Massive Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

This is Bow Lake, and I'm not sure of the name of the mountain, but I think it's Crowfoot Mountain. Taken just after sunrise, when the lake is calm and the reflection is still good. Later in the day the wind tends to kick up and destroy the reflections. This was taken near the Num-ti-Jah Lodge. As usual, there are hordes of people near the parking lot, and if you walk even a minute away then there are very few people (a sad commentary on our society). It's even more sad at a place like Banff, because there are such gorgeous trails, for all levels of ability. Anyways, I like this shot because of the impression of size that it conveys. Actually, in real life the mountain looks even bigger, and this was taken with a 12mm focal length.

indoka28, gildasjan, edytungkal, SilverOwl, john_c, crhieatt, PixelTerror, Davidh34, jloup, robiuk, jhm, asajernigan, pierrefonds, lilimih33, gary91, jean11-3, Nelu_Goia, AiresSantos, singuanti, ChrisJ, Dyerco, leo61, c_rapp, John_F_Kennedy, Tue, erdna, gramma, keribar, afshin339, gneufeld, IgorDeleze, maximage, MikiM, pboehringer, elmec, Dpbours, happypoppeye, josepmarin, Hellas, alainh has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

indoka28 (5187) 2007-08-15 21:31

Hello Alvin,

This is ouit of the world..!! great great shot with beautiful contrast colours and clarity..I just loved the reflection on the water..!!this is a mindblowing nature shot and well deserves to be put on the first page of nat geo mag..!!!

TFS,
Regards,
Indro

testmaniac (12344) 2007-08-15 21:39 [Comment]

Show Comment

carper (66148) 2007-08-15 21:52

a beauty Alvin,
the lake is nice, the reflection made it special, the pov is good, and it has a good quality. Very good photojob here, thanks for showing.
gr. jaap

anupam06 (336) 2007-08-15 21:58 [Comment]

Show Comment

fserajian (4621) 2007-08-15 22:10

Hi Alvin,

This is a fantastic shot, I love the reflection and your POV. TFS

Fara

Andro (4) 2007-08-15 22:49 [Comment]

Show Comment

gildasjan (24255) 2007-08-15 22:58

Hello Alvine
Superb this landscape and its reflection. I appreciate the clearness of the realization and the beauty of the colors. The exposure is proportioned in a precise way.
Congratulations for this work.
Good day.
Gildas

edytungkal (4521) 2007-08-15 23:02

Hello Alvin,
A great landscape and excellent shot, i like the double face effect from the reflection. Colours and sharpness are excellent. tfs

daniel

SilverOwl (102) 2007-08-16 0:15

A beautifully crystal clear shot, great reflections, light and just pure clarity. Thank you for sharing

Lisa

Fis2 (46747) 2007-08-16 0:19

Witaj Alvin!
Beautiful mountain, wonderful reflection in water. Super colors. Curiouc place. Well done.
Regards
Krzysztof

john_c (24635) 2007-08-16 0:28

Hi Alvin,
The interesting angled beach and greenery in the foreground help set this apart from many such shots of this glorious area. You just caught the full reflection nicely. The other unique aspect of this photo are the eroded sloping cliffs on the lower half of the mountain. This is very high quality with great clarity of detail. Cheers.
John

dareco (17104) 2007-08-16 0:29

This is really incredible!! The reflection is so clear! WOW!! I love Banff. TFS

crhieatt (5145) 2007-08-16 0:41

Alvin,
Massive indeed - and we can see so much of this mountain, that it appears to rise up from the water, an impression which is only added to by the curving scree slopes and their reflection. I also like the way the reflection, from this angle, reaches right across the lake; almost removing the lake in fact, and giving the impression that we might simply walk across to the mountains base.
Massively impressive.
Regards
colin

PixelTerror (87215) 2007-08-16 0:52

Hi Alvin,
Well that's just another fine one in your now impressive nature collections, the reflection is superb and the overall impression very luminous, still preserving good contrasts to enjoy the mountains shape.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

Davidh34 (838) 2007-08-16 1:18

Hi Alvin

A wonderful capture. Great DOF. I like the colours and reflections. What a spectacular place this looks, and as you say, the same as here, most people never venture far from the car park. Very sad. But at least it we get 'clean' photo's!

