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Cows in Paradise

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Waldron Conservation Area, Alberta, Canada

This shot commissioned by +Nature Conservancy of Canada was one of my favourite moments. A pretty violent thunderstorm was sweeping through as I sought shelter for me and my camera gear. I had previously frightened some cows (by accident) and was looking for a lake I had seen on google earth. Finally I found it and the cows were not happy to see me again. Although this time they realized I wasn't chasing them, and probably noticed I was behaving strangely. Because of this, many of them stuck around to see what I was going to do next. I was sticking around because I was expecting a spectacular sunset, I was not disappointed.

Photographic Details
As sunset was imminent, I knew that I had to be in a good spot for it. Having a tour of the land by local biologists and land owners I knew where a lot of good stuff was, but I could have ignored a lot of that advice. During sunset I wanted something else to add to the image, and reflections in water can give a photo an incredibly heavenly feel. Therefore I ended up on google earth looking for lakes. This seasonal pond was luckily quite full and in the perfect viewpoint for what I was trying to achieve: sunsets, prairies and mountains and hopefully some cows too. My camera is hovering about an inch above the surface of the water, causing the grass and moss growing on the pond surface to blur out and creating a surreal symmetry that most people aren't used to. It takes a bit of effort and trust, especially since I was basically mucking around in mud and cow feces, but it's all worth it!

If you like this, don't forget to check out the horseback expeditions that I'm teaming up with +Wayne Sawchuk on! http://www.kylefoto.com/horseback-expeditions/

For #thirstythursday  curated by +Mark Esguerra and +Giuseppe Basile 
#alberta   #canadaphotography   #canada   #cows   #moo   #conservation   #thenatureconservancy   #googleearth   #horsebackridingvacations  


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Into the landscape

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Waldron Conservation Area, Alberta, Canada

I was lucky enough to be part of the +Nature Conservancy of Canada effort to protect a sensitive area known as the Waldron in southern Alberta. I was hired to show off the wonder and beauty of the land, and had the absolute privilege of wandering around here for days looking for photographic ways to inspire others to help protect this area. I still have close ties with the NCC and sometimes donate my time to their promotional events. If you happen to be a part of the "Leaders in Conservation" program you are invited to participate in an exclusive workshop from me this weekend! To find out more about becoming a leader in conservation, check out: http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/alberta/get-involved/leaders-in-conservation/lic.html

Photographic Details
Some of the original stakeholders rode to the media event on their horses, it was the perfect opportunity to start posing these riders. I had them walk away into the scenery in classic western style. I laid close to the ground and got a very geometrically simple and gorgeous shots of these riders. The extreme symmetry of this scene allowed me to centre the subject (which is usually a no-no) and mainly focus on the riders. Having them walk away creates a feeling of mystery, engendering the viewer to wonder who these riders are, only going on their attire and cowboy hats for clues.

See Also:
Check out this summers horseback expeditions: http://www.kylefoto.com/horseback-expeditions/
and the LIC tours: http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/alberta/get-involved/leaders-in-conservation/2014.html#.U6GcmY1dVPQ

For #waywednesday  curated by +Peter Carroll 
#horsebackriding   #horselovers   #equinephotography #waldron   #ncc   #conservation  


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I'd like to introduce you all to an incredibly inspirational photographer

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by Wayne Sawchuk -4267.jpgimgmax=1920.jpg

+Wayne Sawchuk has been part of a huge conservation effort in northern B.C. in Canada. Using his images and stories to foster healthy relationships between people and the use of the incredible Muskwa-Kechika Wilderness. It's because of people like Wayne that we still have these incredible wildernesses to explore.

Featured on National Geographic, Wayne leads incredible horseback expeditions, a few of which I will be going on this year! I highly recommend you check out his work and website, and forward it to any  horse and nature lovers you know!

I highly recommend you circle him and keep an eye out for his future work!

#travelphotography   #traveltuesday   #horsebackriding   #britishcolumbia   #canada   #travelcanada  

Reshared post from +Wayne Sawchuk

Riders Emerge From the Mist
Through the mist and clouds we emerge onto the ridge, inwardly thankful for the end of a long climb. Every moment of sweat and hard work is instantly a distant memory as we reach the heavens and the realm of the alpine.

Tuchodi River
Northern B.C. Rocky Mountains, Canada

#horselovers #horsepower #muskwakechika #adventuretravel #travel #canada #canadaphotography  


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Giddy up!

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Calgary, Alberta, Canada

This is my point of view riding the first horse I had ever gotten to know. She was almost exactly my age, and lived up until we were both 27. We were riding down this uneventful trail on somewhat of a bland day. But we were riding back, and she knew we were going home which means she would love to gallop home in order to get there faster. I noticed her beautiful mane flowing in the wind and thought it would be great to see what kind of photos I could get while riding.

Photographic Details
I wanted to create a sense of motion, so just like I often do, I think about using a ridiculously low shutterspeed. In this case, it's 1/20th of a second that does the trick for me. Don't get me wrong though, it's not easy and a lot of this is luck, I took nearly a hundred photos before I found one that captured the right feeling: the tossing of the mane, while maintaining enough blur in the right spots. This all helps create a much more dynamic feeling excitement while still being recognizable. It was also a thrill to try and stay on a galloping horse using one hand on the reins and another on my camera, yeehaw!

