From Every Angle: Photo Challenge

From different angles the same view, item and thing can look very different. Most of us are familiar with the Canadian icon of Lake Louise with its surreal turquoise waters. Tourists flock to the lake and take photos along the shore in front of the Chateau Lake Louise hotel.

Lake Louise

Even fewer take the long hike up to the Plain of the 6 Glaciers, which goes around the lake and up the mountain. I have visited Lake Louise numerous times and on 3 visits we hiked to Lake Agnes, a 3.4 KM walk uphill. Our last visit we decided to do the longer hike a mere 6.6KM to the Plain of 6 Glaciers Tea House. From there we had many different angles and views of Lake Louise.

View on the opposite side of Lake Louise looking back towards the Chateau.

 

The hike started off beautifully along the shores of Lake Louise on a  trail lined with many log benches. The lake ends along the ribbon like river that feeds the lake and a gentle climb begins up the steep slopes.

View of Lake Louise from the trail heading up to the Plain of 6 Glaciers.

 

After 4KM, when you are just getting tired, the trail gets rocky and steep. The views are worth it. You feel so small with the huge mountain backdrops. Nature is stunning from all angles.

View back in front of the Chateau. Different again as a rain shower just ended and the mountains shrouded in clouds.

Have you ever visited Lake Louise?

Stay tuned…

 

 

Exchange of Views: Breathtaking

I came to Alberta for a few days to explore options once we leave Shanghai in a few short months. Sunday we went to Banff to enjoy the crisp mountain air and enjoy the view. The pines, snow-covered peaks and wildlife were all in front of our eyes.

A short drive up Norquay gave us a view of the river and Banff below. Canada  Parks has provided 2 large chairs to sit, relax and take it all in. Feeling the warmth of the sun on my face, the cool wind giving me the occasional shiver and a some Big Horn Sheep putting on a show I felt like this is home. I am ready to return after 5 years away. The Shanghai Skyline is spectacular, but could never compete with a view like this.

I played with an oil photo effect using ACDSeePro4 to create this image.

 

Here is the original….

Breathtaking Banff

 

 

What view will you never tire of?

Stay tuned…

Reward -WP Photo Challenge

If you could have anything as a reward what would it be? Word Press asked us to show reward this week. The trick is showing a reward in a photo. Sure working out, a good grade, or accomplishing a difficult task is a great reward for hard work. My greatest reward, if I could have anything, is…. travel. A quiet beach with waves soothing and relaxing me, a new city to explore or a culture and different food to experience is such a reward for me.

Hong Kong – bright lights big city

 

A small section of the Great Wall.

 

Where’s the Beach?

Mui Ne, Vietnam

Luckily after long waits or hidden areas within the large temple maze I was able to get some incredible shots I was hoping for. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

 

What a view! – Philippines

I have been very lucky to travel to so many places and reward myself 🙂 My reward is looking at all the stamps in my passport and photos I have taken. Enjoy sharing my reward.

How do you reward yourself?

 

Stay tuned…

 

Horizons and Silhouettes: Weekly Photo Challenge

Occasionally I take photos of my shadow, so I can be in it 😉 I am always the one behind the lens and that is often a way I can include myself. I think silhouettes and shadows are interesting especially with sunsets.

This week’s theme for Word Press is silhouette and I wanted to show off the Shanghai skyline and this attempt to be creative and different with the long tall grasses at home.

Shanghai Skyline Sunset -May 2014

Where’s My Backpack is asking for horizons and this silhouetted skyline fits in perfectly. If you look carefully you can see the Shanghai Tower slowly getting taller as it nears its full height.

 

Check out the links to see more photos or to participate in the challenge.

 

  Stay tuned for more…

What Lurks in the Shadows

 

What lurks in the shadows
Can make our hair stand on end
Skin prickle and goose bumps
Fears ready to send

Fleeing away legs ready to run
Shiver down the spine
Is something out there
Or its that imagination of mine?

With lightness and darkness
Shadows and the mind playing tricks
Creating images and visions
Fear often it picks

To spook and to scare
Delightfully fright
Of the sounds and the shadows
That go bump in the night

© CTB :D/DFY July 4/14

Check more images of shadows at this week’s Bastet’s Pixleventures.

Stay tuned….

 

Playing With Pictures

I want to take the perfect photo. I have been trying for years to perfect my skills. I have learned about lighting, angles, framing to get the shot. A lot comes down to talent and sometimes just getting to be in the right place at the right time. That said I prefer not to play with my photos editing colour and the like. I rarely even crop my shots, as that is something I try to solve when I take the photo. This week Bastet has asked us to play with pictures and use an app or other program to showcase our work. So here is my attempt at something new and different.

The original

Neon

Holga-ish

Pencil

I have used Picasa to adjust these photos of a thistle I took 2 summers ago. I also did the same thing as an experiment with some flowers in winter. You can see that post here.

What do you usually do to enhance your photos? What do you think of my attempts?

