I have a passion for more than one thing. I doubt I’m alone in this regard so, let me ask – do you have a passion for more than one thing? I don’t think this a bad thing, but then again, it did force a decision and when you have to choose between passions that can be tough.
Making images from the Rocky Mountain landscape is a passion and something I so much enjoy. That is not all I enjoy, however, and on this day my passions collided. My other passion is skiing and ski racing. I was involved in the ski industry for 40years before I took up full-time photography. Both are very time consuming and need focus. On this day I was driving to Lake Louise to see the World Cup Downhill, a special opportunity because this is the only stop the World Cup makes in Canada for the whole season. It is being held right in my backyard!
Also, Check- https://gitaphotos.com/blog/landscapes-in-color-or-black-white/
It had snowed and the skiing was really good, so after the race, there would be more fun to be had on the slopes of Lake Louise. But, I had packed my camera kit because the weather looked quite good, there had been snow so the opportunity was high for a good shot and I was leaving early to catch the sunrise and see what would shape up. Sunrise comes up late this time of year, and that was a big influence on me as I drove up the road from Banff to Lake Louise. It was to close to 8 and the sun was due up shortly, so I was watching the peaks and sky.
And then it started, a beautiful Alpin Glow was just licking the peaks. Decision time – if I pulled off the road at a spot I knew, I could get a shot and make an image I wanted and had “seen” in my mind’s eye. If I did that, by the time I hiked to the spot, set up, and waited for that special moment, I knew to do this meant I’d miss the race. Not doing this, well – I’d see this glorious sunrise paint its magic on the Rockies but not get a “shot” at making an image I wanted. Here I was with the weather, the sky, the sun, and all the other factors working together. I had packed my camera Kit as the forecast hinted at this being the case. So, decision time was here and pressing – I had to decide!
The image here is the answer to the question and the dilemma I faced that day. I stopped, I hiked quickly to where I knew, from other times scouting and shooting, around here, and set up in the spot I wanted. Landscape photography is hurried up and wait! So I checked all my settings and fired off a “test” shot and waited. The sky was clear and I usually want cloud for relief and added colour,but on this day, I waited until that glorious Alpin Glow lit up the whole face of Castle Mountain and fired off several frames with some different compositions.
This is the one I waited for and I am very pleased I did.
Yup, by now it was getting late and I still had to travel more to the race and I knew I would miss the first 25 to 40 racers. Hey, they move fast and only take 1.75 minutes to get to the finish line! But, I did set my PVR and record the race! Hopefully, a PVR helps you out when you have two Passions collide.
