Umbrellas Everywhere. Thursday Morning London Town

I've had an adventure. A short, sweet, soggy adventure. I cannot wait for another opportunity like this.

I travelled to the UK for the tradeshow Focus on Imaging, the largest UK photography tradeshow of the year. Tradeshows sound exciting, but the reality is that you work hard and don't really get to see the sights. How could I go all that way and not explore? So, I asked a colleague if she'd consider spending a couple days in London with me and (yay!) she agreed.

The very talented travel and landscape photographer, Ana Pogacar, and I spent less than 72 hours in London and were able to cover an amazing amount of the sites, sounds and smells of the city; walking, talking, eating and shooting. Here's a small look at our first morning.

It rained softly all morning. Not enough to soak through our clothes (we saved that experience for day 2) but enough to cause havoc from rain drops on our lenses, and awkward stances trying to balance camera and umbrella.

Grey skies and rain certainly take care of the problem of harsh daylight and provide washed out skies and soft, dreary colors. Umbrellas were one of the few things adding a pop of color to the scenery.

Hyde Park:

Pink and Purple:

Saint James Park Lake:

Westminster Bridge:

Busy People Everywhere:

The River Thames:

And my fantastic travel companion, Ana:

Johnston Canyon, Alberta

After a pleasant lunch at Chateau Lake Louise, we accepted the invitation to join some others at Johnston Canyon. I'd been to Johnston Canyon at least once before, but only in summer with the hoards of tourists. I remembered it as a narrow, deep tree lined canyon and was pretty worried about having any light at all. But we had tripods, and no other place in mind, so onward we did go. Boy am I glad we did. I must say that it is at least as pretty in winter, and no where near as crowded! I was surprised by the fact that the water was still not completely frozen over,

and mesmerized by the lovely glacial colors of the icicles on the canyon walls.

There were interesting detail shots to be had as well. I spotted the repeating shapes of the snow, ice and rocks in the open water.

The color of water contrasted beautifully against the canyon at the Lower Falls.

There is a small tunnel through the rock that takes you close up to the Lower Falls, and it is very much worth crouching through. This is a 2 shot hand held vertical pano, made after blending 3 exposures for each of the two shots.

(One of the guys with us took a shot from pretty much the same place, with his Android. It made me wonder why I'd carried my backpack and gear!)

The detail of the ice  and water running under it was really lovely.

We were running out of what little daylight there was, and so didn't explore the upper falls this trip. Next time! This is a definite must do (and easy to do) hike during the winter, should you find yourself in Banff National Park some day.

We ended our day with some warm refreshments at the Banff Springs. Beautiful setting, all gussied up for Christmas. Sadly, no photos as I left the camera in the car!

Photowalk Thursday: Elk Island Park in the fall

Ever  wonder what to do with yourself in or near Edmonton? Edmonton offers lots of great festivals, interesting shopping, good dining and a picturesque river valley to explore and photograph. I'll take you on some of my favorite photo walks, season by season, within Edmonton or a couple hour drive thereof.

Elk Island National Park is one of my favorite places to spend a day with my hubby and my camera. It takes us less than 45 minutes from our home in the southwest corner of the city to reach the park, via the Anthony Henday. We head that direction every couple of months and always have a great walk along one of the many hiking trails. Spotting bison is almost a certainty, but finding other large mammals a little more difficult.

Last October we walked the Beaver Pond Trail, #7 on the map, in the late afternoon.

The trees had already lost their leaves, but there were plenty of great fall colors in the grasses around the ponds.

While driving through the park it's important to be on the lookout for wildlife, and to share the road with them. Bison (elk, deer, moose, coyotes) roam freely through the park. (Photo taken from within the car, with a telephoto lens. Bison shouldn't be approached.)

Astotin Lake is in the center of the park, and one of many great places for picnics. It's also a fantastic place for sunset photos.

We always have a great day at Elk Island exploring the paths season by season. What are you waiting for? Get in your car and drive!

These, and other great photos of Elk Island Park can be purchased from my store, www.windermerestudios.ca