This weekend I am heading back home for the summer holiday. Hard to believe the last day of school, with the kids, was today. I may not respond as quick as usual, but soon as I get back on-line and back on the right time zone I;ll be back!

 

Stay tuned…

 

BLACK’s Epic Adventure Photography Contest

Thanks to my new blog friends over at Travel Stained for tagging and inviting me to join in the Black’s Epic Adventure Photo Contest. Black’s is a shop from the UK that is sponsoring amateur photographers to submit photos in 4 different categories WILD, FAST, EPIC and PANORAMIC. There are prizes to be won including vouchers to use for travel. Who could pass up a free trip?

Without further ado here are my submissions.

FAST – this bird flew in fast as it was munching on various bugs one summer evening. The movement of the grasses and wheat are fast, but give the picture texture -don’t you think?

FAST moving bird and grasses

 

WILD – I love the colour in this photo. How is it wild? Well the wild flowers, grasses and 2 insects are all wild of course. Look carefully one of the critters are camouflaged.

WILD – grasses and flowers

 

EPIC – This could also be wild I suppose. I thought it would better fit epic since the grand scale of nature is taking over man-made structures at Angkor Wat , Cambodia which, is pretty EPIC.

EPIC – nature’s power is epic as it reclaims man-made structures

 

PANORAMIC – Views along the Great Wall of China. On clear days the wall snaking along the mountain ridges goes on as far as the eye can see.

Panoramic views of the Great Wall in China

 

Hope you enjoyed my collection. Stay tuned for more posts and adventures.

Looking up: Shanghai Skyline

Bastet’s Pixelventures is talking about looking UP this week. Well to continue on with my info on the Pearl Tower from my ROUND theme for the monthly Tourist in Your Own Town challenge I thought I would show you what the tower looks like from the outside. The tower is certainly interesting and quite large. Although the newer buildings are slowly dwarfing this unusual landmark it still stands out from views across the river along the Bund. Its colour and shape are truly unique.

When our visitors came a few weeks back we brought them up the tower for views of the Shanghai Skyline. Before we went inside I captured these views looking UP at this cool architectural design.

The Pearl Tower -Shanghai, China

 

From the entrance looking UP at the Pearl Tower

Be sure to check out Bastest to see more pics and interpretations of the weekly theme. To find out more about the Pearl Tower and see views looking down click here to read my post from earlier today.

Stay tuned….

 

A Market For Everything

It seems like Shanghai has a market for everything. Want new clothes made, go to the Fabric Market. Need some electronics then the electronic market. How about souvenirs, luggage, knock offs? There is a market for that too. I have shown you Art Street, a sort of market for paintings. A class trip even brought us to a flower market. I needed new glasses, where did I go? The glasses market of course! Spread across the city there is a market for a variety of things, whatever your needs. I have stumbled on some, explored others and have many more to discover.

A market I heard about my first year here has been on my ‘do-to’ list for a while. We had visitors from home last week and they love shopping.  I decided we should take them to see more of ‘real’ China and explore a market that would be filled with sights, sounds, smells and crowds. The market in question was a bird and insect market. The market promised a variety of interesting insects, many of them crickets used for fighting. Small birds and other pets would also be housed here. Now it is not your Western Pet Store, so a warning of cramped and crowded conditions was mentioned in the description as I searched for the address of the location.

After a wrong turn we found our way jostled by people cramped on a crowded, narrow sidewalk. We eventually made our way to doorway leading to the market. Immediately cricket chirping deafened our ears. Pushy people came pouring in as we stopped and adjusted our senses to all we were seeing and hearing. Stalls and small storefronts no larger than a small closet lined the maze of rows of stalls. Our first section houses turtles, fish and crickets. At the next turn were small birds and bamboo cages. As we neared the end hamsters, guinea pigs and bunnies were for sale, housed in cages and small plastic containers or boxes.

Small turtles for sale

Puff ball or bunny? It almost didn’t look real until it moved.

Most of the patrons were locals with a sprinkling of tourists or western expats  like us wanting to snap some interesting photos. Most vendors did not notice or care, but some shooed us on saying ‘NO’ when they spotted us raise our camera. The market was not as big or interesting as the one we saw in Hong Kong, but a cool side trip not far from Xintiandi and YuYuan Garden. The address is:  South Xizang Rd, 西藏南路 From Line 10 get off at Laoximen. It is only a short walk from the metro. Turn right out of the subway away from the Bread Talk and Electronics store.

Stay tuned….

Pixelventures Mood

This week Bastet’s Pixleventures asked us to show our mood. Spring always lifts my mood as the fragrance from flowers fill the air and the sun feels warm on my face. In Shanghai spring is slowly drifting in. What better example of spring than these beautiful tulips we bought last weekend from our local flower guy on the street.

We Drink Because We Are Poets hosts this weekly challenge and encourages us at verse as well as pics. This week I tried my hand at both.

 

I posted another Tourist in My Town look at SKYLINE earlier today. If you missed it you can check it out here.

Stay tuned…