We are taking a trip to the Canadian Rockies from 3rd June for a week before taking a cruise to Alaska.
We will be renting a car from Calgary and driving to Ban ff. On the way we are thinking of going via Lake Louise. Our interest is to enjoy the Rockies and take some nice scenic pictures. Our stay in Banff is for 2 days and then we proceed to Jasper. On the way we visit the Colambian Ice Fields.
Would love it if someone can give me some advice/suggestions on my plans.Is it a good idea to do Lake Louise on way to Banff ?? Can we do both the Ice Fields and Lake Lousie to gather before reaching Banff ??
I intend to take my 18-55mm,10-22mm wide angle and 70-200mm. With a tripod. Are these ok ?
For the most part just take the sharpest of your wide lenses with polarizer and tripod for landscapes and 70-200 for the chance wildlife encounters. You will go thru Banff to get to the places that you have mentioned. Try to explore as much backcountry as you have time for. The best book you can get to help you with planning is called" Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies" excellent resource for your trip. This is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Enjoy
Posted by Howard Cihak on May 11, 2013 at 12:38 PM
To give you a sense of the scale, a non-stop drive from Banff to Jasper on the Icefields Parkway can be comfortably completed in about 2 hours. The trick is making it "non-stop." There will be such an unending progression of breathtaking landscapes, you won't be able to avoid stopping. That's why the above mentioned book is an excellent idea. If you're time is limited, you want to make the most of it.
Personally, I'd recommend making reservations at a midpoint (Bow Lake or Sunwapta Falls possibly) so you can get up before the sun comes up. In my 2 trips to the region, the sunrises were far more worthwhile than the sunsets. Jasper is a really nice town (wouldn't mind living there), but I don't think it makes a good base for traveling southward to revisit sites along the Parkway.
Don't miss Bow Lake which was one of my favorite places while visiting the Canadian Rockies. I used Bow Lake as a base to visit Banff, Lake Louise, Columbia Ice Fields, and Moraine Lake. Also, if you plan to visit the Columbia Ice Fields, I would book an Ice Walk which is an easy, guided walking tour on the glacier. It was fantastic. Book ahead since they fill quickly. http://www.icewalks.com/
I also high recommend Darwin Wiggett's eBooks on various areas in the Canadian Rockies. http://www.howtophotographthecanadianrockies.com/http://oopoomoo.com/ebooks/our-ebooks/ Have a great time Hussain. The Canadian Rockies are outrageously beautiful. You lens choices seem very reasonable. Lastly, if you plan on doing any back country hiking be aware of grizzly bear safety.
Three places where I found great photo ops when we visited the area.Patricia Lake north of Jasper. Early in the morning the mountains around the lake give some beautiful reflections in the lake. Really great shots. Another nice lake is Horseshoe Lake south of Jasper. The lake is incredibly clear. I shot some great images of a loon swimming under water. Great rock formations around the lake for reflection pics also. In Banff there is a nice trail to hike that gives you all kinds of great photo ops around Lake Louise from all views including high above. It is the trail to the valley of six glaciers. It starts at the lodge at Lake Louise, goes half way around the lake then up into the mountains. Great views and lots of wild flowers and a marmot or two along the way. We like the Jasper area better then Banff. Banff was to commercial and trendy for us, but that is a matter of taste. Have a great trip.
Thanks Jack, Howard, Eva and Richard for your guidance.
I bought 3 eBooks from Darwin Wiggett's. All three are excellant and gives a lot of info. Most of his pictures are taken using a 2stop ND hard grad graduated filter. I will have to buy one immediately.
Most of him picture are shot with long exposures (f/16 and above) to get the best DoF? Could anyone please guide me where will the focus point be? on the forground or in the middle or at the far end so that the entire picture is in focus.
I have read an articale in Digital photography that to get the best sharpness the picture must be shot in 2 or 3 shots with pocus points at near, middle and far and then merged in photoshop.
Discussion
7 repliesWe are taking a trip to the Canadian Rockies from 3rd June for a week before taking a cruise to Alaska.
We will be renting a car from Calgary and driving to Ban ff. On the way we are thinking of going via Lake Louise. Our interest is to enjoy the Rockies and take some nice scenic pictures. Our stay in Banff is for 2 days and then we proceed to Jasper. On the way we visit the Colambian Ice Fields.
Would love it if someone can give me some advice/suggestions on my plans.Is it a good idea to do Lake Louise on way to Banff ?? Can we do both the Ice Fields and Lake Lousie to gather before reaching Banff ??
I intend to take my 18-55mm,10-22mm wide angle and 70-200mm. With a tripod. Are these ok ?
Please advise.
Thanks and regards
Hussain Nalwala
Personally, I'd recommend making reservations at a midpoint (Bow Lake or Sunwapta Falls possibly) so you can get up before the sun comes up. In my 2 trips to the region, the sunrises were far more worthwhile than the sunsets. Jasper is a really nice town (wouldn't mind living there), but I don't think it makes a good base for traveling southward to revisit sites along the Parkway.
Best wishes.
I also high recommend Darwin Wiggett's eBooks on various areas in the Canadian Rockies. http://www.howtophotographthecanadianrockies.com/ http://oopoomoo.com/ebooks/our-ebooks/ Have a great time Hussain. The Canadian Rockies are outrageously beautiful. You lens choices seem very reasonable. Lastly, if you plan on doing any back country hiking be aware of grizzly bear safety.
I bought 3 eBooks from Darwin Wiggett's. All three are excellant and gives a lot of info. Most of his pictures are taken using a 2stop ND hard grad graduated filter. I will have to buy one immediately.
Most of him picture are shot with long exposures (f/16 and above) to get the best DoF? Could anyone please guide me where will the focus point be? on the forground or in the middle or at the far end so that the entire picture is in focus.
I have read an articale in Digital photography that to get the best sharpness the picture must be shot in 2 or 3 shots with pocus points at near, middle and far and then merged in photoshop.
Please advice.
Redards
Hussain
Hussain