Forging In The Rockies 2014

I missed this event last year, so was determined to get to it in 2014! And determination is what it took - but it was very much worth the effort!

It took about an hour to get there, about 20 minutes of highway driving, then almost 30km on forestry roads - sometimes rough, sometimes not so much - I was very grateful for my beloved Subaru's awd even though he doesn't have huge clearance!

View from the Cabins towards the Lake - click to enlarge

But then we arrived at the Cabins at Whitetail, a gorgeous lakeside destination that offers both camping and cabin accommodations along with year round back-country guiding services, set beside a crystal-clear lake surrounded by mountains, and knew it was time well spent!

The Forging in the Rockies event is an annual get-together of farriers from all over the region who have a hot-shoe contest. I've been involved with horses for years but have never actually witnessed hot-shoeing before - including the actual creation of the horse shoes from a blank piece of steel!

Click to Enlarge

I was delighted to see both women and men participating:

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Not everyone was intrigued by the proceedings:

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

After the morning's excitement, we sat on the dock of the bay to enjoy our delicious lunch of smokies hot off the barbecue:

Click to Enlarge

Even if you're not horse-oriented, this friendly, down-to-earth event is definitely something you should visit if you get the chance! I was assured by the organizers that hot-shoeing is not a dying art - in fact, it seems to be a growing industry - but it's definitely not something you you have the opportunity to witness every day!

Here's the link to the whole gallery: Forging in the Rockies 2014

Puppies!

A few days ago, ICAN asked me to photograph five puppies that are awaiting adoption! I was really excited to do it, but also a bit nervous - I'd never photographed a puppy before, let alone a whole litter!

It was a fun and fast-paced session - the pups had just come from the vet where they'd had their shots plus plenty of additional stimulation (as if they needed it!) from new people and other pets! It took them a while to slow down to light speed so that I could get some photos. Posing was out of the question - I just had to predict their movements, be in the right place at the right time, conjure up a lot of luck - and avoid getting mugged by the gang (which happened once - happily no-one was quick enough with their cell phone cameras to capture that hysterical scene)!

Last I heard, the pup with the red collar, Louis, the only boy, has been adopted and will go to his forever home once he's been neutered. If you'd like to meet the girls with a view to welcoming one into your family, please contact ICAN - they'd love to hear from you!

I'm delighted with how the photos turned out! Here are a few of my fav's (as always, click to enlarge the photos):

Here's the link to the whole gallery of these puppies, and other ICAN dogs.

Until next time, enjoy the last few days of summer!

Lakeside Event 2014

It was a long day. Over 7 hours of continuous shooting. On top of that, about 30 minutes of steep uphill hiking, followed by over an hour of steep downhill, with two cameras/lenses, water, food, etc!

It was a wonderful day, with an awesome bunch of people!

The Lakeside Event is Canada's longest-running gliding meet - it's been running since 1975. These days, paragliding has largely superseded hang gliding, but there is still a handful of the fixed-wings left!

Conditions dawned fine with a forecast for hot, sunny weather. The tape beside the landing zone beside Lake Windermere tells the tale of the flying conditions: Light and variable!

Click to Enlarge

Also visiting, and not often seen here due to heavy summer recreational boating use of the lake, was a floatplane - a true Canadian icon!

Click to Enlarge

The paraglider and hang glider pilots launched from the bald peak you can see behind the aircraft. This is what it looked like from aloft - the lz was at the right-hand end of the left-most body of water:

Click to Enlarge

Here's one of my favourite photos so far:

Click to Enlarge

I'm still working on getting the photos processed and posted, but the first batch is up - here's the link to the gallery - I should have the whole set up by the end of the day Tuesday, at the latest!

Painting!

I was recently inspired by my multi-talented friend and artist, Sara at Sara Therese Photography, to try some digital painting!

In this case, I'm referring to exploring the ways in which I can use Photoshop CS6 convert a photograph into something more painterly-looking.

Here are my first two tries:

Marley - Painted

Click to Enlarge

Marley - Original Photo

Click to Enlarge

A Rural Scene - Painted

Click to Enlarge

A Rural Scene -Original Photo

Click to Enlarge

What do you think? Please let me know!

Oh, and don't forget that I have a series of blank-inside photo greeting cards available on Etsy - click to check it out!