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 Evans from North Carolina, were also present.
At 6:00 a.m. the three of us embarked on our journey via canoe to the famous Spirit Island. It was an ordeal that almost cost us our lives. The tranquil water conditions of the first day of the journey gave no indication as to what we would be enduring the following day. Firsthand, we learned why the lake was named 'Maligne' which comes from the French word meaning wicked. On our return trip we ran into vicious winds, which attempted to swamp our canoe. We headed straight into the wind to keep from being swamped, but we then had to paddle completely across the lake to the other side. We were all exhausted and decided to rest for a few hours before attempting to paddle the rest of the way. Finally, eleven hours later, we thankfully reached shore.
Mike Montana
