C B Images

Photography by Chris Bates

Clouds

P8030198_NikFree
Free: ISO 400, 77mm, f/8.0, 1/2500

Caught this guy fighting the wind in Invermere, BC from my hotel window. The sun was setting and a storm was looking to be rolling in.

Against the background and big clouds he looks like a small bird. I believe he was a crow as he looked too small to be a raven.

Invermere Sunset II
Sunset at Invermere: ISO 200, 11mm, f/5.6, 1/500

I took this at a roadside rest area between Radium and Invermere, British Columbia last summer. This is the area where you can usually spot the bighorn sheep eating along the roadside.

I was lucky to catch the break in the heavy cloud cover with the setting sun trying to breakthrough.

I took a lot of photos that evening and also took the time to soak in all the scenery.

Air Canada, plane, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
Air Canada: ISO 200, 210mm, f/4.5, 1/2000

As mentioned in my previous post there is a man made marsh close to our home in Airdrie, Alberta. I was taking pictures of grebes and blackbirds that were looking after their young. I heard a plane that was headed in my direction and turned around to see a great opportunity.

We see a lot of airplanes as our skies in Airdrie are in Calgary Airport's flight path. I caught this Air Canada jet coming in for a landing as it was banking steeply and coming in low. Usually we only get to see the bottoms of the planes as they pass overhead. I got to get a quick snap of it's tail fin which shows the Red Maple Leaf of Air Canada.

IMG_0046
Playful Waxwing: ISO 400, 140mm, f/8, 1/4000

IMG_0120
Air Brakes: ISO 400, 400mm, f/8, 1/1600

IMG_0193
Crows: ISO 400, 110mm, f/6.3, 1/500

I believe that spring might finally have arrived in Red Deer, Alberta! The snow is almost gone and the temperatures are finally starting to rise. It was a nice sunny day yesterday but there was still a nip of cold that you needed a jacket.

My camera has been collecting dust the last few months. I felt I needed to take it out for a walk and shake the cobwebs from the camera and the creative side of my brain.

I thought the best place for it was the Kerry Wood Nature Centre which is just a few paces from our backyard. I knew some of the migrating waterfowl should be there for a rest or, in the case of the grebes, their final destination.

As the afternoon went on, I started practicing my panning skills. Panning is trying to freeze a subject by following it with your camera. As I was using a long telephoto zoom this turned out to be quite difficult. If you zoomed in too close it was card to keep the fast moving birds in sight. Also a long zoom lens tends to be quite big and heavy. Yesterday afternoon turned out to be a workout both mentally and physically.

flower, tall, blue, sky, clouds
Delphinium Sky: ISO 200, 15mm, F/8, 1/500

We are experiencing a lot of rain this spring/summer. Our gardens are growing fast with the July heat. These Delphiniums are almost as tall as me (6 Feet).

I thought I would try a different perspective using my wide angle lens. On my knees looking up to the big Alberta sky.

Chris Bates Photography Red Deer Alberta Canada
More Shadow Veins: ISO 200, 70mm, f/9.5, 1/2000


Sky, Clouds, Fluffy, White, Blue
Fluffy White Clouds: ISO 200, 70mm, f/9.5, 1/2000

Still very cold here. My brain is in a freeze. I decided I needed to try to get out of my creative hibernation and point the camera upwards.