CLOUDS

I trust you have had  a sunny day. The sun may not always be shining outside,but we can still have sunshine,or Sonshine,in our hearts.

July in Manitoba,brought us some spectacular clouds scenes.

I will share just a few today.

I think these photos prove my point,that there is always something interesting to see when we watch the skies.

The clouds are stacked up in the sky.

Depending on the light,the clouds can be white or very dark.

These tracks often find their way into my photos.Here they are under a heavy blanket of clouds.

Final Words:

Open your hearts to the love God instills…….

God loves you tenderly.What He gives you

is not to be kept under lock and key,

but is to be shared.

Mother Teresa

More Banff Photos

Travelling through the Canadian Rockies is an experience everyone should have at least once in their life. I have had that privilege several times and each time I am in awe of the beauty I see.

This will be the last pictures from Banff,at least for a while. I do have some more,but they may or may not surface here at some time.

Today we start by taking one last,closer look at the glacier at the far end of Lake Louise.

I must preface the following images with a little background.Let me just say that I am not a huge fan of heights and on a previous ride up a gondola,I was less than excited.This happened MANY years ago and at that time I said I would never put myself through that again.Well,promises are often broken and when my son and granddaughter wanted to ride the gondola up Sulphur Mountain,I gathered all the courage I could and decided to join them.I now needed to prove to Kai that Grandma could handle this. I made it to the top,as this is taken from the top of the ride.

For the record,let me say,I enjoyed the ride up as well as down.I am glad I chose to do this and would do it again. This fella greeted us at the top of the mountain.The Bighorn Sheep is a beautiful animal.

The views from the top were breathtaking.

Framing this peak with a few branches added depth to the picture.

This is the same mountain,giving a broader view. Please notice the beautiful green ribbon of a river.

This is just another view.Beauty was literally all around me.

Last but certainly not least is a poor photo of the gorgeous and huge Banff Springs Hotel. I got this shot from up on Sulphur Mountain,zooming in as far as possible. If I had an endless supply of money,I might want to stay there,but the reality is that I will leave that for people who are much wealthier than me.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing Banff through my eyes,as much as I enjoyed sharing this adventure with you.

Banff National Park

It is time to continue with the drive through Banff National Park.

I really don't think I need to say much about the photos,as they speak for themselves.

This is Lake Louise,a lake that has perhaps been on more calendars than any other.

The next two photos are similar,yet different.I couldn't choose between the two,so you get to see both.

The following words may seem out of place,but,even though this is not the Grand Canyon,Mount Everest or Victoria Falls,God's touch is still evident here.

From the great Grand Canyon to the northern lights
Victoria Falls to Mount Everest high
Every miracle in this world confirms
The Master’s touch is everywhere you turn  

Guest Post by Steve Hiebert Photography

Today I am sharing a post put together by my son,Steve. I am very proud of the work he does and love to share it with you all.

Johnston Canyon

1/2 second exposure f/22, 12-40 f2.8 lens on OMD EM-1 Handheld using built in image stabilization.

Processed in Lightroom from a RAW file to maintain detail in the highlights as well as the shadow areas.

Top of Sulphur Mountain, Banff

1/3200 f/4.0, 12-40 f2.8 lens on OMD EM-1

Processed in Lightroom from a RAW file with a gradient tool to bring down the highlight of the sky.

Top of Sulphur Mountain

9 image stitch (stitched in Photoshop)

1/1600 f4.0, 12-40 f2.8 lens on OMD EM-1

All images processed in Lightroom from RAW files with gradient tool used to bring down haze and highlights in the sky.

Johnston Canyon Lower Falls

15 image stitch to get a wider angle of view.

