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Rocky Mountain Photography – Banff Landscape Beauty

The Fall season is a fine time for Rocky Mountain Photography. Banff landscape photography gets focused on the trees in Banff National Park. The Canadian Rockies have the famous Larch trees, as well as Birch, Aspen, and Poplar which all bring color to the landscape.

Banff landscape photography, while there is so much to shoot, has a lot of focus is on the Trees in Banff National Park. Of course that is the famous Larch trees!

Banff pictures show Canada’s Rockies, in the Fall, bedecked with Golden hues as the Larches turn . And what a show they make on the Banff National Park landscape. The more well-known locations like Moraine Lake, Larch Valley, and Ptarmigan Cirque in Kananaskis Country, see so many people come for the beautiful views, that there are now controls, and private vehicle access is restricted or gone. Such is the draw of the beauty that is viewed, highlighted by the colorful Larch Trees and undergrowth, that Banff Fine Art stores feature Banff pictures showing the burst of Fall color.

Island of Light
Island of Light

The Fall truly is a precious time to visit and take landscape photography images. As time goes on it seems there is a genre of Canadian Rockies Art that, for photographers and painters, has grown into a niche within the Art Form itself. The work of Byron Harmon hangs in several Hotels and public spaces as one of the famous photographers who created most of their work in Banff National Park.

The options to do Canadian Rocky Mountain pictures are as vast and broad as the landscape itself and while Fall brings so many dazzling sights, the modern era ( we can only guess at what Harmon might have done ) brings with it the option of Wide Angle images on lenses as wide as 12 to 14mm, and these lenses allow for the capture of the Grand Scenic style shots and Panoramas that Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies are famous for.

For me, Fall is perhaps the most desirable time to get out and shoot. An unnamed photographer commented in reply to the Question: What time of year is the best for landscape photography?

“ There is a consensus of opinion, amongst some landscape photographers, that it is better to hang up your camera during the summer months and wait for the softer light and warmer colors of autumn.”  –  while the sentiment is shared by many, I’d never hang up my camera in Summer, Spring or Winter as there is so much subject matter and wonderful challenging light. Fall just happens to be a Canadian Rocky Mountain picture prime time for landscape photography in Banff National Park.

There are many Tips for shooting Landscape Photography:

  • careful composition with foreground elements
  • don’t always use a wide angle BUT use the lens that captures what you want to convey
  • pick your lighting conditions and time of day and balance that with the subject matter
  • ensure proper camera technique – focus, aperture, depth of field, level horizon, etc

Here is one more:

If you want some stunning landscape shots, come to Banff and the Canadian Rockies in the Fall!

Tarn-Larch-in-the-Alpine-min-300x203.jpg
Tarn & Larch in the Alpine

Written by: Ron Hallam .
Updated:
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Published by Ron Hallam

Gita Photos is a Landscape Photography Studio based in Banff, Alberta and Banff National Park a World Heritage Site. Hi, my name is Ron Hallam. I am truly blessed to be able to live in and work in this stunning location; Banff, Alberta. I closed in and renovated the deck of my condo to be an editing studio. The studio is paneled in Alberta cedar. The main part of the ‘studio’, though, is the Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies! My work invloves hiking through the Park to find locations where the natural wonders of the Rockies are illuminated by the natural light of the moment. As one client testimonial put it, I want to offer you “ an instant escape to someplace magical” ( Jane Fedosoff, Toronto, Ontario) Another client commented “Ron's photographs are not just beautiful images of the Canadian Rockies. They are Ron himself – his life experiences, his love for this place and his eye for detail- that show a depth and unique understanding of this special place we are lucky to call home.” (Phil Monod, Banff Alberta) I’m in the second half of my life. I spent the first half running a ski shop and skiing and hiking in and around Banff National Park. I tinkered with photography for a long time - first with disposable cameras in the 70's. Needless to say the disposable left everything to be desired and I walked away wanting more, much more. Then, for one special hiking trip to Nepal, I purchased a proper SLR camera. The SLR provided better images, but I still needed time to learn and study and work at the craft of image making and film processing. Meanwhile, the time commitment necessary to run a shop (and my shop was a passion) meant work gave me limited spare time. That translated into playing when I could, took precedence over study of camera, technique and processing. So, upon retiring - for my second half, I wanted to stretch and work my “creative muscles”. I got down to focused and dedicated photographic endeavor. That started with a new DSLR. Then I began to study image making seriously. I learned about the digital way of image capture and developing (editing). The Rockies Landscape is so grand that larger Panorama shots are a favorite for me to create while, but as you can see from my work, everything in this magnificent place draws me to capture images of all kinds of landscapes. I like to work in both Color and Black and White and would love to hear which you prefer as your format of choice, and why. Every time I make an image, it is the direct result of letting the “something” inside me come up to the surface, and compel me to record that moment of what I’m seeing and feeling. I want to engage you to see the Rockies, and feel the Rockies exactly the way I do. I want to try to have you try to understand and engage with my perspective, and point you to the exquisite, intricate and profoundly intelligent designer - the God who created this natural world. Then, if you are awed by creation but also perturbed by economic disparities in the world, I hope you will browse the Art Battling Poverty Gallery dedicated to Poverty Relief and assistance for the marginalized. While you and I enjoy the beauty of the Rockies, many are struggling simply to survive. When you purchase my Art from the Art Battling Poverty Gallery (or indeed any image purchase) just tell me to donate to either of the NGO's I work with, at time of checkout. A portion of each sale, 15% – read the ABOUT Art Battling Poverty Tab) will be donated to in your name. Have a browse and find “ A special moment in the Rockies, captured in a print forever”. And when you purchase you won't only have a special print, but you will also be giving Hope to the marginalized.