Mystical Herbert Lake On The Icefields Parkway

Apologies for the radio silence over the last couple of weeks! But I’ve been fortunate enough to spend them travelling around Canada. What an awe-inspiring place for landscape photography – I took so many photos! And I’m so excited to start sharing them with you over the coming weeks.

Our first stop driving the famous Icefields Parkway through the Canadian Rockies was Herbert Lake. The overcast skies that had left us slightly disappointed as we started our journey created an incredible atmosphere over the water and to the mountains beyond.

The clouds were moving at a pace and seemed to create a completely different view each time I looked out, hiding and revealing the peaks as they went. I took many wider shots but felt that the isolation of this single mountain face by the cloud created a more focused scene.

I brightened the image up a bit and boosted the contrast to try and give a more mystical, fantasy feel to the image which is exactly how I felt standing in that spot. It was the perfect start to what must be one of the greatest scenic drives on our planet.

Watching Sunset On Kona’s Coastline

For our last night on Hawaii’s Big Island we stayed on the Kona coast, and just like so many other nights in Hawaii it offered up a fantastic sunset. Despite the signs warning people away I spent a while exploring the rocks outside the Sheraton hotel looking for some interesting foreground to shoot.

The boat you can see out to the right is not there for the sunset, but to serve as a base for people snorkelling and scuba diving to see the Manta Rays that are very common in this part of the world. Unfortunately we didn’t have a chance to experience it this time around.

The Manta Rays have been ‘trained’ to associate light with plankton, so after dark they are attracted to the torches that tour guides shine under the water. I just need to become a certified diver so that I can get down there and take some photos!

Cloud Cover Over Hong Kong’s Chi Lin Nunnery

I just couldn’t escape the clouds during my time in Hong Kong, they were everywhere! And while it would have been nice to see some sunshine, they did at least provide a dramatic backdrop for some photography at the Chi Lin Nunnery.

I spent a good while in this spot waiting for the best moment to get a shot without many people in. Almost every time I was about to click the shutter another large group would enter through the front door! So I would just sigh and wait another few minutes for them to wander through.

Eventually it all came together, and I even managed to keep my camera straight whilst rushing for the shot! This was the most peaceful place I visited in the city of Hong Kong, the striking contrast to the cityscape behind impossible to ignore.