Banff National Park Stickers

MORAINE LAKE - Rocky Mountains Canada stunning day with reflections.

Moraine Lake is one of my most popular workshop destinations, so over the summer, I watched the sunrise nearly 20 times there. It was fascinating to see how the lake changed over that time, as well as all the different sorts of lighting that can occur at that time of the morning. I captured the light on the Ten Peaks behind the canoes at the end of my second "All-Nighter" workshop in July. It was a great place to end our long night of shooting around the park!

Backswamp view point with Bow River in summer, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Flashback to late October when Bow Lake was just beginning to freeze. The -13ºC temps that morning made the open water steam like crazy, creating an absolutely stunning scene for golden hour. It was one of those scenes that, for the 1000th time in 2017, made me appreciate how lucky I am to live so close to the mountains.

I'm not sure if I will ever find a road I love more than the Icefields Parkway (although the Spray Lakes Rd/Smith Dorrien in the Kananaskis comes a close second). I find a new angle on the mountains every time I drive it, and fortunately in winter, you can stand in the middle of the road for quite a while before a car passes by!

That feeling when you have the Rockpile all to yourself, knowing that within days it will be swarming with bus after bus full of people. It was pure serenity; that is, until a snow removal truck arrived and filled the air with constant BEEEEP BEEEEP *BEEEEP*s. Oh well, you can but try.

Unbeatable beauty of Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Herbert Lake early in the morning or during at sunset you can enjoy incredible reflection of Mt. Temple.

MORAINE LAKE - Rocky Mountains Canada Sunrise glow.

MORAINE LAKE - Rocky Mountains Canada Sunset.

An elk doing his best "majestic" look on a hill above Surprise Corner in Banff. It's only slightly undone by the big number on his ear tag!

Doesn't this look like a scene right out of a Christmas card? Lake Louise was gorgeous under a blanket of late October snow. I love early season snows that pepper the trees in white while the lakes are still unfrozen!

I woke up on the last official day of summer in Banff National Park to a winter wonderland. Even though the snow all melted by noon, it was fun while it lasted! I captured this image of the mountains surrounding Lake Minnewanka as the mist started to clear around mid-morning.

After 10km of hiking through Paradise Valley -- a valley that truly lives up to its name, particularly in autumn, we reached the Giant Steps. This waterfall is breathtaking at any time of year, but the light frosting of snow and golden trees on the distant mountains made it even moreso. Even after two hours -- the most we could spare on our hike, since we still had Sentinel Pass to conquer -- we only saw a small portion of this area. I know which hike will be the top of my to-do list next summer!

Late on the evening of Christmas Day, we headed out to Lake Minnewanka to see if we could get a glimpse of the northern lights, which were supposed to be quite strong. Not only did we see them dancing above the peaks at the end of the lake, but we also caught a glimpse of Santa heading back home to the North Pole (or it could have been a meteorite -- you decide)!

Earlier this week, I made plans to head out to Banff to shoot sunrise followed by a quick jaunt to Moraine Lake. Then my partner pointed out to me that I might as well kill two birds with one stone and get there a bit early to shoot the Milky Way. I thought that sounded like a great idea until I rolled out of bed at 1.30am, with the goal of arriving in Banff with time to shoot the Milky Way for about 30 minutes before first light. I somehow made it up Mount Norquay by 3.30am and this was the scene that greeted me. Definitely worth the early start time!

When we started the night shooting at Vermilion Lakes, we had no idea it would end with watching the aurora dance high above Lake Minnewanka! The clouds, which had been much heavier earlier in the evening, gradually cleared and let us see this gorgeous display all across the northern sky. It was the strongest auroras I've seen yet in Alberta!

Retro Lake Louise Banff National Park travel poster art by Sassan Filsoof

It doesn't get much better than going to somewhere that is packed during the day and finding it completely deserted for sunrise. I had the entire Bow Summit lookout to myself for much of this morning, and that made it feel even more special when the peaks all started to glow in orange, their reflection in the water below. Sure, the water is a brighter blue at midday, but this is truly the way to see Peyto Lake.

