Hi everyone,

Just a quick note for all of you wildlife photographers out there that I have an opening in my Jasper winter wildlife photography workshop next week from February 7th-12th.

Come and join me for five days of photographing bighorn sheep, elk, moose, deer, coyote, and even wild wolves and lynx.

Bighorn sheep rams photographed during the 2011 Jasper winter wildlife photography workshop

Happy shooting!

John

Tags: jasper national park photography, photography tour, photography workshop, wildlife photography
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Banff National Park is one of the premier places in the world in which to photograph elk.  From big bulls in the fall to cows and calves in the spring, Banff offers up a tremendous variety of elk photography opportunities in all seasons.  One of my own personal favourite times of year to find and photograph elk in the park is during the cold, short days of winter, when the big bulls congregrate along the Lake Minnewanka Road and the start of the Bow Valley Parkway, as well as along Vermilion Lakes Drive.

Two bull elk fighting along the Lake Minnewanka Road in Banff National Park

Winter elk are often a bit more docile, too, so while you don’t want to walk right up to them, it is often possible to safely photograph them from 50-75 metres (yards) away with a lens in the range of 200-400mm.  Mid to late morning often provides the best light, as does early to mid afternoon (when it’s a bit warmer).  Adventurous souls can also try the Kananaskis Lakes Road down in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park for more elk and fewer people.

Happy shooting!

John

PS – want to learn more about how to photograph wildlife in winter in Banff and Jasper?  Then check out my Jasper Winter Wildlife Photography Workshop.

Tags: Banff National Park, elk photography, Winter Photography, winter wildlife photography
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It’s that time of year where wolf photography is at a peak, and there’s no better place in the Canadian Rockies to find wolves than in Jasper National Park, where more than five different packs can be found near roads that traverse the park.

Wild wolf photographed in Jasper National Park

My favourite areas to look for wolves in Jasper include the Maligne Lake Road and Highway 16 west of town into Mt Robson Provincial Park.  If it’s solitude and wolves that you desire, then try the Snaring River Road first thing in the morning.

And if you want to try the Icefields Parkway, check out my $10 e-guide to finding and photographing wildlife along this famous roadway: How to Photograph Wildlife in the Canadian Rockies.

Keep in mind that Jasper wolves are wild animals and that you often get better images of them using long lenses and remaining in your vehicle.

Happy shooting!

John

Tags: Jasper National Park, Maligne Lake, wolf photography
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It’s been snowing for three days straight here in Banff, so for photographers (or skiers) looking for some of the fresh white stuff, the next few weeks should be a fantastic time to visit the Rockies for some wildlife or landscape photography.

Banff East Park Gate this week in Banff National Park

February is looking promising for photographers, as trees from Kananaskis Country and Kootenay National Park in the south to Jasper National Park in the north are now all fully snow-covered.

Happy shooting!

John

Tags: Banff National Park, Skiing, snow, winter, Winter Photography
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I’m pleased to announce that my first eBook, How to Photograph in the Canadian Rockies: Icefields Parkway – Wildlife Photography edition, is now available online for purchase on the How to Photograph the Canadian Rockies website.

How to Photograph Wildlife in the Canadian Rockies eBook

For those of you that have always wanted to know where and when to find mountain goats, bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, and more along the Icefields Parkway in Banff and Jasper national parks, then this is a must-have eBook.  It’s only $10 for 159 pages worth of information.  Download yours today!

John

Tags: banff national park photography, icefields parkway, jasper national park photography, wildlife photography
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For landscape and nature photographers that love to get out into the backcountry to a stunning location that can provide a week’s worth of photos in a variety of light and weather, few places in the Canadian Rockies can compare to the spectacular environs of Mt Assiniboine in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park just south of Banff National Park.

Lake Magog and Mount Assiniboine

Backpackers can expect to spend a day or two enroute and will want to pick up a copy of The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide.  The trail from Sunshine Meadows is a more photo-worthy route in, though those that choose to hike in from Mt Shark will want to take the Wonder Lake route to get shots of this emerald gem.

Because most of you will be carrying lots of camera gear, you may want to explore the option of taking the helicopter in and out, and/or staying at the wonderful Mount Assiniboine Lodge.

Sunrise is often spectacular here from June through September, though there is gorgeous light in the evening, too.  There is easily a week’s worth of short hikes to be done from the lodge and campground areas to stunning photo locations that will make you want to come back here time and time again.  I’ve now visited Assiniboine five times in the past ten years!