Regards

David

jloup (622) 2007-08-16 1:28

Very nice picture and great choice for the title: it's what I felt looking at your picture. Composition is perfect and it's a very good idea to kept it centered.

Regards
Jean-Loup

chrislo (342) 2007-08-16 2:18 [Comment]

Show Comment

robiuk (10763) 2007-08-16 2:48

Hi Alvin,
so is this the one part of which we
can see on this photo?
I'm amazed by the structure of the very
base of the mountain, but I'm not surprised
as this seems to be quite often occurance
in this area (don't know much about
geology).
Interesting how you used natural shape of
the shore in the FG to fit the whole
mountain in (its reflection).
Clever!
Robi

dkeus31 (26527) 2007-08-16 3:18

hello Alivn,
the subject being centered, your composition remains still so dynamic due to the cloud pattern, works very well indeed!
regards
didier

Gustaw (21670) 2007-08-16 3:23

Hi, my friend!
It is very beautiful photo. i very like your idea. Beautiful mountains with excelent colour. I very like your reflection in water. Good quality. Well done.
marek

jhm (83802) 2007-08-16 3:31

Hello Alvin,

The quality and sharpness are superb, great shot with beautiful contrast colours and extraordinarily reflections.
Almost a mirror image, my compliments for this one. TFS.

Best regards,
John.

asajernigan (14414) 2007-08-16 4:02

Alvin,
WOW!!! This is a great shot with nice balance and symmetry. The reflection is great with nice depth and color. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and DOF.
TFS,
Asa

jonathan_hart (22767) 2007-08-16 4:20

hello Alvin
again a beautiful composition with reflection in the water; this mount is really impressive and has interesting colors, the sky is drawing lines that encircle with a halo or emphasize, i don't know how to say... however a beautiful place well captured
regards
jo

pierrefonds (26835) 2007-08-16 4:39

Hi Alvin,

A nice image of Bow lake, of the mountains and of its reflection in the water, the photo has a very good composition, DOF and nice colors. Thanks for sharing.

Pierre

DarkoG (2284) 2007-08-16 5:06

VEry impresive and desolated place. Looks stunning.

Regards Darko

iggybilbao (35) 2007-08-16 6:37

You almost got it! would have been better if taken at a much lower perspective tho, so as to create an interesting foreground of maybe the sand banks where you were standing. Try using a much smaller opening as well - around f18-f22. Overall, great subject!Amusing!! Unique!! Keep shooting!!!

leonorkuhn (14391) 2007-08-16 7:37

Hi Alvin,

WOW!!! Splendid composition. Very nice mountains. I like the great perspective, excellent colors, light and reflections.
Very well done.

Have a nice day
Leonor

lilimih33 (9874) 2007-08-16 7:53

Hello Alvin!
Great reflexion and very beautiful colours, light and clarity!
Nice point of view!
Excellent done!
Best regards!
Lili

anes_lc (14778) 2007-08-16 7:55

stunning reflexion,perfect view .
you capture in the best way the beauty of this landscape.thanks share
regards,anes

kiks (6173) 2007-08-16 8:11

Very impressive image. The reflection make the mountain look even more big. I like the diagonal lines creating even more depth.
TFS
KIks

Nelu_Goia (2766) 2007-08-16 10:25

Alvin,this is so unreal,it cannot be true!
I know for a fact that the mountain is much bigger because I was there a couple of times but your photo shows it in a totally different light.
Absolutely delightful...
Thank you,
Nelu

Ann75 (0) 2007-08-16 10:48

Hi Alvin,

Another beauty from the Canadian Rockies! This one is stunning, I love how you were able to capture the whole mountain and its reflection. The POV is excellent with amazing lighting, colours and details! Fantastic morning shot, Alvin!

Greetings,
Ann

wilmahabo (235) 2007-08-16 11:18

Hi Alvin
Beautiful landscape. I like reflection, colours, sharpness. Nice POV.
Regards, Agata

gary91 (15321) 2007-08-16 11:57

Hello Alivin,
I am jsut discovering your gallery thanks to the critique you left me and waouh... you have so many stunning picture in here !
This one I love particulary. This is a wonderful reflection catch, and the composition is really outstanding. Such a good idea to have centered this massive rock piece taking your widest focal. A great work among many others on your wonderful gallery, congratulations...
And, as mister California loves to stay, "I'll be back" :o)
Have a nice day.
Best regards, Christian

Burberry1 (6041) 2007-08-16 12:22

Beautiful pearl of nature.
A great atmosphere and effect.

