Banff | Canada

[vc_row unlock_row_content="yes" row_height_percent="0" overlay_alpha="50" gutter_size="3" shift_y="0"][vc_column column_width_use_pixel="yes" overlay_alpha="50" gutter_size="3" medium_width="0" shift_x="0" shift_y="0" z_index="0" width="1/1" column_width_pixel="800"][vc_column_text]I decided to take my girlfriend on a Valentine's Day getaway to Canada, more specifically Banff. The frozen lakes, the Rockies, and the fresh white snow are just a few reasons why Banff,  made for a simple yet romantic trip. Ironically enough, those same reasons made for an ideal location for my next photography venture. Banff is the place to be this winter! I encourage my readers to visit, if you get a chance. It gave my girlfriend and I, a chance to get away from the iPhones, iPads and iLife monotony we as a society have become dependent on, we disconnected from our devices and connected back with nature and each other. The entire weekend was spent hiking, dog sledding, and exploring the mountains. Of course, the one device I couldn't put down was my camera, so naturally I had to get some photos in.  A photo of the sunrise in a setting without snow provides a feeling of warmth, while a photo of the sunrise in Banff, provides quite the opposite feeling. It's dark, cold, yet still comforting.

With Vermilion Lake being just a few minutes away from the hotel, it was the first location I wanted to shoot at. It was a bit nerve wrecking walking around on a frozen lake with all my equipment, the ice cracking sounds didn't help either, but it was all worth it to capture these photos below.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery el_id="gallery-163962" medias="99560,99526,99524,99543,99557,99556,99555,99554" style_preset="metro" gutter_size="2" screen_lg="1000" screen_md="600" screen_sm="480" single_overlay_opacity="50" single_padding="2"][vc_column_text]

The second best part of the trip (I'll reveal the first best part later) was dog sledding, at a town named Canmore, which is close to Banff.   While the huskies that pulled us have piercing eyes, are irresistible, are strong  and friendly, one would assume dog sledding would be an easy task, boy was I wrong. Being responsible to command these beautiful pups and steering proved to be a difficult task, in addition one task in particular required the driver to jump off the sled (to reduce weight) and then jump back on to ensure there was enough speed going up hill and down. Although tiring, it was exciting and a lot of fun. Something about huskies, they are majestic beings.

[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery el_id="gallery-163962" medias="99528,99559,99530,99529" gutter_size="3" screen_lg="1000" screen_md="600" screen_sm="480" single_overlay_opacity="50" single_padding="2"][vc_column_text]Another location that we visited was, Lake Louise, one of the most popular lakes to visit in Banff.   It was difficult to capture any photos of this beautiful lake due to its popularity bringing in tourists from all over, and locals playing ice hockey. So while Lake Louise was nice, I needed to find a quieter location, so the girlfriend and I drove two hours to check out Abraham Lake, a lake known for its methane bubbles that form during the winter months. We hoped to see some of these bubbles in person but unfortunately the snow from previous days covered up most of the bubbles. But a few small bubbles were visible.

[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery el_id="gallery-163962" medias="99531,99532,99533" style_preset="metro" gutter_size="2" screen_lg="1000" screen_md="600" screen_sm="480" single_overlay_opacity="50" single_padding="2" items="eyI5OTUzMV9pIjp7InNpbmdsZV93aWR0aCI6IjIifX0="][vc_column_text]And now the BEST part of my trip, not second. The moment you all have been waiting for. Well, I'll let the photo below do all the talking.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row unlock_row_content="yes" row_height_percent="0" overlay_alpha="50" gutter_size="3" shift_y="0"][vc_column column_width_percent="100" overlay_alpha="50" gutter_size="3" medium_width="0" shift_x="0" shift_y="0" z_index="0" width="1/1"][vc_single_image media="99541" media_width_percent="100"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column column_width_use_pixel="yes" overlay_alpha="50" gutter_size="3" medium_width="0" shift_x="0" shift_y="0" z_index="0" width="1/1" column_width_pixel="800"][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/1"][vc_custom_heading text_size="bigtext"]She said YES![/vc_custom_heading][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]After ten years of ups and downs, she stood by me, and there's no one else I want to spend the rest of my life with.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]