1/5sec f/16 12-40 f2.8 lens on OMD EM-1

Here is the process I went through to create the Johnston Canyon Lower Falls image.  Below are 15 JPEG images straight out of the camera.  To create the final image that was posted I used the RAW files though and I’ll explain as I go along why that is.    So first I processed all the images in Lightroom.  Some of the images I worked in Lightroom with a spot adjustment tool to create an HDR image essentially.  Notice at the very top of the falls is a really bright spot where the sun is shining against the trees.  This became a very distracting spot and draws the eye away from the main subject.  I used the spot adjustment tool and lowered the exposure on that area.  I also made a general over all adjustment to the shadows.  If you look at the close up image below you can see that bright highlight in the trees that I’m talking about as well as how “blocked up” the shadows are.  That’s because this was shot as a JPEG.  When I shot in RAW I was able to manipulate these images way beyond what any JPEG is able to be worked.  It brought out a lot more detail in the highlights as well as in the shadow areas of the image making a much richer and fuller looking image.  After working with these files in Lightroom I then opened them in Photoshop to stitch the files together to create the full image.  After the final image was stitched I then opened it in SnapSeed (desktop version) and added a little extra separation to the water to to show the patterns a little more.

Johnston Canyon Part 2

This post will be short on words and long on photos,so tie up those hiking boots and let's walk to the Lower Falls at Johnston Canyon.

Just enjoy the scenery.

Kai ,taking it all in.

Posing for a photo.

Carful,don't bump your head on that overhang.

The Lower Falls are in sight.

Even a rainbow for our enjoyment.

To properly view the Lower Falls we have to walk through a rock tunnel/cave.Since there were so many people,we had to wait our turn.

From inside the tunnel we can already see the falls and feel the mist.

We have now walked 1.1 km or .683 miles. The falls are 20 metres or 65 1/2 feet high.

 The sound and feeling the mist is an amazing experience.

Closing Thought:

Creation is filled with signs that point to the Creator.

(In my mind this is one of those signs.)

Johnston Canyon,Banff,Alberta Part 1

Johnston Canyon was right near the top of the list of places to see while in Banff.

This was the first place we stopped at on our one day tour of Banff National Park.

Having been there many years ago,27 years,to be exact,I sort of knew what to expect,but had also forgotten some areas.

Steve,Kai and I started down this 1.1km or just over half a mile long walk/hike which took us to the Lower Falls.

We walked alongside this stream the whole distance,with the scenes changing constantly.

This beautiful young lady was always willing to pose for a picture at trailside.

It was a joy to have this time together with two of the people,here on earth that I love the most.

We took longer than many,to walk this distance,because with two photographers,we stopped frequently to capture the scenes.

This was one of those walks where there was spectacular beauty all the way and I wanted so much to capture most of it.

The closer we got to the Lower Falls,the canyon walls became deeper.

This is what much of the walk looked like,a walk suspended at the edge of the canyon walls.I dared not think about this while on the walk,or I might have become very nervous,instead,I focused on the beauty my eyes were seeing.

As we neared the Lower Falls the water became more and more turbulent.The sound was amazing and the sight,awesome.

In a day or two,I will take you to the Lower Falls.

Until then,I leave you with the first verse of the hymn,I Sing The Mighty Power of God.

I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at God’s command, and all the stars obey.

Rocky Mountain Scenery

I don't usually show so many photos of one subject or place,but,these are the Rocky Mountains and they deserve to be shared. I had such a great time during the one day I was there,so I really want to share as much of that day as I can.

This was at the start of our drive into the mountains.In the distance I spotted this long waterfall.I took this shot while driving.

 This area had been burned at one time and the sign said it was a controlled burn,perhaps to prevent forest fires from spreading.Check out the peak Kai is pointing out to you.

Here is a closer look at that peak.

It was a beautiful drive through stands of tall trees and always those gorgeous mountains ahead of us.Yes,that is snow,or more correctly,those are glaciers on top of the mountains.

Looking down and not to be missed is the gentle beauty of the wayside flowers.I think the purple/pink one is Fireweed and of course it is surrounded by Daisies. 

From the rugged beauty of the mountains to the small intricate beauty of the flowers,all has been created by God and He allows us to enjoy it daily.