The snow is mostly gone, here on the prairies, but it will be some weeks before we see greenery and flowers blooming. I can’t wait! It has been a long winter and I sure could use a bit of color. Late spring or early summer images are great for it because all is fresh and green is bright and not dimmed by dust of late summer days.
We are lucky here in Alberta, because some nights are full of light show. We had a couple of gorgeous Aurora showing last fall and I have managed to capture some shots without leaving the city.
I know, I know it is winter and everybody posts winter photography, but I am not ready for it yet. I see it outside my window every day, so I want to see something warm, colorful and pretty. Hope you are in need of this as well.
It has been a while since I’ve posted anything about Elk Island National Park. So, I think, it is time for some lovely sunset from the beginning of summer, when all was green, flowers were blooming and days were warm and long.
One thing I have to say I like about the Czechs. They know how to play up to tourists. The old city hall tower has an observation deck, which is accessible and the views are stunning. Now, all the German towns and cities also had towers with observation decks. The only difference is that the Czechs were smart, and installed a nice elevator in the tower, Germans are a little more primitive, and if one wanted to see the top, one had to use the old way of climbing, namely stairs.
Recently we had a great pleasure to photograph a lovely family at the Astotin Lake. I have to say, it was a wonderful time, and beautiful weather. Time filled with laughter and happiness. There is really not much I can say about the experience, only that it was one of those times when I really love being a photographer. My wife felt the same. It did not matter that one was shooting with Canon, and the other with Fuji. It did not matter what lenses we had. It was the beautiful family in front of us, and our ability to capture the fun, the smiles, and the love.
You've all seen Mac's wonderful landscapes in his post Cabo De Gata and more Fuji X-Pro Landscapes. It always makes me amazed how different two photographers can see the same place. When Mac was concentrating on landscapes I took time to look closer at flora of the place as well as the wonderful and so different scenery. Of course we have stopped by the beach somewhere between the villages of Cabo de Gata and Almadare de Monteleva. It was with a great pleasure that we have all taken a walk there, searching for some sea shells that would make a great picture, looking at the waves and the blue sky. Such a lovely time to listen to the waves crashing on the beach. The wind was still strong and was ripping water off the waves to carry it inland, creating a haze that was obscuring the view...
On the way to the lighthouse I was asking Mac on occasion to make a stop by the road when I saw something interesting. As always the poppies were my favorite. Such wonderful islands of colour in this dry land! The grasses made for an interesting accent to the scenery as well as interesting rock formations emerging from the sea..
We took a short walk at some point in our trip. It was great to see the blue of the Mediterranean Sea meeting the volcanic rock.
And as we were leaving my boys decided to leave a little mark of our visit (don't worry, all environmentally friendly :))
It's a lovely, lovely place and well worth visiting, if you are ever close by..
Kasia
Yesterday, we went out as a family for lunch.... the ulterior motive really was for me to give the new Fuji X-Pro 1, a bit out of a workout on the streets. That did not happen as the weather turned a little chilly, and we huddled from the cold in the restaurant. All was not lost however, as I was able to test this little gem of a camera in really low light conditions. The restaurant was quite busy, and we got the table in a dark corner, which suited me just fine. I had my 35mm f1.4 lens wide open, and at ISO 3200 I was barely getting 1/40s shutter speed. The focus was surprisingly fast and accurate, and I was quite impressed with the results.
I had to adjust the white balance a little as the light in the restaurant was giving everybody this sickly orange color.
Then today, the world is in this wonderful grey mist, so I grabbed the camera and headed out for 30 min... here are the results. I'm really enjoying shooting with the Fuji X-Pro 1. It's a wonderful camera.
I've been privileged to photograph the Wala family. Last year in during one of those gorgeous fall days, we took a stroll through the University of Alberta campus and did some family photos. A sunny day, happy family, what could be better? Mac
The Christmas at our house starts, when the whole family descends on the local store to pick up the Christmas Tree.
Then we pull out the boxes of lights and ornaments and we spend the next few hours listening to Christmas music, and decorating the tree like this:
Best time ever. Merry Christmas to all!
Halloween at the Sokulski house it's always a fun event. A week before we decorate the house, then a day before we carve the brains out of the pumpkins. As the kids are growing they are taking a more active role in the preparations.... although I cannot get them to watch a really scary movie with me yet. The older one just got back.... he went with his friends, because his younger brother and dad are not cool enough anymore :) ..... yes getting old.....
Continuing on the post from yesterday, here is the rest of the photos from the family photo session. It was really a wonderful time, even when the kids got bored with all the cameras clicking away. One thing I found is that as a photographer, I have to really pay attention, because moments go by very quick and I have to be ready to catch them. Enjoy.
Families that plays together, stays together as they say. I had a honor to capture such family recently. We drove down to Vegreville, as my buddy Randy Pond, knows of a little quiet farm on the outskirts of town that was a perfect location for the photo session. Since I never like posing portraits, I let the 3 girls run around and just play, then invited the parents to join in the fun. Here are the results. Enjoy.
Being at Elk Island, it is hard not to notice the mother nature, even if you are shooting two beautiful models. As the last post to these Wonders of Nature series, here are a few shots I sneaked in. Enjoy.
Here is the continuation of our little escapade to the Dino-land. This time it's the just us in the pictures. Enjoy!
Continuing our little Spring finding trip, I finished a roll of b&w film, and decided to try things in color. Enjoy.
Here is the last set of pictures. I hope I get invited to do this again. It was nerve racking, but a lot of fun at the same time. Enjoy.
Here are some more photos from Olivia Kovios family session. Enjoy.
Olivia Kovios is a great family photographer, so I was a little nervous when I was invited to photograph her family. She has three wonderful kids, that are as photogenic as their parents. It was a lot of fun, but nerve racking at the same time. Alsways having the thought in my mind, how these snapshots are going to be received by a fellow photographer. It was a success. Enjoy.
We were quite lucky this year. We actually had a very warm and beautiful fall. Best of it was that we were able to go out a few times and enjoy it as a family. Right now when the cold of winter is snapping at you when ever you go, it is so nice to sit down with a warm cup of tea, and remember the beauty of the world, the sound of laughter, and the warmth of the sun. Enjoy.
This was a great photo session. I think everyone had a good time, and it shows in the pictures.
