Description

Winter Warmth

Artist notes:

Many of the locations I travel to are frequented by the world’s best landscape photographers. Their majestic landscapes, sweeping views and stunning scenery are well known around the world. This location was no different. There were several other photographers here on the morning of this sunrise. We were all finding our spots and waiting for the winter warmth to drop onto the peaks of the mountains around us.

As I was scouting the location, I noticed everyone was facing the typical “postcard” shot direction, but to me, the view 180 degrees behind that view was much more appealing. It must have been a funny sight with a dozen or so photographers and their expensive gear all facing  the same subject and then one lone guy with his back to the famous landmark.

It wasn’t the first time and certainly won’t be the last that I neglect the popular shot in order to focus on something that – to me – is much more appealing. I found it more than a little humorous that the sunrise was mediocre on the scene everyone else was shooting, and still none of them even thought to turn around and capture this incredible scene.

This was my favorite image from my photo trip to Canada this year.  Everything about this scene was appealing to me, especially the fable-like situation. Young photographers: Don’t forget to turn around!  Look up, look down, get high (not like that), get low, see your scene from different perspectives and you too will find magical scenes laid out right before your eyes.

The icing on the cake with this image was that it was applauded by the highest level of photography competition in the world, the PPA’s International Photography Awards, where it received a merit and was admitted into their General Collection.