2206_3153 Misty Dawn
Mist rises from the Frenchman River just before sunrise. The stillness and quiet of morning was broken only by birdsong - that's a Red-winged Blackbird in the branch just left of centre - and distant coyotes yipping. I walked through dew-laden grass, getting soaked from my knees down, a minor inconvenience on a summer morning, more than balanced by the sheer pleasure of being alive in this place, at this time. Two or three times, Sharp-tailed Grouse flushed from nearly underfoot when I wandered too close, oblivious. A muskrat paddled by close to shore, silent, before diving and disappearing. There are always a few tourists in the park on summer days, but the vast majority do not rouse from their sleeping bags and RVs until 8 or 9 a.m., so once again I had the good light all to myself. On days when I manage to haul my butt out of bed in the dark and get to a good location before sunrise, this is absolutely my favourite time: the moment before the world is born.
I carried a tripod. I don't use it as often as I used to, but at dawn and dusk it allows me to shoot at low ISO settings (for minimal noise) and use any combination of shutter speed and aperture I choose, without having to compromise. And, unlike wildlife and wildflower photography, shooting landscape allows me to remain upright. Standing, not slithering - a refreshing change of pace!
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2206_3153 Misty Dawn
Mist rises from the Frenchman River just before sunrise. The stillness and quiet of morning was broken only by birdsong - that's a Red-winged Blackbird in the branch just left of centre - and distant coyotes yipping. I walked through dew-laden grass, getting soaked from my knees down, a minor inconvenience on a summer morning, more than balanced by the sheer pleasure of being alive in this place, at this time. Two or three times, Sharp-tailed Grouse flushed from nearly underfoot when I wandered too close, oblivious. A muskrat paddled by close to shore, silent, before diving and disappearing. There are always a few tourists in the park on summer days, but the vast majority do not rouse from their sleeping bags and RVs until 8 or 9 a.m., so once again I had the good light all to myself. On days when I manage to haul my butt out of bed in the dark and get to a good location before sunrise, this is absolutely my favourite time: the moment before the world is born.
I carried a tripod. I don't use it as often as I used to, but at dawn and dusk it allows me to shoot at low ISO settings (for minimal noise) and use any combination of shutter speed and aperture I choose, without having to compromise. And, unlike wildlife and wildflower photography, shooting landscape allows me to remain upright. Standing, not slithering - a refreshing change of pace!
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.