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Banff National Park

We visited the Banff, Jasper, and Yoho National Parks in the Canadian Rockies in September of this year. Due to a wildfire in Jasper, we spent most of our trip exploring Banff National Park. The extra time gave us the opportunity to visit many places more than once and at different times of the day. We also didn't have to rush, so we could really take in the scenery at places like Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, and the Peyto Lake overlook.

I’ve been wanting to go to Banff National Park since we went to Waterton Lakes National Park in 2018. I remember seeing photographs Moraine Lake and being drawn to the turquoise water and snowcapped mountains. As beautiful as the photographs were, they still didn’t prepare us for seeing these glacial-fed lakes in person. The colors were simply amazing and unlike anything else we had ever seen.

Even though we had to make some changes to our trip due to the wildfire, we still had a wonderful time. I can’t recommend Banff National Park enough and I truly believe that everyone should see the sights in this park in person at least once. If you do decide to visit the park, be sure to plan ahead and book early. The accommodations in the area fill up early in the year and the months when the lakes aren’t frozen over are limited.

Yosemite National Park

We spent a few days in November visiting Yosemite National Park. We stayed inside the park at the Yosemite Valley Lodge, so we did most of our exploring of the valley on foot. This turned out to be ideal because the park and parking lots were very crowded and the shuttle buses weren’t running. We found the early morning to be the best time for exploring and photography. The crowds were smaller and the light was better for capturing Yosemite’s famous rock formations like El Capitan.

This was my second trip to Yosemite and it was quite different from my first. During my first visit, I spent most of my time hiking which didn’t leave a lot of time for photography. This time around, we didn’t spent much time on the trails so we were able to slow down and really enjoy all the Yosemite has to offer. We woke up before dawn our first morning and caught an amazing sunrise at Tunnel View. We also visited the Ansel Adams Gallery, walked through the Ahwahnee Hotel, and drove to Washburn Point and Glacier Point.

I was a little hesitant about going to Yosemite in the winter because of the shorter days and unpredictable weather. But I’m really glad we went and I’m now hoping we can go back for another visit soon.

Kenai Fjords National Park and the Fujifilm X-T3

We made our first trip to Alaska this summer. After spending a night in Anchorage, we rented a car and headed out to explore the Last Frontier. We started our journey in Denali National Park, made our way to Seward to explore Kenai Fjords National Park, and wound down in Girdwood at the Alyeska Resort. I had no idea how much I would enjoy Alaska before leaving on our trip. I’d seen pictures of Mt. McKinley and watched videos of glaciers calving, but looking at these scenes through a screen paled in comparison to experiencing them in real life. Alaska is simply an amazing place and definitely somewhere that I would like to revisit soon.

Before leaving for the trip, I purchased a Fujifilm X-T3 to replace my 5 year old X-T1. I had put off upgrading my camera because the X-T1 still seemed to be working just fine. After spending a week with the X-T3 however, I have to admit that I’m pretty happy with the upgrade. The biggest things I noticed going from the X-T1 to the X-T3 were the usability improvements. The camera started up and responded more quickly, the auto focus (with most lenses) was snappier, the buttons were more tactile, and the addition of a joystick made switching auto focus points so much better. I’ll have to spend more time shooting with the X-T3 before writing up my final thoughts. Until then, here are a few of my first photos from the X-T3 shot while we were enjoying our time with Kenai Fjords Tours.