With greetings, A.

PJE (19575) 2007-08-16 14:26

Every time I look at a photo from Banff or Jasper the lakes seem to be an absolute calm. Is there any wind blowing through this area? You very most fortunate to capture this one in such excellent lighting and weather. I also like the wide angle reach here. Good work to say the least and thanks for sharing!

jplebrun (17500) 2007-08-16 18:15

hello Alvin,

WOW! double effects...up or down! it's beautiful both sides and I'am remembering my honeymoon trip in the Canadian Rockies. It's unforgettable

Congratulations

Jean-Pierre

singuanti (15240) 2007-08-16 19:03

Hey Alvin. Dang that's nice! You were rewarded with sublime light and reflections in getting up early. There's really no way you could effectively compose this without that lens either. Beautiful shot Alvin!!

Floydian (30970) 2007-08-16 19:48

Hi Alvin,
Excellent exposure, light is not that easy here, but what is did is a perfect job in contrast and color handling. Those clouds that are coming from the back are really making this a striking scene and the light on the rock with his reflection in the lake is truly wonderful...a great shot.
Regards, Henk

ChrisJ (70569) 2007-08-16 20:07

Hello Alvin

Perfect symmetry, & wonderful reflections in the glacial lake. Good sharpness & colour. The subtle contrast between the blue sky & ochre coloured mountain & sand, is superb. Tfs!

Dyerco (9404) 2007-08-16 20:56

Hi Alvin

You have composed this so well. The curve in the foreground leads the eye to the mountain. great DOF and clarity, The early morning light accentuates the subtle colours in the mountain.
Well done
Phil

Cheers

leo61 (44118) 2007-08-16 21:42

Hi Alvin!
Good shot of this nice mountan.Good composition too with the shore in the foreground.Nice reflections at the calm water and a nice sky with these clouds.
Regards,Leo

c_rapp (254) 2007-08-16 22:19

Beautiful sight great colors and details. Love the reflections in the water and your incredible pov! TFS
Christan

AiresSantos (43298) 2007-08-17 0:34

Magnificent composition with wonderful reflections, Alvin !
Perfect colours, tones and frame
My best wishes
Aires

Gerrit (36615) 2007-08-17 1:09

Hi Alvin,
another ideal place you present us. What a perfect reflection and beautiful mountain. The difference between the smooth cones below an d the rough tops is remarkeble.
Regards, Gerrit

eza1701 (3343) 2007-08-17 2:09

Hi Alvin,

This is a truly awesome shot and it conveys exactly what you were after, a feeling of great size. The colours are great and the reflection is amazing.

Best regards,
Paul.

John_F_Kennedy (32340) 2007-08-17 2:19

Very nice postcard like shot here. I like the perfect reflections on the water. Excellent composition. Nice work. Best wishes,
Achim

Tue (25608) 2007-08-17 2:54

Hej Alvin,
A breathtaking view of this mountain and I love to see its slightly distorted reflections in the lake. The light is great too and I find the inclusion of the land and the little bit of green in the bottom part of the photo very good. Thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

erdna (5360) 2007-08-17 12:26

This is very beautiful and very sharp! I always enjoy your pictures. A well chossen POV to get all the reflection.

I did not email you about my visit to Vancouver as there was not enough time for me. I was able to get some shots from the lovely Vanier Park.

Andre'

kensimage (8543) 2007-08-18 0:21

Outstanding lighting and composition, Alvin, you've got that reflection perfectly placed. The mountain looks so majestic, almost proud, helped by the clouds spraying out from behind it. It really has a great overall feel. Regards, Ken.

P.S. If you rotate this 90 degrees, you'll see that I'm not the only one with suggestive stuff in my photos...

