The sun rises very early in Banff at this time of year and it was quite painful to be up early enough to make this image. I was there as part of a massive group of photographers assembled for Darwin Wiggett’s edition of the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk last Saturday. We started out with an unofficial sunrise shoot at Vermillion Lakes. If the light and the atmoshperic conditions are just right then iconic images of Mount Rundle reflecting in the pools of the Vermillion Lakes can be made, and almost 50 people showed up to do just that!
There were many more people there than I expected for such an early start and it was quite a spectacle. Everyone spread out all along the road in front of the three lakes to try to get their own piece of the reflection of the mountains at sunrise. The light was good, but not as spectacular as I had hoped. I managed to make a few good images despite the early hour and the lack of sleep.
The official photowalk didn’t start until 8:30 so there was plenty of time to kill between the sunrise at 5:15 AM and the start of the walk. I took advantage of the time to enjoy a very large cup of coffee!
I spent the majority of my time during the walk shooting in the downtown core in Banff. This was quite a different experience from the photography I normally do. In fact I specifically chose to wander around town (instead of the other, more nature oriented, options that were presented to the walkers) simply because it was different. It took me a little while to get inspired but once I got going I got into a nice groove and I really enjoyed doing something a little different!
Here are a bunch of my favorite images from the day.
