Mostly we stand at the top

Every photographer in Calgary knows these stairs.

Some of the iconic shots of the downtown skyline are to be had from up there, for some distance either way from the stairs. Any random evening you'll some of the photographer community up there, especially when the light is promising. Many of the runners in Calgary know these stairs too. They, and the sloped path up the hill are a fixture in the running community. There is a reason runners mutter "hills are speed work in disguise." Or maybe they're swearing.

One morning as I was shooting sunrise, I was watching some of the runners. Up, down, up, down. I think I've run the path, but I don't recall running the stairs. Then again, there are documented cases where my memory is faulty.

The most extreme example of running the stairs is better termed hopping. A female rugby team was training by hopping up the stairs. At each landing they'd switch legs. I was impressed. I'm breathing pretty hard at the top of the stairs, and that's taking my time.

I was downtown having coffee with a buddy, and delivering a hand made hat for another buddy, plus looking for photos. This was the first time I'd actually looked at the stairs and the hillside as a scene. One of the many suggestions for photographers is to be looking in the other direction from what is assumed to be the main attraction. I've often seen that with sunrises and sunsets. I took some shots of the buildings, but the light was nothing special.

Here's two shots that haven't made it into the blog for whatever reason. Linda thinks the first is a lemon meringue pie, and has no idea about the second. You?

I'm not sure how I overlooked this one. Lately I've been liking the shadows on snow thing. No shortage of those.