Bluejeans (33457) 2007-08-18 3:14

Ola ALvin que fantastica paisagem que lugar maravilhoso , o reflexo sobre a agua ficou perfeito , gostei muito das cores e do ceu , parabens!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo
Bom fim de semana

fkokol (1614) 2007-08-18 9:19

Amazing landscape. You captured and composed beautifuly. Great colours and reflection. greetings,

figen

gramma (3519) 2007-08-18 13:19

Hi Alvin,

Really nice picture. Colors are particularly beautiful because natural. I'm very impressed by the sharpness. Congratulations !

Christophe

batalay (21422) 2007-08-18 14:48

Hello Alvin,

In this extraordinary photo, with a touch of surrealism, you've posted two photos for the price of one. I had always heard of the supassing natural beauty of Lake Banff, and you have submitted valid confirmation. I still can't get over your post from the other day, "On the Edge."

Warm regards,

Bulent

keribar (42760) 2007-08-18 22:47

Hello Alvin,
Again, you are right on time at the rendez-vous.. An appointment, with nature, light, reflections, beauty and sensibility.
Certainly the best post on TE today.
Friendly yours - Izzet

afshin339 (304) 2007-08-19 0:19

Hi Alvin
Very beautiful picture you have taken and share for us.Reflections in water are wonderful and dreamy.Also mounts details and sharpness are impressive.Your cadre selection and framing also is very nice.Contrast and clarity are great.Also your POV is excellent.

Well done.
afshin.

gneufeld (15289) 2007-08-19 10:59

Hi Alvin,
Wow, you keep pulling off these absolutely spectacular shots. The reflections, colors and details in this image are out of this world! Excellent work again and thanks for sharing. Gerald

IgorDeleze (9247) 2007-08-19 11:40

Hello Alvin,
Spectacular reflexion!
Simply great.
Greetings.
Igor

maximage (13724) 2007-08-19 14:07

Bonsoir Alvin,
BEAUTE ABSOLUE! Rien à dire seulement regarder et apprécier le spectacle grandiose!
Merci pour le partage.
Amitiés de Suisse.
max

zumoduvas (1974) 2007-08-20 5:55

Hello Alvin.

Excellent picture, nice composition and colors.
Fantastic.

Regards.
Jose Luis.

capthaddock (28640) 2007-08-20 7:38

You've done it again Alvin, another Rocky mountain masterpiece, I especially like the way the high clouds seem to fanning out from the central peak.

donluicu (24001) 2007-08-20 9:17

the game of reflection is amazing, and the effect of the WA is powerful..
as you say, i'm sure that the mountain is bigger in real, but that the WA....we want all...but the mountain will look further

bye

naxius (16679) 2007-08-20 12:09

Hi Alvin,
This is gorgeous!! The spot, the light, the colors and the reflection on the water..
Everything is perfect here.
Bravo!
Alex

robinlawr (898) 2007-08-20 14:27

You just get better and better Alvin. Your photography continually takes the breathe away and this shot is no exception. Subject, composition, technique, all perfect.

A pleasure!

Regards

Robin

kmarscher (2881) 2007-08-20 18:51

Spectacular vantage point with fine elements of design incorporated to enhance the message. The early day shot pays off well! One part of the shot that strikes me most, is the curve in the coastline leading toward the mt peak. It shows deliberate forethought and recieves my applause. Very, very nice--a killer shot.
Kathy

MikiM (1916) 2007-08-21 1:05

Hello Alvin,
I like the extra wide angle here how it is compressing lots of nice elements in the frame. Of course I like the polarized sky and the reflecion but I'm also happy with the non perfect symmetry with the grass in the foreground. The small wawes brought some natural life as an extra.
Coongrats,
Miklós

KKar (486) 2007-08-21 1:10

Hey Alvin You amaze me with every shot that you post here . Truelly remarkable composition
kostas

elmec (12194) 2007-08-21 10:58

Hello Alvin!
It's paradise place for me!
So breathtaking view! Interesting form of nature and great shot with reflections in the water!
Perfect work!
Congratulations!
Best regards!

danyy (69963) 2007-08-21 14:55

Les reflets tremblottants n'enlèvent rien à la beauté sauvage de ce paysage, bien au contraire.
Tout est magnifique ici, du ciel à l'avant plan qui ajoute la profondeur à la photo.
Une belle symétrie esthétique, nette.
Best regards.
Daniel.

cdmonson (2783) 2007-08-21 16:41

Hi Alvin:

Lovely shot of Bow Lake. I think your inclusion of the surrounding mountains gives a bit better impression of how massive this mountain is. Looks like your recent trip to Banff was a productive one. Thanks for sharing.

