From a midsummer morning, the start of a 4 image set. It was difficult to even get out of town that day - when I saw the low mist rolling over this field, I had to stop. I'd been driving for less than two minutes and had just cleared "city limits"...
To most people, grass is grass, but here on the prairie we have many, many species of grass, at least three of which are visible in this photo. And I should know what they are by now, but I don't.
Anyway, this isn't about species so much as sheer beauty. The light, the ground fog, the wet roadside ditch, the fence line, all quite subtle but I was breathless, in awe of the commonplace. After all, it's just a ditch. But Blake saw eternity in a grain of sand...
... more to come!
Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: landscape field ditch fog mist dawn morning morning light beauty grass grassy prairie Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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I made this shot just a few minutes after the previous one, on the same stretch of road. That's an old windbreak for cows, still used occasionally by a local rancher's livestock. It is faintly visible in yesterday's photo, near the upper right - low fog like this has a tendency to dissipate as you drive through it.
What a great start to the day! I could have turned around and quite happily gone home and back to bed... but early morning is a good time to look for critters, especially during the summer months when heat and humans deter them from being too conspicuous later in the day.
Photographed at the edge of Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: landscape dawn mist ground fog fog windbreak pasture prairie light Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024 Explored
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Starting a new set today - photos from my recent brief getaway to photograph migratory birds at Reed Lake.
It sounds insane, but I set the alarm for 3:30 a.m. in the motel so I could have a leisurely cup of coffee and arrive on site at dawn. Sunrise comes early to the northern prairie at this time of year.
With no way to get out to the birds across very wet sand and mud, at first I had to shoot from shore. That necessitated some fluid thinking; we all want close ups of our wildlife subjects. What to do when that isn't possible? Look at the light. Look at the graphic components. Look at what may be possible. This is what I came up with.
I did get my close ups a little later. Stay tuned!
Photographed at Reed Lake, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: dawn vertical shore American Avocet Recurvirostra americana wildlife bird shorebird silhouette 2 two water sand wild nature prairie Reed Lake Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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Last in the Winter Wildlife image series, and first of three photos shot that same morning. I had no expectations that this shot would work. Through the viewfinder, I could see no detail at all in the bison herd; their dark shapes were barely distinguishable from each other and from the frost-covered ground. I shot seven frames, then said to my friend George, who was rolling video, "This isn't going to work. I'm going to the coulee edge." (Yes, we were on foot; I don't shoot everything from the rolling red Toyota blind!)
The coulee was behind us. The first light from the rising sun would be on it soon. That light would peak half an hour later, as the sun came up behind me.
In processing the bison images, I pulled a surprising amount of detail from the shadows. I underestimated what the D850 sensor could capture in RAW; you can see their breath hanging in the cold air. It has been a long, long learning curve, starting 60 years ago when I bought my first 35mm camera, and I'm still learning - for which I'm grateful. I shudder to contemplate the day when I have nothing left to learn.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Plains Bison American Bison Bison bison Buffalo herd wildlife animal mammal ungulate dawn winter hanging breath cold hoarfrost pre-dawn glow pano panorama looking east wild prairie Top Dogtown Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024 Explored WPD24Animals
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Starting a new image set today. I usually shoot alone; it is my preference, because it allows full concentration on the process of seeing and interpreting via camera and lens. But there are a few people whose company in the field I enjoy, and with whom I have worked often. George Tsougrianis, the Saskatchewan filmmaker, is one of them. He comes down to my area regularly. He rolls video; I shoot stills. Over the next few days, I want to show the highlights, for me, of one of our days in the field, in the order I shot them.
The sun pillar is an uncommon phenomenon, seen only in very cold conditions. Here, hexagonal ice crystals in the atmosphere reflect and refract light from the rising sun, creating a red pillar. We weren't expecting it. We had hiked to the edge of a coulee looking for Mule Deer. The rut was on; it's the last great wildlife spectacle of the year.
The deer were present, although there wasn't much action. With wildlife, you just have to be patient and put in the time. But the light was pretty dim, and when the deer decided to move on, we headed back toward my car. That's when the sun appeared on the horizon and the sun pillar formed. It lasted a long time - probably 20 minutes - and was very beautiful. A fantastic way to start our day!
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: sun pillar sun dawn sunrise phenomenon cold winter morning refraction reflection ice crystals wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2023
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