Personally, I believe that most landscape and nature photographers will find the Assiniboine area to rank right up there with the best that the Rockies have to offer.  It’s as good as Lake O’Hara and Moraine Lake, but without the same crowds.

Happy shooting.

John

Tags: landscape photography, mt assiniboine, photo locations in the canadian rockies
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Spring has sprung in full around here (finally), and one of the joys of this time of year for wildlife photographers is the young of year that begin popping up.  For those of you interested in photographing mule deer fawns, there is one place that is heads and tails above the rest of the Canadian Rockies for fawn photography in June, and that’s Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta.

Mule deer fawn photography in Waterton

The best areas to see the newborn fawns are in the Waterton townsite, along the edges of meadows and forests on the edge of town, and on the entrance road from the park gates to the town.  However, the entire park is usually excellent for providing wildlife photo opps with fawns, as well as bighorn sheep lambs and baby black bears.

For those of you looking for more location tips on where to go to photograph wildlife in the Canadian Rockies, check out my eBook, How to Photograph the Canadian Rockies: The Icefields Parkway – Wildlife Photography edition.

Happy shooting!

John

Tags: mule deer photography, Waterton Lakes National Park, waterton photography
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If you want to get off the beaten path a bit and try photographing landscapes in the Canadian Rockies that are not in Banff, Jasper, Yoho, or Kootenay, then drive south for three hours and take in the wonderful vistas of Waterton Lakes National Park, part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

Vimy Peak in Waterton Lakes National Park

The park is open year-round, but it’s in the middle of summer when the landscape photography really shines.  The park is relatively small, so schedule 2-3 days for your photography before moving on to either Glacier National Park in the U.S. or back to the Banff-Jasper area.

My personal favourite area in the park is the main park entrance road from the park gates to the Town of Waterton.  There are literally tens of great landscape photography locations along this short stretch of road, providing everything from prairie scenics to grand mountain vistas.

Enjoy!

John

Tags: landscape photography, Waterton Lakes National Park, waterton photography
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As we approach the middle of June here in Banff National Park, we approach the heart of elk calving season, a wonderful time to attempt to get some new elk photography shots into your portfolio.  One of my favourite spots to try to photograph newborn elk calves and their attentive mothers is along Vermilion Lakes Drive a few kilometers west of the Town of Banff.

Elk photography along Vermilion Lakes Drive in Banff

All three lakes along this drive provide some great opportunities at elk with newborn calves, as well as with bald eagles, ospreys, Canada geese and a host of other bird life.  The best times to try to catch elk along here are in the early mornings and late evenings before traffic picks up.  The Vermilion Lakes area  is also a great location for some landscape photography if you’re so inclined, and is an excellent location for some photography if you have a family in tow.

Note: elk cows (females) are extremely dangerous to approach on foot when they have newborn calves.  Please use a long lens and if you are on foot, then stay at least 100 metres (ten bus lengths) away from all elk along this route in the spring.

Happy shooting!

John

PS – want to learn how to be a  better wildlife photographer?  Join me for a wildlife photography workshop in Jasper National Park each October and February.  Check out my Canadian Wildlife Photography Tours website for more details.

Tags: banff wildlife photography, elk photography, photographing elk, vermilion lakes
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It’s pretty easy to cruise along Banff and Jasper national park’s glorious Icefields Parkway and capture at least some of the glory you see in the form of ‘trophy’ landscape photography pictures — beautiful lakes like Peyto Lake enveloped below stunning snow-clad mountain peaks.  However, it’s a tougher assignment to look beyond the obvious and try to capture some of the details within those mountain lakes and spires in a photograph.

Try to capture the intimate details in your photographs, too

The photograph above was taken of one of the buttresses of Mount Wilson near Saskatchewan River Crossing about halfway along the parkway.  A late spring snowfall dusted the buttress with snow overnight and as the first rays of morning light touched the mountainside, some wonderful intimate scenes appeared just waiting to be photographed. I used a 500mm telephoto lens to zoom in on one of these small scenes and capture a bit of the magic I could see happening up above.

So take a few moments out of your day and try to capture a bit of the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies in your photographs in the not-so-obvious ways!

Happy shooting!

John

Tags: icefields parkway, landscape photo tip, landscape photography
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