The Most Excellent Adventures of Ann, Christina, Nick, and Skippy

gluwater

Phyxius wrote:

[img]http://www.phyxius.smugmug.com/photos/198675931-S.jpg[/img[ Canadian Ann stands on the glacier and she's not cold at all.[/img]

Wow. You two don't skip a beat do you. I wake up and both of you have posted with summaries. I've barely even rated my day 3 shots so don't hold your breath :hide. Christine I love this shot. It really conveys the mood from the glacier. And for those that were not there, this is not a selective color image. That's how it really looked. The cones were white. Great work on summing up the day you two. I'm sure glad someone took notes .

Ann McRae

Canadian Ann stands on the glacier and she's not cold at all.
[/quote]



Not cold..........just OLD!


This is the point at which I realized I had a problem with my camera or lens..at this point I was hoping it was just a dead battery.

Ann McRae

Nick
I love your moose. I particularly like how clearly it captures the floor of Medicine Lake, how it illustrates the mooses environment.

And the drama of the stormy peaks at Maligne is great as well.

The best part about that hike through the shrubbery (when there was a usable trail just a few feet away ) was all of the hoof and paw prints we encountered. There were clear fresh bear prints, as well as hoofprints from what had to be a huge moose, scat from deer, bear, and others. Oh, and the smell of the forest in fall....mushrooms, moss, leaves - just a wonderful earthy aroma

Phyxius

gluwater wrote:

Wow. You two don't skip a beat do you. I wake up and both of you have posted with summaries. I've barely even rated my day 3 shots so don't hold your breath . Christine I love this shot. It really conveys the mood from the glacier. And for those that were not there, this is not a selective color image. That's how it really looked. The cones were white. Great work on summing up the day you two. I'm sure glad someone took notes .

Haaaa, well....about that.


Just about every shot I've posted here is almost straight out of camera. Maybe a slight crop and a slight exposure adjustment.:hide (I uploaded these when we stopped at Baker Creek and haven't done anything to them since.)

gluwater

Phyxius wrote:

Haaaa, well....about that.


Just about every shot I've posted here is almost straight out of camera. Maybe a slight crop and a slight exposure adjustment.:hide (I uploaded these when we stopped at Baker Creek and haven't done anything to them since.)

Shame on you! You've had plenty of time now to at least process a couple shots. If I've managed to process shots then you have had ample time to process at least one or two. So get moving Christina . Here's a couple from me.

Athabasca Falls


Athabasca Glacier 8 image stitch. It's way bigger and way more windy in person.

schmoo

gluwater wrote:

It's way bigger and way more windy in person.

:lol

Skippy

Hey I made it home whoohooo!!! :ivar
Just got here yesterday afternoon and today I've gotta go back to work

So at this stage I have edited exactly ONE Shot, yup ONE.

This is from our very first Sunrise "Lake Patricia"

Man we had a ball on this pre-shoot, never laughed so much.
So when I get a chance I will do some more and write more than just a few words.

Take care Everyone ....... Skippy

This is an 8 Shot Pano, my very first successful sew

Link to Larger Image http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/gallery/3664627#209398451-A-LB

Ann McRae

Skippy wrote:

Hey I made it home whoohooo!!! :ivar

Man we had a ball on this pre-shoot, never laughed so much.

Maxine - glad to know you made it home! And you are right - laughter was the main course each and every day of that preshoot! So much fun!

I do have a question - I was at that same spot as you, Nick and Christina for that sunrise, right????? I think I was, but boy I do not have a single shot with that kind of color or detail!!!

Now, was it my lens, my lack of filter, my lack of photoshop or processing skill or my lack of photography skill? Or was I just not there?

Lovely shot, Maxine. Looking forward to many more, plus your account of the trip!!!

ann

Skippy

Ann McRae wrote:

Maxine - glad to know you made it home! And you are right - laughter was the main course each and every day of that preshoot! So much fun!

