Capturing the Beauty
Lake Moraine is a hidden jewel for photographers on the way to Lake Louise Canada. It underscores the reason you do photography... Getting one of the top ten la...
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Lake Moraine is a hidden jewel for photographers on the way to Lake Louise Canada. It underscores the reason you do photography... Getting one of the top ten landscapes you will ever shoot... bringing home the big one. Also, Lake Moraine is still unspoiled by people, litter, and erosion. But do it now! Experts say the glaciers will only be around another 25 years.
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Mar, 2015Views
670
Likes
Awards
Winner in LAKEscapes (Landscapes around Lakes) Photo Challenge
Winner in LAKEscapes (Landscapes around Lakes) Photo Challenge
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Love it
Genius
Jaw Dropping
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rank
Categories
Platinum
DocTom
January 18, 2016
This was a very difficult challenge to judge, as there were 1700 great entries. Total composition and framing got this great image the win! Beautiful, natural color and great reflections. Forest, scree slopes, rocky peaks, around a beautiful small mountain lake, this image had it all!
joycealicesmith
January 18, 2016
Simply beautiful! One of Canada's finest! Congratulations on winning the Challenge!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This is Lake Moraine in Banff National Park, Alberta Canada.Time
I shot Lake Moraine twice. Early morning and again late morning and early afternoon.Lighting
Because of the surrounding mountains, the golden hours required too much post processing and you cannot get the color and reflections right. The best shots were between 10am and 2pm. Everything seems to pop nicely.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D700, using a Nikon 24mm-120mm f/2.8, and a Manfrotto tripod.Inspiration
I have shot the Cascades, Rockies, and Glacier... but the 1A and Ice Field Parkway in Alberta offer some of the finest mountain landscapes. Lake Moraine just seemed to have it all, rugged beauty, color, water, reflections, and a calm peacefulness. The time to shoot is now... they predict that the glaciers will be gone in another 20 years.Editing
I took over 100 pictures trying to get it right and be able to keep the post-processing to a minimum. There was far less tweaking than Ansel Adams did on his famous shot of Half Dome. I did some cropping because I gave myself extra to work with. There was some sharpening. Because it was near noon, I did lower the highlights and whites a little.In my camera bag
My "bag" is two pelican cases. Today I carry two Nikon D800Es. One will have a 28-300mm and the other a 105mm f/4 macro or a 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens. I try not to change lenses in the field. I carry either a lightweight or heavy duty Manfrotto tripod. A good monopod makes a great hiking stick and is useful for grab shots. I am getting too old to carry a lot of gear anymore so my bag for hiking in will be one body and lens and a monopod. For short distances I will use a backpack.Feedback
While traveling to a photo shoot, keep your gear handy and be ready for a grab shot out the window or to pull over fast... some of the best shots pop up quickly... especially if there is wildlife. In the mountains grab shots mean having a driver that will dump you out on the road and keep going then come back around and pick you up. This also means being very familiar with your equipment so you can adjust, aim, and shoot on the move. Once at a shooting location take a good picture. I know this sounds flip but a lot goes into taking a good picture. First is the gear. I use full frame cameras and a wide selection of lenses. If at all possible use a tripod or at least a monopod. Having said this, be prepared to shoot hand-held. You can brace yourself against something or use the camera strap for tension. While the best pictures might be shot a low ISO and speed you may need to shoot at higher speeds hand-held to avoid camera shake. Consider shooting bracketed HDR or multiple panoramic shots and stitching them together. For photo stitching be sure to overlap your pictures by a quarter to a third of a frame. I try to shoot panoramic landscapes in portrait mode. Focus stacking (sometimes called Focal Plane merging, Z-Stacking, or Focus blending) will give your landscape pictures greater Depth-of-Field than any single image can. If you are not familiar with Focus Stacking google it, do a little reading, and practice in the backyard or at a favorite location. For Focus stacking to work there can't be anything in the picture moving. Focus Stacking will require Photoshop to align and blend the images. The less expensive Photoshop Elements may also have align and blending features. Once you are very familiar with your camera and equipment traveling will be fun and exciting.
