This young Sphinx cat joined our family this year. When we asked him to wish everyone the very best for the holidays, he had a lot to say but I only captured this stare. From all of us to you and yours, Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy time with family and friends doing things that make you smile.
Alberta has been thrown into the freezer this week. The temperature, -26ºC/-15ºF and colder, has felt like winter asserting that it is truly here now. It is a shock but I went outside last night while one of the boys had an appointment downtown just to thumb my nose at the chill a little bit. The fingers got cold but I didn’t mind too much. There is something about photographing landscapes when it is really cold that adds to the images – almost a clarity and a stillness – that I really like. These are images of Calgary’s downtown from Discovery Hill as the day slipped away.
Watching the dusk fade from the east side of Calgary, the color in the sky softened into pastels. The city’s lights glowed and cast tall stalks of grass into silhouette. It strikes me a little melancholy looking at it now – and beautiful.
I’ve photographed downtown Calgary at dawn from the east side near Inglewood twice in the last few weeks. It is a side of the city that I have not shot before. I have enjoyed the view and the different look from this side.
During the November 3rd geomagnetic storm, the Aurora Borealis were dancing across the entire sky west of Calgary near Bragg Creek. Desirée and I were outside watching them, mesmerized by the performance, for 3 hours. I didn’t know this deer was nearby on the edge of the forest when I was shooting. It was fun to discover her in this image when I was working through the set this afternoon.
I hope you have fun celebrating this spooky, scary day! We have five kids and can’t wait to get costumed-up and watch them trick-or-treating!
A set of long exposures taken in Osoyoos in late June this past summer.
We had a pair of mule deer fawns hanging around our backyard for most of the summer. From wobbly little babies to bouncing youngsters, they entertained us as they learned how to be deer. This was a rare moment where one stood still.
We were in Kananaskis last weekend. The autumn colours were beautiful near Highwood Pass. The snow dusting the trees was also beautiful but felt more than a little early. We came down from the pass in warm afternoon sunlight and found this incredible fox trotting down a hill. She crossed by a pond and settled on this rock for 20 minutes before continuing along. Both Desirée and I were mesmerized watching her. I love foxes and this was a special one to spend a little bit of time with.
Before rain cleared out the smoke from wildfires, the air was thick and hazy. We were at Chain Lakes for the afternoon and when the sun descended towards the horizon, the smoke intensified the color. Against the layers of the hillside and the silhouettes of the trees along ridges, it was an incredible sunset to watch.
We went to the Okanagan earlier in the summer for a couple of days. One evening brought dark clouds in with the fading daylight. The low roll of thunder to the south announced the lighting storm that came in sincerely around midnight. Desirée and I photographed through the rain as the storm crossed directly overhead. A gazebo on the lakeshore provided cover. It was an impressive summer storm. This was one of the interesting shots from the night’s shooting.
We spent a couple of days in Victoria recently and walked along the water more days than not. Here we were walking between the waterfront downtown and Fisherman’s Wharf. A beautiful red bridge that connected a wonderfully green garden drew our eyes. I had a great time photographing this beautiful lady over the water before we went out for dinner.
Christopher Martin Photography 