I do have a question - I was at that same spot as you, Nick and Christina for that sunrise, right????? I think I was, but boy I do not have a single shot with that kind of color or detail!!!

Now, was it my lens, my lack of filter, my lack of photoshop or processing skill or my lack of photography skill? Or was I just not there?

Lovely shot, Maxine. Looking forward to many more, plus your account of the trip!!!

ann

I didn't have no filters either remember hehehe
Nick was the only one who had filters for quite a few days.

Christina and I didn't get filters till 2 days before the Dgrin Shoot ended in Montana.

This is an 8 Shot Pano, but when I processed it I layered 5 layers together as well cause I suck at editing

While I was staying with April, I did get hold of two really cool Editing Books.

One is PhotoShop Masking and Composition, I am yet to read it, but I have had a chance to flick through it, so hopefully my editing skills will increase when I get to know Masking a whole lot better.

I hope to edit more shots tonight and over the weekend.

Take Care Ann, and say hi to the best Chef in town for me wont ya
... Skippy
.

schmoo

WOW Skippy that's one colorful pano! I see a small halo around the edge of the mountain, but I think you're getting the hang of masking. I don't know what the world was like before masks... I honestly can't remember. But lovely vista and I am loving the variety of blues in there!

I was so happy to meet you in person although being around so many Dgrinners was daunting. I hope to get to actually shoot with you in the future and see you work your magic with macros.

gluwater

Maxine! I was wondering if April was going to keep you. Glad to hear you've made it back in one piece. Do I even want to know how much new gear you returned home with?

aktse

gluwater wrote:

Maxine! I was wondering if April was going to keep you. Glad to hear you've made it back in one piece. Do I even want to know how much new gear you returned home with?

And I would have kept her if I could

Phyxius

Ann, your PM box is full. :

Phyxius

gluwater wrote:

Shame on you! You've had plenty of time now to at least process a couple shots. If I've managed to process shots then you have had ample time to process at least one or two. So get moving Christina .

HEY! I'm very busy mister! And for some reason I decided to volunteer as a projects director for my county 4H program. 'doh I already don't have time for stuff like sleep and routine vehicle maintainence...or spell check apparently.

PS, Skippy's home, skippy's home, skippy's home!

Ann McRae

Don't know how you two young'uns figure your busy - just think of me and my passle of chil'en.

Guess what???? I bought a Mac tonight! And PSCS3!!!!!!!! My goal is one pano by the end of the weekend!

ann

schmoo

Ann McRae wrote:

Don't know how you two young'uns figure your busy - just think of me and my passle of chil'en.

Guess what???? I bought a Mac tonight! And PSCS3!!!!!!!! My goal is one pano by the end of the weekend!

ann

Congrats!! It shouldn't take quite that long. Click files that you want, hit photomerge and it should take about 3 minutes.

greenpea

Ann McRae wrote:

Don't know how you two young'uns figure your busy - just think of me and my passle of chil'en.

Guess what???? I bought a Mac tonight! And PSCS3!!!!!!!! My goal is one pano by the end of the weekend!

ann

Congratulations! Now when ever you get stuck talk to DavidTo, he saved my butt a few times after I first got my mac.

...and I look forward to seeing that pano!

Phyxius

Ann McRae wrote:

Don't know how you two young'uns figure your busy - just think of me and my passle of chil'en.

