Photographing Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper

[sillas_duarte_jr]

Hi!

I am going to Banff early October. What lens should I bring? Is it

possible to see the aurora borealis that time of year? Does anyone

have some tips to photographing Banff area?

 

Thanks

 

Sillas

[dmanthree]

I haven't been there in a while, but haze is a problem in the mountains, so make sure you have UV filters on all your lenses. When I went, I had a few primes ranging from 24 to 200, and never hurt for range. Just be aware that if you're traveling along the Icefields Parkway, the road that runs from Banff to Jasper, te best mountain views are early AM, when the sun is a little above the horizon. Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are spectacular, but not in the afternoon. The Icefields Parkway runs north-south, and the best mountain views are along the west side of the road, so morning light is best.

[RobertChura]

Bring all your lenses and your tripod. It is a great place for photographs. There a a variety of waterfalls if you enjoy them and a lot of them you can drive almost right up to them. I went there the second week in October @ 1998, the leaves were turning a wonderful color so I expect you will have a great time.

[david_henderson]

I don't know whether you've looked at a map to see how far north

you're going but the Banff/Jasper area is on a level with places

like Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin, and not far north of London or

Seattle. Now I don't know for absolute certain that you don't see

the Aurora Borealis from Banff ; what I do know is that you

wouldn't get trampled underfoot in the rush to see it from the

other cities I've named at similar latitudes. Also they aren't talked

about in the guidebooks I have on the area, though they certainly

are a feature in places like Churchill

 

I presume you're travelling round the area by car, and if so be

open to the possibility of some snow. If not, then I think you'll

struggle a bit photographically because most of the best

opportunities aren't on the Icefields Parkway but they are- as

another respondent indicates - mostly early morning scenes.

 

From Banff, Vermilion Lakes. From Lake Louise, the eponymous

lake; Moraine Lake from on or near the rockpile; Bow Lake from

the north end; Herbert Lake. From the Icefield Parkway, Peyto

Lake. From Jasper, Patricia and Pyramid Lakes, Mount Edith

Cavell, and Maligne Lake. The famous view at the end of

Maligne Lake, of Spirit Island, is best in the afternoon and

involves a boat trip for which you can buy tickets in Jasper. The

rest of these at this time of year have the potential to cost you

breakfast if you want more than record shots.

[david_sereda]

Re: The aurora, aka "northern lights"

 

They rarely show up this far south - meaning Banff/Lake Louise (I currently live in Calgary, near Banff, but originally hail from Edmonton, closer to Jasper). In Jasper you may have more luck. Hope for a clear night!

 

All in all, beautiful areas to photograph. I don't think you can go wrong anywhere in these parts! Enjoy your trip!

[charles_sieracki1]

Bring everything you can. Don't miss Moraine lake near Lake Louise. Many people head straight to Lake Louise and miss Moraine Lake. BTW the Chateau Lake Louise is under construction right now. I heard jack hammers and construction noise big time. Left there pretty quick. I was there last two weeks of Sept 2003.

 

Icefields is the best in the world. Fall is really underway up there. Weather is still warm -- 15 Celsius or so for highs. The trees were turing orange just as I left on Sept 30, 2003. Had a freak snow on Sept 16th. Made for some awesome shots. Snow is all melted now.

 

BTW see Mt. Robson Park in BC. Give the rest of BC a miss. In Banff go to the Vermillion Lakes. You'll see the turnoff before you get into town. Very nice pics of Mt Rundle. Also do Tunnel Mtn drive and go see the Hoodoos. There will be a sign for the trail.

 

C.

[darren_burt]

Now is a nice time to visit the area (I live in Invermere, about

1-1/2 hours drive west of Banff; we're right on the western edge of the Rockies). The crowds have thinned and the weather is crisp in the mornings, but still unseasonably warm later in the day for this time of year. Be aware that weather change fast around these parts! Three weeks ago, I was driving around Calgary in a blizzard.

All the tamarack (or larch, if you prefer) have past their bright yellow stage, and are rather dull looking right now, but the aspen, poplar, willows and alder are in various stages of fall colours depending on where you look.

There were some huge forest fires throughout the area this summer, and the smoke has finally cleared, providing incredibly crisp and clear days when the weather allows.

As for the northern lights, we occasionally can get some spectacular shows around here, but your timing would have to be pretty good. Often when there is aurora, it's nothing more than a dull green glow in the northwest sky. The further north you go, the better your chances of seeing good northern lights.