2021 has been a productive year for me. It’s my first full year as a self-employed landscape photographer, and while it hasn’t been easy, it has been extremely rewarding. I’ve been fortunate to visit some pretty incredible places, helping to push my art to new levels and building a foundation for my business that should be quite strong going forward.
Here are 10 of my favorite images made this year! Note that they are not in any particular order - I don't enjoy narrowing my work down that much.
"Rainforest Rainbow"
It was a hot and sunny day, which is the perfect combination for some nice light in canyons and creeks. The winter's snowpack was a lot larger than the year prior, so the creeks were swollen from snowmelt for an extended amount of time. I had seen rainbows in here before, but this was by far the most vivid one. I realized that I could actually frame the rainbow without the waterfall, but I was uncertain if it would work. Green does not often play nicely with other colors, in my opinion.
The result surprised me, especially after I finished editing it. My most unique forest image, and possibly my most unique image, period. The conditions and timing needed for this to occur are quite specific, and I'm extremely proud of it! This is one of my favorite places to sit and relax, so it felt really good to do it and my experiences justice.
"Ice Cave Self-Portrait"
If you’re active on Hive, you may recall this image from one of my previous blogs. I shot it in the spring during my first ever visit to an ice cave. Without a doubt it was one of the most unique experiences of my entire life. My friend is a helicopter pilot and he flew us about 50 minutes north of Vancouver, deep into the mountains. We landed next to this glacier and spent a good 5 hours exploring and photographing it from the inside. I was apprehensive at first, constantly in a mixed state of awe and increased alertness, worrying about the roof collapsing or chunks of ice falling down. Thankfully this never happened and I lived to photograph another day! After exiting the cave, I cooked up a bunch of jalapeño cheddar smokies for everyone, which always taste about ten times more delicious in the great outdoors!
"Pluviophile"
This image is special to me for a few reasons. I took it in Vancouver’s only true old growth forest, which is only accessible if you hike up a river, go up a boulder field and then bushwhack. For whatever reason, no trails were ever developed in this area and it remains unknown to all but the most curious adventurers. This was my third visit here, and I finally managed to come away with an image that I really liked. I called this ‘Pluviophile’ because that means ‘to love the rain’, and love the rain I do. This day was Vancouver’s first rain in 52 days… and it poured. We spent a total of 9 hours out there and were happy as can be, despite being utterly drenched!
"A Dusting of Snow"
In late August, a friend and I backpacked one of Garibaldi Provincial Park’s hardest trails: Wedgemount Lake. It’s notorious for its steepness, ascending over 1300 meters in only 4.5km. It’s a thigh burner on the way up, and a knee buster on the way down, particularly when you have 50lb packs like we did! On the way up I have to eat about 1500 calories to keep myself energized, but who doesn't like guilt free chocolate?
It’s worth every drop of sweat to experience the beauty though. We got pretty lucky because it snowed overnight. Everything on the ground melted quickly, but if you look closely, you can see a nice dusting on the peaks! And the best part? Barely any bugs!
"In Harmony"
Compared to the hike in the previous image, this one was quite easy. But it was a very long day. I spent the first eight hours of the day running a canyon photography workshop, and then I met up with a couple friends and we drove from Vancouver to Pemberton. We prepped our packs at the trailhead, and began the night hike into the mountains. Hiking in the dark is a bit creepy, and this was grizzly country, so we made sure to make a lot of noise on our way up. Oh, and the bugs were TERRIBLE, as is tradition for the height of alpine summer.
Thankfully, no encounters with any animals! We got to the top, set up camp and had a good sleep. The next day was perfect - I took my time exploring the area for shots, and found this composition during golden hour.
"The Freezer"
Canada is famous for its freezing temperatures, but Vancouver is not. We’re located near the coast, which keeps the weather quite moderate. But occasionally we get a bit of a cold snap, and this year I finally managed to capture it after several years of trying. The first year I was going to make an attempt, I ended up in emergency surgery due to appendicitis. The second year I tried ended up having too much wet snow, which caused hazardous conditions in the forest. During our hike, tree branches were literally breaking and falling down. Not wanting to be killed in a freak accident, we bailed and turned around.
Finally, year three. The weather was looking ideal, so I hiked out to the waterfall alone. I was the first person on the trail for the day and had the place to myself, which was amazing. I eventually arrived at the falls, and I should mention that I’m too lazy to carry waders, and the temperatures were subzero with the water half frozen over, but I hopped in anyway. Using a longer lens, I zoomed in and took this shot of some interesting ice formations. The water was painfully cold, and eventually my toes went numb and I could feel my body temperature dropping, so I got out of the water to warm up and begin the hike 6km back, complete with soaked boots and pants. Is there something wrong with me? Almost certainly.
"Dreamland"
Photographing the unknown is extremely important to me - whether it be a new perspective of something well known, or rarely visited places. Through my art, I've discovered that I connect best with unique experiences. My need to create is not satisfied by taking the exact same photo of a waterfall that has been taken by countless others. Now the unknown is what I purposely seek out.
Getting to this place required a lot of time planning and researching, because almost nobody ever visits it. You won't find trip reports for this place. Too remote to hike into, we had to drive 10 hours and hope the helicopter pilot could squeeze us in between his firefighting runs.
He did and we spent 7 days here. I took this on our final evening. A dream come true! Except the mosquitos, of course. I was being relentlessly swarmed while trying to frame this up. The only exposed skin on my body was my hands, so you can imagine how that turned out.
"Turning of Seasons"
Although all the places we visited were extremely beautiful, this hike was my favorite on our Canadian Rockies trip. As I mentioned above, solitude feeds my desire to create and helps me relax, while crowds and groups mentally drain me. After leaving the main trail, we only saw 2 other people on the way up here. I really don't understand why places like this aren't popular - the views and mountains are world class! The wind was relentless and frigid, but if you ask me that only adds to the experience.
We barely had time to scratch the surface of this place. I can't wait to go back someday, as it's a true playground for photographers and anyone who enjoys exploring. The hike back down destroyed my knees though! We also did it in the pitch black of night, and since the trail is unmarked, care must be taken to stay on route. Maybe that's why it's not popular.
"Light’s Dance"
A memorable trip on the BC side of the Rockies. We took a stunning helicopter flight to get in, so that we could save our energy for exploring. The hike up to The Nub is perhaps the most famous here. It’s known for its view of Mount Assiniboine surrounded by other peaks, lakes and larches, but the weather said otherwise when I went up there. Winds were heavy and the light was magical, with huge rays constantly shifting around. I snapped many shots of a few different compositions and it was difficult to choose which one to use. In the end I picked this one for the lone illuminated larch. Leaving this place was tough, both because of the sheer beauty, and the long 30km hike out with heavy packs!
"The Mist"
Whenever my friend Blake and I hike in the forest together, we seem to get amazing conditions. This day was no different! At times the fog was almost too thick, but you’ll never catch me complaining about that. I’ve hiked to this canyon many times, and every time I eye this section, trying to figure out a shot. Every time it had eluded me... but with the mist I was finally able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and I came up with this composition.
I hope you enjoyed this look at my favorite images and experiences of 2021. Let me know which one is your favorite in the comments!