Guess what???? I bought a Mac tonight! And PSCS3!!!!!!!! My goal is one pano by the end of the weekend!

ann

HAHA, well congrats on the Mac and CS3. I am busy!
I've got a fulltime job that currently, unforunately has me in the office from 10-6. And on Saturdays from 7:45-12:00. Then, I have 5 kids (3 horses, 2 donkeys), one of which is going to be an unwed mother, oh the shame and embarrassment. (Octavia is in foal and should have her baby in June '08 )

Then I volunteer...er was volunteered to work as a project director for photography and assorted horsey things for the University of Maryland's Cooperative Extention program w/4H. Oh yeah, and I'm coaching the Horse Bowl team. Oops, I mean... ->

I'm just kidding, I LOVE helping out. But, working from home would make my life 100x easier. I PROMISE to get some photos, or at least A photo editted this weekend, sometime between the Cub-oree ('cause yeah I'm volunteering for the Boy Scouts of America too) on Saturday and the horse show on Sunday. :

Ann McRae

Excuses, excuses.....


hehehe I have a new toy! So, Christina you edit a pic or two, I will make a pano or two, and maybe we can convince Maxine to NOT shoot bugs but rather post a few more shots - we need to get on to Lake Louise after all!!!


ann

Skippy

Ann McRae wrote:

Excuses, excuses.....


hehehe I have a new toy! So, Christina you edit a pic or two, I will make a pano or two, and maybe we can convince Maxine to NOT shoot bugs but rather post a few more shots - we need to get on to Lake Louise after all!!!


ann

But ... but... there's bugs outside I tell you :oogle really there are
Ohhhh okay then.... so I have edited exactly 3 images now

........ Skippy
.

Awais Yaqub

beautiful photos

Skippy

Ohhhhhh boy my editing is going very slow, but I'm trying to learn and do a good job all at the same time

So my first shot was an 8 shot Pano of our first Sunrise at Patricia Lake,
so guess what the next image is ??

Yup another one from the same place, but not a PANO hehehe!



You know this would have to be the prettiest Sunrise we saw for the entire trip,
plenty of places for people to stand along the shore line and freeze their butts off with the rest of us!

Gawwwwwwwd couple of times it was -2 Deg.
Snowed a few times, rained and all that good stuff,
but they still didn't let me make a snowman ........meanies :cry

I got used to the SNORING a couple of nights into the trip,
one night Christina was having an outright conversation in her sleep,
that was too funny.

I remember Ann trying to explain to her dear husband that it had taken us 9hrs to drive some really short distance,
because we stopped every chance we got and took photos...
I bet he couldn't believe what he was hearing.....it took you how long ??? to drive how far???

Ann was impressed at how fast I could get out of bed and put me boots on,
I tell you I don't muck around when it's time to get up! no sireee! not me!
I'm like up and in me boots in a flash

We got to see so many rivers and waterfalls along the way,
this place was quite pretty, I need some prompting as to where it was though,
it was only in the first couple of days into the Pre Shoot.



I remembered I had packed 2 ND Filters and put them to good use

Hey Gus, how many packets of Beef Jerky did you go through?
I ate almost 6 packets, just cause I could, and also because that stuff costs a small fortune in Australia.

Big thank you to Ann for taking all of us to the place where they made it,
and Christina brought me over a packet from USA on her arrival in Canada.

I gotta tell you folks, that I have never seen Mountain Ranges like those we saw on this Pre Shoot,
I was just stunned at their size, the fact that they had snow on them (gotta love that snow )
and how they just went on for miles and miles and miles.

Just an incredible sight to see, how wonderful it would be to wake up and have a Mountain View .... dream on !

Ann asked us all what was our most favourite place we'd Shot, and I believe we all said the same thing "Patricia Lake"

....... okay now I have to try find some more to edit Skippy
.

gluwater

Very nice Skippy. That waterfall is Sunwapta. It was the second waterfall we stoped at on the Icefields Parkway, before we got to Athabasca glacier. I think you ate a whole cow worth of jerky that trip :eat

Ann McRae

First pano, same sunrise as everybody else:




Thoughts? Photomerge is great, but it is likely I have lots of learning to do wrt editing (right Nick?)

ann

Phyxius

Skippy wrote:

one night Christina was having an outright conversation in her sleep,
that was too funny.

"Look at the size of that BIRD!"

At least it wasn't anything TOO embarassing.

:giggle

Skippy

Phyxius wrote:

"Look at the size of that BIRD!"

