Natural reflections in landscapes are among my favourite subjects to photograph. There is something magical about the great sense of peace and calm that comes with it. In the mountains, they usually occur in the early morning or late evening, before the winds have a chance to pick up. It represents the Earth's yin and yang to me. You might get lucky and catch a perfectly glassy lake in the middle of the day, as we did on this trip to Waterton Lakes National Park.
Waterton Lakes is a notoriously windy place. Nestled between the mountains on the border of Alberta and Montana, strong gusts rip up the valley constantly. In the five days we were there, we had roughly a two-hour window of stillness. We had gone out for a hike that morning and were making our way back to the campsite. As we passed the lake, to my surprise, the entire surface looked like a pane of glass. For a brief moment in time, the gales had been put on pause, and there was tranquility. I rushed to the shore with my camera in hand because I couldn't miss this opportunity. Nothing is perfect, but this scene may have come close.
The iconic Prince of Wales Hotel is perched on top of a grassy knoll, with snow-capped mountains towering behind it, a bright blue sky, and a perfect mirror image in the water below. The crispest reflection I have seen in such a large body of water in all my years of photographing landscapes. An incredibly rare and serene moment which has etched itself into my mind as if it were yesterday.
mymoda
