The light is horrible! How do I make the best of it? 1

Lake Louise, Banff, Glacier Close-Up

The Canadian Rockies are always breathtaking, and even though the glaciers are receding, they are incredible.  My husband and I had arrived at this Canadian icon, Lake Louise, in Banff National Park, in time for a late lunch, and were now admiring the lake and the glacier.  The light was coming from behind the glacier and the effect was to flatten the dramatic effect of the ice-filled valley, but I still wanted one shot to show its massive size with something to give it perspective.

Off in the distance, I could see people rowing boats against the far edges of the lake.  I used my telephoto lens to frame down on the glacier and bring out the dots in the water.  To compensate for the direction of the light,  I used the light metering square in the middle of my lens to great the glacier itself.  The reading darkened the surrounding hills, but brought out what light there was on the ice.  The tiny dots of people in the lake brought an element of interest and enhanced the massive lake and surrounding mountains.  If we could have come back in the morning, the shot would have been better, but that’s the story of traveling photography.  You have to find ways to make the best of what is presented to you.

Stay tuned for the next two blogs for more ideas about how to manage bad light situations.