Winter reflections can't be beaten, partially because of the stunning landscape they reflect, and partially because they are so rare! Luckily this area of Lake Louise often has a small area of open water, and this afternoon in late January was the perfect time to be there.

How amazing is Bow Lake at night? The Milky Way lined up perfectly over Crowfoot Mountain on this night in late June. You wouldn't have guessed it from the blue in the sky, but this photo was actually taken after 1am; even though the sun sets, it is close enough to the northern horizon that the sky stays in a constant state of faint twilight at this time of year.

Sometimes you can just tell that the sun's had it after a cloudy day. I could almost hear it yelling from behind the mountain, "let me out! I just want to light up the sky once today!"

My original plan when I picked up a workshop participant at 3am was to head to Bow Lake to capture the Milky Way in pitch-black skies; however, after watching the northern lights dancing in front of us for the whole drive from Banff, we decided to head up to the Bow Summit (where there is a clear view to the north) instead. This is what we were greeted with -- dancing greens and purples and lights pulsing across the entire sky. I think it was the right choice!

The hot springs at the end of the last Vermilion Lake steaming at sunrise on a -20ºC winter's day in Banff. I loved how the steam had coated the entire marsh nearby in frost!

Bow Lake with view of the Crowfoot Mountain and Bow Peak at far left on an overcast summer evening, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

The Bow River doing its best to fight off the freezing effects of winter. Its shoreline was partially frozen, but the river itself -- despite having chunks of ice floating down it -- was still running strong.

The trees of Lake Louise are always an amazing sight to see, and by far my favourite time to see them is at night -- when you can look up past the snow-encrusted branches to see the stars glittering above. Add in a moonrise to light up the trees and a halo around said moon and you get a memorable sight indeed.

A lone visitor stands on the ice of the Vermilion Lakes just after sunrise. It was a frigid March morning, but there's no reason to let -25ºC temperatures get in your way when the world around you is just beckoning to be explored like it was here!

The First Snowstorm Of The Season Creates A Stunning Panoramic Landscape As The Bright Blue Waters Of Peyto Lake Reflect The Surrounding Mountain Range At Banff National Park In Canada.

A Large Winter Panoramic View Of A Purple Sunset Over Peyto Lake At Banff National Park In The Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Canadian Rockies, Icefields Parkway beautiful fresh mountain stream.

You know it's going to be a good morning when you get to your sunrise spot 45 minutes early to set up for a workshop and the sky is already pink. You know it's an even better morning when you have to talk about ways to avoid oversaturation of oranges and pinks because it's such a vivid sunrise!

The crags of Castle Mountain lit by the sun of an early November morning in Banff National Park. I find this mountain to be one of the most fascinating on the drive between Banff and Lake Louise; with every corner turned, it reveals a new face more interesting than the last.

A late summer evening on the streets of Banff, enjoyed after a meal of elk and Cold Stone.

Gorgeous reflections of summer on the Bow River in Banff. Who would have thought that only weeks before this river was in flood?

Even though the moon disappeared behind Mount Fairview, the view across Lake Louise on this night was just unreal. The full moon lit up swirling clouds at the end of the lake as its turquoise waters lapped at the rocks at our feet -- and the best thing was, our group was one of the few to witness it after the daytime crowds disappeared completely at sunset. To get the full effect of the moving clouds, I shot for 3 minutes; hence the faint star trails you can see above.

On Tuesday morning, I was lucky enough to make it to the Moraine Lake Road entrance just after the road was opened for the season. I arrived at the lake to find I was only the third car parked in the parking lot! It was fantastic exploring around the Rockpile in the wintry conditions, and it proved that Moraine Lake is well worth visiting even when the water isn't shining brightly blue like it does later in the summer!