A New Perspective

As a photographer, achieving a new perspective is always a challenge. Many of you may not recognize this iconic spot at first glance. Millions, if not billions, of photographs exist of this place, but most of them will look almost identical. Have you guessed where it is yet? This is Lake Louise, Alberta, from above. An average of three million people visit here annually, but only a tiny fraction of those humans will ever get to experience this view, and only a handful will photograph it. Finding a new perspective at a location that has been photographed so many times is the ultimate grail for me. It fulfills my heart creatively. I feel very fortunate to be able to share these moments that are near and dear to me with the world. That others can experience things vicariously through my lens. This is why I do it. The climb pictured here is named "Wicked Gravity". It is an ultra-classic, steep, sustained 27-metre (88-foot) sport climb found in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Its grade is 11A. To capture this scene, I climbed to the top of a route further down the wall with my camera gear in my backpack. I then traversed along a ledge to a different set of chains and secured myself with my personal anchor. At that time, I carefully took off my pack, clipped it to my anchor, and gingerly took my camera out of the bag so as not to drop it and have it shatter on the rocks below. Leaning out as far as I possibly could, I composed the scene and waited until the climber was in the perfect position. Slightly nervous and with sweaty hands, I snapped the shot at the quintessential moment, just as the climber approached the final move. All bidders on this piece will receive a bidder's edition of the classic shot of Lake Louise at sunset taken by me once the auction has finished.