A winter walk

Last week I took the small film camera for a walk in Fish Creek. It should be clear that these photos are impossible for most of the year, even not counting the ice. This area is mostly a murky swamp. I don't know how deep it is, but I'm pretty sure it's more than gum boot deep, and might even be more than hip wader deep if you think about the soft bottom. The ice was thick enough that I shuffled along, mostly confidently. There was only one spot where there were some creaks, and it was really near something else to stand on.

Why black and white, you ask? That's what was in the camera, and I wanted to finish the roll. Plus, it's a good photographic exercise to think about the world in shades of grey. It's entirely different than colour. There are scenes where something pops out because it's a contrasting colour and that makes the photo, and yet in black and white it might be invisible. There are scenes where colour doesn't add anything to the image, and this time of year, for these kind of scenes, that's the case here. 

So keep an open mind as you look at these. Try not to think about it being a swamp. Look at the contrasts, the textures, the lines, and shapes.

1. Go down the stairs at Bebo Grove and turn right. There's a short bit of swamp.

2. There's times the stark trees against the sky make for interesting shapes. 

3. Once back at the main path, cross over and continue down more swamp, dodging fallen trees, and watching out for the places the ice is quite a bit thinner. I spent a little while thinking about different compositions. It would be easy to take as many photos as I pleased with the digital, and then select the best one later while editing. Yet the exercise here is to see the compositions as a black and white photo in my mind, and make just one photo.

4. In this case the composition was obvious, even if I did have to struggle with some shrubs to get the right viewpoint. But what I really like are the transitions from light to dark, and the textures in the tree and ice.

5. More ice texture, with a barrier of branches to liven things up. The stairs are right beside an outfall duct for some stormwater ponds. For a long time they were fenced off, but not any more. This might be a great place in the summer to catch tree reflections in the calm water. And yes, there is some open water near the duct. I was extremely cautious thinking about the ice thickness transitions.

6. Looking back the way I came. Someone was really brave to walk along leaving slushy footprints, but it wasn't me. Photographers know exactly why I like the footprints.

7. Trying for a reflection photo.

8. I liked the branch sticking up through the ice, and the surrounding cracks, imagining a creature poking up a sensory organ to search for prey.

9. Not as successful as the other tree composition.

10. Regular readers will know I love reflection photos. I did not get my feet wet doing this, but it was close.

11. There's a huge log jam where the swamp meets Fish Creek. I've done photos there in the past, but mostly the light hasn't been good. It was fading as I got here.

12. One of the many beaver dams in Fish Creek. They've been busy.

13. My dragon spine tree. Things are always changing in Fish Creek. Here's what this used to look like, back in 2017. I wanted to pose a runner on or against the tree, stretching, lounging and working on a tan while eating a snack. Alas, the tree is nowhere as interesting now that the spines have worn off.

Of the Day

Driftwood (NZ)

Driftwood (BC)

Flower and Film (new)

Plus a 2017 Yukon serendipity.

Film (old)

Linda, her mom, and older brother, during the tulip festival.

Last DPP

Here are the last of the Dinosaur Provincial Park photos. If you've liked them and want to see the landscapes for yourself, check it out here. Don't forget this was a staff conducted tour in a restricted area; they don't let people wander around by themselves. 

It's worth stressing that this is NOT near Drumheller, it's a bit NE of Brooks, near Patricia. There are people who planned to tour the park, and missed it by driving to Drumheller. Which is amazing in a similar way, plus one of the best dinosaur museums in the world. It's a 2 hour drive from one to the other, so you don't want to make that mistake.

I got so many photos of the park that even editing them down were far too many for one blog. So here are links to them in order posted. There is a bit of overlap with the film images, and some of them are out of order.

One, Plus a bit of an origin story for the trip.

Two, The medium format film photos (this is where some of the overlap is.)

Three, More photos, with a link to Linda's festive decorations, if you need a break from landscapes.

Four, which have the view from the top of the cliff you'll see  below.

Plus along the way you'll see an assortment of my Of the Day photos. These are ones that didn't get blogged along the way for whatever reason, or that there are so many of (like the New Zealand Driftwood) they couldn't possibly be presented in a series of blogs. Even people that are passionate about them would overload while trying to chew through thousands of photos. Yes, I'm a bit obsessed with distressed wood. There's several regular features in Of the Day, like driftwood from BC though that one is ending soon, flowers from Linda's garden, Yukon, and both old and new film photos. Periodic features include Linda, Curtis (mostly as a serendipity now), and Celina. For a while I thought of spacing out the DPP photos as an Of the Day feature.

There's even some serendipity photos. This is when I search for an image number for a photo I intend to put in the blog, and another unblogged photo comes up as well. Often they are a surprise to me as well, so I add them in as a surprise to my readers. Lastly, if you want to get an email notification when I post a new blog, send a request to keith@nucleus.com. 

1. Fred the camel.

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3. In an earlier post I mentioned I was peering over the top of a cliff to get a panorama photo of the area. Look at that little arc at the top of the cliff on the right. That's what I was looking over.

4. I love the leading lines. Pity I didn't have time to pose a model there.

5. The sunset brought out the colours in the rock like you wouldn't believe!

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7. Regular readers know I like to stand back a bit and try to get a photo of my tour buddies, and not a line up over there type of photo. This is one of the best ones.

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15. More rocks perched on pedestals.

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17. Embiggen this one, and make it as wide as you can. It's worth the scroll.

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19. No, we didn't see Wylie chasing the road runner. Pity.

Of the Day

Driftwood (NZ)

Driftwood (BC)

Flower and Film (new)

Yukon

Film (old) The front beds under construction. The reliable 83 Honda Accord in the background. My brother sent me a for sale link for a very similar 81 Accord. They wanted way more than I paid in 83, for a 40 year old car. I'd love to have that car again, as a new car, but I'm not going to ante up that kind of money now.

Second last DPP

Working through the Dinosaur Provincial Park photos. Once again, much to my amazement, Blogger has not screwed up the order. These start early evening and work into actual sunset. 

1. You can't tell, but to get this panorama I'm lying down (after carefully checking for cactus and snakes) with my head and shoulders poking over a cliff.

2. This is just to the right of the above panorama.

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5. You probably think you're looking at a moderately interesting rock outcropping. Which is sort of true. But what you're actually looking at is a sideways view of a dinosaur footprint. Those interested in the geological process can read a summary here. 

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9. I was kind of fascinated by these weird sculpted shapes. They looked very organic, like part of some giant monster had been caught in a clay landslide.

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Of the Day

Driftwood (NZ)

Driftwood (BC)

Flower and Film (new)

Yukon

Film (old)

Linda's mom, gussied up in my finest oilfield parka to stay warm on a Waterton Lake boat tour. Plus Linda and her sister Kelly.

And a serendipity. I just know my readers love these oddball serendipity photos.