At least it wasn't anything TOO embarassing.

:giggle

The Bird must have impressed you for some reason cause you were very very vocal about the size of it girl ..... Skippy
.

Ann McRae

photos, ladies, photos! Lets see more of what you have skippy - you must have some second day in Jasper shots, or a shot from our day driving to Louise? Come on, girl, show us what ya got!

Skippy wrote:

The Bird must have impressed you for some reason cause you were very very vocal about the size of it girl ..... Skippy
.

greenpea

Ann McRae wrote:

First pano, same sunrise as everybody else:




Thoughts? Photomerge is great, but it is likely I have lots of learning to do wrt editing (right Nick?)

ann

Amazing job for the first pano. If this is what you do for your first time with a mac and CS3.... look out world. I look forward to seeing more!

Ann McRae

Hehe...thanks, Andrew - but that was easy. It is only 2 shots, and CS3 really is good at photomerge.
I remember the steps Mark showed:opening all shots in ARC and synchronizing the conversion edits. That makes a big difference, I think.
Then into photomerge, then crop and do final editing.
And for me, CS3 isn't the big leap. The big thing is a monitor that allows me to see what I am doing rather than relying on the histogram and eye dropper to tell me color readings (my last monitor was B A D)

Now on the Patricia Lake shot, I think the reflection is too yellow/green, and so I am reading the layer masking techniques in the finishing forum.

But, I successfully stitched several others last night (in this gallery)- I am quite happy with this one too:


This is four or five images stitched.

ann

greenpea wrote:

Amazing job for the first pano. If this is what you do for your first time with a mac and CS3.... look out world. I look forward to seeing more!

Phyxius

Banff to Claresholm
Fine people, fine! I will evenutally get around to editting some pictures. I promise that as of right now I only have three other projects to put on the back burners.

So...not to delay the tread anymore we move on to the next day...

Banff to Claresholm


We woke up at Baker Creek and said goodbye to our internet access :cry and good morning to a slightly overcast, damp day. We decided to forgo sunrise and after a brief discussion we decided we couldn't NOT go see Lake Louise.

Banff was the first national park in Canada and the third in the world when it was founded in 1885, after the discovery of hot springs on Sulphur Mountain. Lake Louise is the most well known and visited lake in Banff NP. The moutain behind the lake is Mount Victoria, named after the past queen of England and Lake Louise is named for one of her five daughters. Lake Louise is sourced by the Lefroy Glacier (which is basically obscured by clouds in this shot...sorry), and has the famous glacial blue-green color. Lake Louise drains into the Bow River via Louise Creek.


If you stop by when it's cold beware of the ice. The wooden walk ways were quite slippery in the morning as we were setting up. The red canoes can be rented and used to row around the .3 mile square surface of the lake.

On our way out of the mountains we passed through Kananaskis, which you can remember how to spell by thinking of banana-skis, however it is pronounced can-uh-nas-kiss. (Of course we all know the Canadians have trouble pronouncing things, like decal. ) Kananaskis is home to Nakiska, which hosted alpine skiing and freestyle moguls skiing during the 1988 Winter Olympics. But the weather was better for hiking than skiiing while we were there.


We also saw another family of big horn sheep, it was large family with many females and young and a papa that I'm sure will be quite impressive when he's fully mature. Here's one of his females.


They came down to lick the salt off the road and them provided us with a comical rear view as they headed back the way we came.


We stopped for a peaceful visit to Wedge Pond with Mt. Kidd in the background. Nick and I kept hearing a strange noise in the woods. Eventually Ann heard it too. It sounded a bit like a motor, far off in the distance. We heard it again in Waterton and wonder if it could have been elk? We headed out just in time to miss a storm that came through just as we were leaving.


We JUST managed to catch sunset in Longview, home of the world famous Longview Beef Jerky Shop. The foothills provided a welcome change of backdrop.


We continued on to our accomodations for the night....and more wireless access!!!