Prairies Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Sean Phillips Photography

Prairie Fence at Sunrise

I drive the prairie roads almost every day and I’m always searching for something new and interesting to make images of. Although I find the prairies extremely beautiful, I have to admit that sometimes it all starts to look the same. Sometimes I really have to look really hard to find something different than all the images I’ve made before. Sometimes that can be extremely difficult. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen.

But there are other times when the picture just jumps out of the scene and there’s no question about what the final image is going to look like. When I saw the deep golden glow of the sunrise light up the farmland in front of me, I knew that if I just turned toward the sun I would see something magical. And it was.

Dramatic Skies over Canola Fields

I’ve been happily watching the canola fields gradually turn yellow as the summer slowly passes by, but I’ve been waiting for just the right opportunity to make some great images. I love to see dramatic skies hanging over the prairie landscape and so I had to take advantage of this great combination. It’s amazing how vibrant the yellow Canola flowers really are and the contrast between the dark skies and the bright fields is even more amazing in person. The flowers are already starting to drop so the show will be over in the next week or two. If you live anywhere near the Prairies and you haven’t had a chance to see the Canola yet this year you really should try to get out before it’s gone!

Beautiful Badlands

I absolutely love the rugged beauty of the badlands. These images were made during a recent family trip to the Royal Tyrell Museum near Drumheller, AB. It wasn’t a very nice day, and the kids were already tired and hungry, so I didn’t get to spend very much time roaming the badlands. I made sure to make a few images though because the arid landscape is extremely beautiful and it would be sad to come home with nothing at all.

Badlands are formed when different types of rock and soil erode away at different rates. The stratified layers of rock and dirt left behind are all different colors which can show up in vivid patterns when the light is right. As well the gradual erosion is constantly revealing new fossils, which adds a wee bit of excitement to visiting the area!

The erosion in the Drumheller area has revealed some of the highest concentrations of fossil remains that have been found anywhere. The area has been searched repeatedly by archaeologists and palaeontologists for decades. In fact the first dinosaur in the area was discovered over 100 years ago by Joseph Burr Tyrell (obviously the Royal Tyrell Museum was named in his honor).

Vintage Caboose under a Dramatic Sky

This old relic is part of an ongoing project that I’ve been working on for over 3 years. The caboose gets moved around pretty regularly, but it always stays on the same piece of track. Iâ€™ve made many images of it in all seasons and in a variety of weather conditions. I always look for it when the seasons change or when I see dramatic weather. When I saw these clouds brewing in the distance I immediately thought of the caboose and went directly to it to try to add another image to my collection. Occasionally it gets hidden between other active railcars or even an entire train, so I was happy to find it sitting out on it’s own today.

Five Red Barns

The classic red paint on these vintage barns stood out against the yellow stubble remaining in the surrounding farmland, and of course I had to stop to make a few images. Although it was quite warm out, the drifting snow in the field makes spring seem a long way off.