The Frozen Landscapes of My Dreams

In early March this year I spent a week up in the Canadian Rockies on a night photography workshop with Rachel Jones Ross (Australis Photography) and assisted by Bryan Peters. I signed up for this workshop about a year in advance, really looking to capture the aurora. And also the night sky. Shooting a nice crisp night sky is something I don’t get to do often, and especially with soft blankets of snow dominating the foreground. Not only did I get the perfect environment to do my most ideal shooting, but I also got to learn and practice A LOT of new skills and techniques both in the field and behind the computer.

Fresh from our pickup, Rachel shared with us that conditions were building for potential aurora that night. It was too far in advance to say definitively, but geomagnetic storms can move quickly and unpredictably. By the time we checked in at the lodge, conditions were such that it was worth an effort to find clear skies and cross our fingers for a show. We had about 15 minutes at the lodge to unpack, get our camera and cold gear together, and get to the van for about a 2 hour drive up to our location.

Here we got our first taste of shooting in freezing and dark conditions. This night was about 0 degrees with sustained 20+ mph winds. Shooting conditions were extremely challenging; with the cold you’re all bundled up and wearing heavy gloves, and being dark you can’t see the buttons. So you have to know all of your camera controls from memory, and essentially operate the buttons and dials without being able to see or feel them.

The rest of the week didn’t improve temperature-wise; our night shoots were typically in the -18 to 0 degree range. Although every location after the first had little to no wind, which helped preserve the fresh snow we got the first few days. We didn’t end up with any aurora during our trip, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t get other special treats.

Rachel had a surprise for us: she lined up a group forest walk with a wolf at Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre. Which, long story short, the founder (Shelley) raises wolves from pups (she gets them from other captive settings so the wolves are not taken from the wild) and habituates them to humans. This enables small groups to go on walks with the wolves in a forest setting, of which we drive out to an even more rural location than where the education center is already located in.

We got to walk with Flora, a beautiful Grey Wolf. This was such a magical experience for me. If you know me, you know how much I love animals, and especially canines. Walking with a wolf was similar but also different than a dog. They move and explore the world like a dog. But wolves are much more independent; they do what they want and are not looking for validation or attention.

The Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre does this to drive public’s education of wolves and help fight for their conservation. Which if you follow news in the U.S., you may understand the importance of public education around wolves and their part in the ecosystem. This was one of the most magical moments of my life, walking with (and even petting) a Grey Wolf out in the forest. And seeing her explore the natural world around her. Yet over 10 years ago, Federal wolf protections were lifted in several Western states. All you have to do is Google the name “Cody Roberts” to see how people persecute these animals and with little to no recourse from the state.

Anyways, I hope you can feel just a little bit of the magic that I do when I look at these photos and am transported back to a wonderful week doing what I love.