1/20th, f6.3, ISO 50 Canon 5D, Canon 16-35mm f2.8 Lens.

For #equinetuesday  curated by +Jillian Chilson.
#equinephotography   #horsebackriding   #travelphotography   #plusphotoextract  


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Riding the trail line

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Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada

Every day out in the wilderness here I’m riding behind my fellow #horseback  riders I was thinking that not everyone in the world has experienced this, that something I’m so used to can be so new to someone else. So I’m going to spill the details on such a simple aspect of expedition life with the #horses  . Believe it or not, I’m back of the pack simply because of horse politics. My horse, Peach is somewhat pokey, and doesn’t really feel confidant at the front of the pack, where as the rest of these horses have a strong desire to be a the back of the pack. While a rider can boss their horse around and tell them exactly where to be, these horses are vehemently social animals themselves, and letting them ride next to their best buddies in places they feel comfortable can make the adventure much more pleasant for everyone involved.

Photographic details:
I wanted this photo to have a strong sense of motion. To achieve this I used an extremely slow #shutterspeed   of 1/60th of a second. But the motion on the horse wasn’t enough, we weren’t galloping at full speed so while taking the photo I zoomed in simply by holding my lens and spinning the camera. This created the interesting twisted blur around the edges, but kept the center rider mostly free of blur. Because of the symmetry I kept the rider in the middle of the frame. Canon 5D Mark II ISO 100, f9, 160/sec

#horselovers   #travelphotography  


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Calgary F16 Group Photo Show Reception

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I would like to officially invite you to the opening reception for the F16 Group Photo Show which is part of The Camera Store's F16th Anniversary Celebration. We welcome you to drop by on Friday Sept. 7th from 4PM-9PM at Resolution Gallery in Kensington (233 10th Street NW) to check out the photo show which includes one piece of my work and work from: Andras Schram, Bill Peters, Dale Roth & Michele Ramberg, George Barr, George Webber, Jeremy Fokkens, John E. Marriott, Julian Ferreira, Kevin Jordan, Leah Hennel, Mike Drew, Olivier Du Tré, Peter Gold, Scott Dimond, Steve Speer and Todd Korol. Here are the details:

What: A Group Photo Show Opening Reception When: Friday Sept. 7th from 4PM-9PM Where: Resolution Local Art Gallery in the Eleven:Eleven Boutique located at 233 10th Street NW (In Kensington) Calgary, Alberta, Canada. For more information and to view some of the sample images, visit the camera store's webpage.

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The Northern Gannet portrait

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Ile Bonaventure, Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec, Canada I'm very used to seeing exotic and beautiful bird colonies out in some of the farthest reaches of our world. But this afternoon I spent time in my own country, the gaspé peninsula in a small and picturesque quebec town of Percé, Canada. After enjoying some fine french cuisine of arctic char for lunch I couldn't believe my eyes that after a short ride over to the island I was surrounded by thousands of beautiful white patterned Northern Gannets.  The first thing I noticed as I wandered through the forest is the pungent ammonia and fish like smell of a typical bird colony "they smell just like penguins" I thought. Then the cacophony of calls from the gannets filled the air as the landscape of the colony broke through the trees, the brown colony floor perfectly spaced and dotted with gannets, like they were dollops of icing placed down by some divine gingerbread house maker. It was remarkable to see how each gannet was just one "beak peck" away, as if they hate each other but have to be close enough because of safety in numbers.

I wandered around the colony where there was a wooden observation platform looking down on the gannets. I leaned over the railing and to my surprise just a couple meters below me there was a gannet staring up at me with curiosity. He didn't fidget, or look at me with concern, just sat there as the rain and fog beaded up on his head. I never had such a fantastic viewing angle from a such a beautiful bird like this before.

Photographic Details Because I was using a 400mm Telephoto lens, I had no choice but to actually lift my camera up as high as I could, farther away from the Gannet. These lenses have a   minimum focusing distance and I was actually too close to photograph this bird. I had to hold my camera away from me the way one might hold a baby away from them after they just filled their diaper: you would never drop what's in your hands but you want it as far away from you as possible. I put my camera into the very rarely used live view mode so I could see where the camera was focusing, and shot multiple photos like this. I had to use a high shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second as these birds were constantly looking around shaking their heads and my own hands weren't the most stable platform to be shooting from. I was very happy with the results and to get a shot like this without disturbing this beautiful bird was fantastic. I can't wait to see more places like this in my own "backyard" of Canada. The artistic quality of creating a vertical line from the bottom left to the upper right is what I was going for, I also wanted to express the subtle but beautiful yellow hues this bird has in it's pristine pelage. Focusing on the eye is the standard for a photo like this but the emphasis is in the strong diagonals this bird presents.

Camera Settings Canon EOS 7D ISO400 f5.6 1/1000 sec Canon 100-400mm lens

#birdpoker #birding #gannet #canada #wildlife #birds #quebec #FineArtPls curated by +Marina Chen , and #yisforyellow  curated by +Lucille Galleli and +YisforYellow

Also I'm back! I know you have seen many posts relayed to google plus by my wonderful helper +Kathryn Bechthold while I was away, hence the third person, but rest assured I'm back now and will be glad to answer your questions!