter on the lake.
I was happy with a number of the shots made this day but the main shot above really sells winter to me. The ice coats the sloping bank of the lake as the water recedes causing it to break up but remain in place. By laying on the ice I was able to get strong foreground element and a lovely diagonal across the frame. The small island fills the middle ground and Mt Sarrail and Mt Lyautey make a strong background to complete the image. Even though the middle and background elements are impressive the ice in the foreground remains strong because I have given almost 50% of the frame to that one item, I really do like this image.
I try to visit the upper lake area every winter at least a couple of times, the thick ice formations protrude from all areas of the lake as the water level drops revealing wondrous scenes. Obviously the temperatures leave a little to be desired but it is more than worth the effort of wrapping up and heading out. On this particular day I set out specifically to capture the feeling of winter on the lake.
I was happy with a number of the shots made this day but the main shot above really sells winter to me. The ice coats the sloping bank of the lake as the water recedes causing it to break up but remain in place. By laying on the ice I was able to get strong foreground element and a lovely diagonal across the frame. The small island fills the middle ground and Mt Sarrail and Mt Lyautey make a strong background to complete the image. Even though the middle and background elements are impressive the ice in the foreground remains strong because I have given almost 50% of the frame to that one item, I really do like this image.