2109_2483 Maligne Canyon
In all my years of visiting Jasper - my first was in 1977 when I backpacked the Tonquin Valley - I had never poked my lens into Maligne Canyon. I always thought it would be too touristy, not wild enough for me. Finally this year I had a look. Yes, it's pretty touristy, with a restaurant and gigantic parking lot at the main trail head, and fencing along much of the rim that limits photo ops somewhat but has probably kept a few people from falling in. It's a long way down. A river runs through the bottom, not visible in this photo. I actually had a touch of vertigo looking over the edge - and I'm good with heights (unless I have to go up onto the roof of my house, which is too smooth for my liking).
So... how does one photograph a steep, deep, narrow-walled canyon? I have no answer. Point and shoot? Get out the wide angle and hope for the best? I tried this and that (in this case shooting with a 50mm or "normal" lens). Limit contrast by not allowing patches of sunlit rocks or trees into the frame. Going early in the morning helps, too, if only because that eliminates 95% of the tourists, whose footsteps vibrate bridges and whose awareness of a photographer's needs ranges from pretty good to nonexistent.
This was the first shot I made, from a bridge across the canyon. Originally I framed it to include the river, but that meant clipping the top of the green tree, so I reframed. The river is visible in other shots. I learned a long time ago that it isn't necessary to include everything in the world in every shot. Instead, try to capture the feel of it. More to come...
Photographed in Jasper National Park, Alberta (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2021 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2109_2483 Maligne Canyon
In all my years of visiting Jasper - my first was in 1977 when I backpacked the Tonquin Valley - I had never poked my lens into Maligne Canyon. I always thought it would be too touristy, not wild enough for me. Finally this year I had a look. Yes, it's pretty touristy, with a restaurant and gigantic parking lot at the main trail head, and fencing along much of the rim that limits photo ops somewhat but has probably kept a few people from falling in. It's a long way down. A river runs through the bottom, not visible in this photo. I actually had a touch of vertigo looking over the edge - and I'm good with heights (unless I have to go up onto the roof of my house, which is too smooth for my liking).
So... how does one photograph a steep, deep, narrow-walled canyon? I have no answer. Point and shoot? Get out the wide angle and hope for the best? I tried this and that (in this case shooting with a 50mm or "normal" lens). Limit contrast by not allowing patches of sunlit rocks or trees into the frame. Going early in the morning helps, too, if only because that eliminates 95% of the tourists, whose footsteps vibrate bridges and whose awareness of a photographer's needs ranges from pretty good to nonexistent.
This was the first shot I made, from a bridge across the canyon. Originally I framed it to include the river, but that meant clipping the top of the green tree, so I reframed. The river is visible in other shots. I learned a long time ago that it isn't necessary to include everything in the world in every shot. Instead, try to capture the feel of it. More to come...
Photographed in Jasper National Park, Alberta (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2021 James R. Page - all rights reserved.