Nick Fitzhardinge Photography

Powder runner! Kim Logan getting fresh tracks with the Three Sisters beyond recently. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Xmas holiday over the last couple of days! Balancing ambient moonlight against flash power was a challenge but we came away with this frame pretty quickly which froze the action on this 4 second exposure. 2 off camera strobes were used, a fill flash and a rim light. Looking forward to creating some more of these types of shots - a plan, lots of experimentation and some luck go a long way! Thanks Kim!

Pock marked ice, the Three Sisters, & stars! A brand new set of leg waders failed me here recently. I’m up to my thighs in water for this angle as it drops off sharply and I needed to get right in to be behind the ice. Chilly!

* New Workshops Announcement! * Banff From Above - 360 of winter! I'm excited to launch this new, one of a kind experience, photography workshop I'll be co-hosting with the amazing Kahli April Photography... We will take you to the top of two of Banff National Parks gondolas for some aerial like 360 winter perspectives on Banff National Park! What’s more we booked a full moon for it so you can be assured of additional amazing astrophotography opportunities and an optional add-on processing session at the end if you would like to edit some of your images and learn as much as you can from us over the weekend. This will be a fun way to get out with like-minded photographers, brush up on your skills and experience the breathtaking beauty of Banff all while in a COVID-safe setting. For more details, see the link in the comments and please reach out if you have any questions. Spots are limited. Book soon to get our early bird discount over the Christmas holidays! A great last minute gift.

A winter sunrise on Grassi Knob with Little Sister sneaking into frame!

Crashing waves at Lake Minnewanka during sunrise! Got the camera soaked more than a few times working with the water flow hitting this rock. ............................................................................................ January 21-24 Canadian Rockies winter photography workshop based in Lake Louise still has availability!

Getting a final glimpse of those emerald glacial hues before winter takes hold. The sun passed behind the peak so I began the ice breaking process out to this composition in my leaky waders.

Reflections of Mt Sparrowhawk at sunrise from earlier this year when sunrises were around 5am. Hard to imagine getting up that early now!

The striking Howse Peak up close. Such immaculate snow and rock detail under the morning light (~500mm) and a rare sight to see as it’s usually socked in. It reminds me of Siula Grande on a smaller scale from ‘Touching the Void’. A peak with a strong presence.

Crossing glacial creeks in the dark are sometimes part of the adventure! It was freezing, we were both yelling out in pain by the time we reached the far shore because of the cold water. The difference was Renaud stood for three 4 second exposures so spent an extra 12 seconds in the creek than I did. I told him when I got to the far bank I could’ve never done the same for him . Moonlight on Mt Babel, a reflected Bident & Quadra, and the holding of the boots sold the scene for me!

A glacial river carving its way through the landscape. It’s a very meditative process working through scenes like this on a telephoto lens as you focus on finding just the right balance of elements. In the end a square aspect ratio was the only way it worked for me. Being aware of the inter-relationship of elements that you choose to include in a photograph is a great way to approach composition - these ones were clear but when they aren’t so obvious try to work with your positioning and lenses to create those implied relationships. This is even more important when you don’t have light or weather in your favour & great practice for when you do!

Photographing from the top of a pile of coal in the middle of the forest can yield decent results! Banff’s coal mining history and unique meteorology combine here in this shot - the chinook wind generated interesting cloud structure for days in The Bow Valley recently.

Mt Louis (and Edith) brightly lit by golden light at sunrise. Peaks that are aesthetic from every angle!

I visited a new location close to home recently. A multi-tiered waterfall tucked into an obscure valley fold with spectacular ice formations. I focused in on the base for this shot as I was drawn to the reddish hues of the rocks and the clusters of ice closing in on water flow - soon to be a complete winter blob of white ice. It was challenging to shoot as the camera was getting sprayed with water from this close which instantly iced over and made cleaning the lens nearly impossible. I used a polarizer and worked under a towel for a while which helped a bit, enjoying working slowly - mainly visualizing rather than working through the viewfinder due to the camera icing issue. The solitude of an unknown/unrecognizable location was refreshing and provided a mental challenge.