Clark

Dpbours (220) 2007-08-21 21:11

Hi Alvin,

I've been missing out on some great shots after your cloudy lake shot. Like the commentary on your society, but it's true and not just in the US. Well, good for us people who actually walk a bit further than the parking lot ;-).

Nice colours. Very natural and the 12mm giving really nice results. I've been thinking about a 12mm myself. But I'll stick with the 18-200 for a little while.
I'm wondering about the white balance. Did you have it on auto balancing? I think you did. I also have a D200 and I do see that if the sun is just a bit soft, it sets more towards 'cloudy' than towards 'sunny'. I would have expected a bit more yellows in the light on the mountain. What do you think?

Thanks for sharing. Nice shot!!
Greetings, Dennis

delkoo (35058) 2007-08-22 0:07

hi alvin,
stunning view indeed, the high quality of your photo Restore all the beauty of this landscape, clearness , sharpness and light are the main quality .

regards
didier

happypoppeye (4064) 2007-08-22 2:45

Great note Alvin...I experienced the same kind of parking lot mentality when I was there a few years ago. Get a minute away from the parking lot and road and most days you have the trail to yourself. It is a sad commentary on our society, but let them look at the mountains from their cars, it makes my hikes oh so much more peaceful...

As for the photo, well, I guess spectacular would be a nice word for it. Exposure and resulting colors are perfect. Your "staight on" type composition looks good, allowing for a full view of the mountain and reflection, along with some of the surrounding terrain in the background.

Great work.
John

brevbrev14 (372) 2007-08-22 6:21

Hi ALvin, impressive image of landscape, with great natural colour and perfect note...
the reflection is stunning!
ciao!
Valeria

pboehringer (770) 2007-08-22 7:13

Not just the mountain is massive, but the whole scene as you composed it is massive, Alvin. The reflections are obviously one of the strengths of this fine photography, but the soft clouds are what it really makes an outstanding image. I like it to see how the clouds gives the feeling of crowning the mountain. Having the small strip of ground and green in the foreground was a very necessary element to give a significant feeling of depth.
Regards, Peter

josepmarin (34295) 2007-08-22 7:18

Hi Alvin,
Your photo gives us a wonderful landscape, in a very well compound setting, where you have played skilfully with this mountain and its reflections on the lake, which they create a beautiful effect of horizontal symmetry with very much aesthetic sense.
Excellent exposure, the quality of the light and of the colors is very high.
A fantastic work.
Best regards,
Josep

vincent24 (9038) 2007-08-24 8:38

Hi Alvin,
Well it's quite difficult to say more after so much people...the place is realy impressive and as you as at the end of your note the wide angle makes the mountains smaller than in reality..sure it was a great moment of serenity to face such a nature beauty,
TFS,
vincent

jrleborgne (1044) 2007-08-30 1:50

Hello Alvin,

Wonderful scenery with great contrast and colours.
It could be a norwegian lanscape, in northern Finnmark.
Best regards
Jean-Renaud

Hellas (5131) 2007-08-31 2:13

Alvin,
this is a fantastic image! What reflections and colours! As you say, the things looks different with the lens you used, but the view is so wonderful in the frame.
Thank you very much for sharing.
Have a nice weekend,
Athanasios.

alainh (35391) 2007-09-02 22:43

Hello Alvin

What can i say else than Perfect, splendid, and great ???
you are always present when the light is the better, and you live in the paradise of photographers !
congrats ant thanks for your gallery Alvin.
alain

jmcl (14197) 2007-09-16 11:26

Hi Alvin,

This is wondrous . what power .. I love the way the clouds lead out from this mountain .. like a host of knights .. I love how the reflection works into the perspective. Tremendous.

take care,

John

Java (0) 2007-10-08 14:03

Hi Alvin,
Great point of view plus a magnificent reflection on the water.Beautiful colors,bravo!
Regards

Didier38 (710) 2007-11-20 12:18

Bonsoir Alvin,

Une lumière incroyable et un point de vue que j'aime beaucoup car il cumule les reflets.

Bravo beau travail !!

Didier