The Canadian Lynx, pictured in this photograph, is becoming a rare sight here in Banff National Park. I have seen many lynx back when I was young at our cabin in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec. However, in time they have all but disappeared at our cabin due to trapping. The lynx's survival is intertwined with its main food source, the snowshoe hare. Besides being the main course for many other animals, such as the wolf and cougar, snowshoe hare populations are all to easy prey for trappers and poachers. I personally know of one case where a poacher had been discovered with over 200 snowshoe hares in his freezer! Snowshoe hares travel on well-beaten trails, which is one main reason why they are easily trapped. These trails are...
This image was one of the hardest photographs for me to capture. I have photographed this scene for five or six years without success. The weather and atmospheric conditions have never cooperated until the day I captured this image. Beauty Creek is in Jasper National Park and from this perspective is facing toward the Columbia Icefields with Jasper at your back. It is actually only a few kilometres from Jonas Creek.
My main interest in taking this early fall image was the grass, which forms a kind of snake-like pattern and is equally pretty in the summer when it is clothed in a lustrous green. The water is very shallow, about a foot deep, the bottom is covered with glacial silt. There are some small fish here as well, and...
Rock Isle Lake is a beautiful example of a high alpine lake. In the summer it has a spectacular number of alpine flowers-a photographer's delight. It is situated near the top of the Sunshine Ski Area in Banff National Park.
The subject of this image however is the very old larch tree, which is probably 400 to 500 years old. I chose this angle from the tree's perspective because it overlooks the old Mount Assiniboine trail used by the early travelers and adventurers. It would be something if we could 'see' what this tree has seen from its viewpoint over several hundred years. This trail to Assiniboine is still used in the summer but is very dangerous in the winter because of the high risk of avalanches. The image...
There are many beautiful places to see in Yoho National Park but this by far is my favourite. I have seen many photographs of this area but never from this viewpoint. The only historical photograph I have ever seen is of Samuel Allen, a young Yale student and friend of Walter Wilcox, members of the Yale Lake Louise Club. The photograph pictures Samuel Allen facing Opabin Pass in 1894. Uncannily, my photograph and the one of 1894 are quite similar except the photograph of Samuel is facing the opposite direction.
Many hikers frequent this area as the trail in the lower left side of the image indicates. I had to climb up here early in the morning so that there would be no people in the photograph. In fact, this was the third...
Mount Assiniboine is definitely one of my favourite destinations. I have visited here in every season and this is the best image I have been able to capture. Each season has its unique ambiance. My first time to Mount Assiniboine was in the winter. The snow is very deep and provides some of the best backcountry skiing in the world, regardless of one's level of expertise. However, it doesn't stop there. Barb and Sepp Renner run the Assiniboine Lodge and they are certainly, without a doubt, some of the most hospitable people you will ever meet. Their daughter, Sarah Renner, is currently a member of Canada's Olympic cross-country ski team. I called Sepp one day in July 2001 and asked him if the Indian paintbrushes were in bloom...
Castle Mountain is one of four photographs in my 'Famous Mountains of the Rockies' sub theme. Castle Mountain was changed to 'Mount Eisenhower' after the American president and then changed back again to 'Castle Mountain'. I have many images of Castle Mountain but this is the one I settled on for many reasons. The perspective is different than any I have seen. As a photograph, it is difficult to record a famous place or mountain as 'new'.
Winter is a great time to photograph the Parks for several reasons. There is almost no haze, which produces crystal clear images. Secondly, there are fewer tourists, tour buses-which leads to a much more relaxing and peaceful environment. The image also appears...
While eagles are able to catch fish, there is no better fish hunter than the osprey. The osprey talons are long and curve in a circular motion, unlike any other raptor. In fact they are classified unto their own family. Their feet are also very rough, which helps them cling to slippery fish. I took this photograph along the 1A Highway, which is a low speed road that connects the town of Banff to Lake Louise. In my experience it is one of the best roads to view wildlife in Banff National Park.
I saw this nest a number of years ago and I have returned here for years as osprey almost always nest in the same location, as does the eagle. I watched this family of ospreys for two days and I was amazed by their fishing skill. There are...
This image evolved as part of the "Mike Montana Gold Signature Series" collection in early January 2000. It became the second image of a sub theme called "Water of the Rockies". The motion of water is captured in this abstract shot-almost masquerading as a black and white photograph.
The image takes on a unique mood portraying softness, quietness, and peacefulness. The viewer can absorb this mood and appreciate the magnificent power of water.
I am by no means a black and white photographer. I don't think anyone will ever replace Ansel Adams, as the greatest black and white photographer of all time, especially of the wilderness. I do appreciate black and white photographs and the nostalgia often...
Mount Robson Provincial Park lies about 100 km west of Jasper and is located in British Columbia. Mount Robson is often confused as the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies but it is actually second to Mount Logan in the Yukon. Mount Robson's eco-system is quite different from the systems in Jasper, Banff and Yoho. The mountain is so high that it provides its own weather system, as does Mount Assiniboine. There is a great deal of precipitation in the area, which is reflected in the undergrowth, which resembles a rain forest.
While the mountain appears close to the road, the Mount Robson trail to Berg Lake is some 20+ kilometres. Strong hikers can make it in a day up to Berg Lake and is well worth a visit. I went up to Berg...
This photograph was my number one landscape image that belongs to the original six core photographs that kicked off my 'Gold Signature Series' collection.
I was thinking of Ansel Adams when I took this image and I asked myself, "How would Ansel do this-as far as composition is concerned?" There were a couple of small rocks in the water and so I decided they had to be included because it's almost the only clue you have to which is up and which is down. The moon played an important part that dots the image. Maligne Lake is known for an image that was originally known as "The Spirit of the Rockies"-an image that is known today as 'Spirit Island'. Fellow photographers, Chris Ipollito and Rick...
