The Running of the Deer

Running Deer

I saw this big Buck standing in a farm field watching me as I drove past, and I really wanted to make a great portrait of him. Unfortunately the whole herd of Deer took off running shortly after I stopped. It was already past sunset and really quite dark, so my shutter speeds were very slow. Instead of trying to make really sharp images I worked on making some pan-blurs (where the background is blurred by panning along while the main subject moves, keeping the subject relatively sharper) as they ran past me instead. I really like the granularity of the final image and to me it has a great vintage look and feel.

Running Deer

The End of the Harvest

The Last of the Harvest

I saw these granaries in a farm field with a conveyor parked in front just as the sun was setting. The last remnants of daylight were starting to fade on the distant horizon. The nearby farmers had only recently finishing up with the harvest and it seemed like a fitting metaphor that the equipment was still parked there as the light faded into night. Everything will soon be put away for the winter, ready to be used again when the time comes that they are needed.

Powerful Sunset

Powerful Sunset

I was desperately looking for a scene that would do justice to the beautiful pink glow on these clouds just after the sunset. I almost missed my chance until I saw these power lines in the distance and I was very happy to be able to make the image. I love the contrast between the striking yellow stubble in the prairie field below, and the vivid blue of the sky above.

Powerful Sunset

Into the Raging Fire

Bleeding Sky

The sunrise on the prairies east of Calgary is often spectacular and I’ve seen my fair share of extremely beautiful mornings. I was very happy recently when I had a chance to make a few images of one of the most amazing sunrises that I’ve ever seen.

The sky absolutely lit up with a furious red glow as the sun slowly climbed toward the cloudy horizon. There were just enough clouds on the horizon to hold back the full force of the sun, while still allowing enough of the magical morning light through to paint the thicker clouds above in a series of reds, oranges, and yellows. The result was an amazing, fiery red sky as far as the eye could see. Beautiful!

Into the Burning Sky

The Full Moon Rising

The Full Moon Rising

I often plan photoshoots to coincide with the moonset at sunrise, around the time of the full moon. This event only happens on one day (or very rarely two days) each month, and as often as not it is obscured by clouds or fog, or I simply can’t make it out at that time on that day of the month. It is a very beautiful thing to see the moon painted with the colors of the sunrise and it really is worth making an extra effort to get out to see it.

I have only rarely considered that the moonrise at sunset is equally beautiful and powerful to see, and I haven’t paid nearly as much attention to the timing of that event each month. It was a happy accident today when I just happened to look over my shoulder and noticed that the moon was rising behind me, and it appeared to be huge against the horizon! I quickly found a nice agricultural scene that would highlight the beauty of the dusky colored moon and made a few nice images.