Jasper-Banff
 

Hi.
Needs some help in planning our trip to Canada; first time. There will be four of us and we will be spending 4 days in Jasper and 4 days in Banff.
2 of us are photographers (serious hobby) and 2 of us are just spouses..:)
2 of us are good hikers and 2 of us are not..
We will be staying in hotels; already booked.
What we need is a plan which will allows us to enjoy the hiking (easy is OK) and photography. getting at 5AM is OK..;)
So we are calling for help.
Help us to make this trip the best!. Please, recommend the best spots and must to see spots and your favorite spots.
Thank you very much for you advises.
Izabela and Tom and Joe and Olis from Florida and Utah.

What kind of photography do you have in mind? I live in Jasper and also am into photography, there are a number of great spots.

Hi Riccoman. We are doing 35 mm SLR (Nikon) - digital and regular.
While doing some hikes, we are hoping to get some nice shots.
Of course all the million times photographed places and maybe some unique ones.
Do you have a web site?

Hi folks!!

Your main problem will not be trying to find the best sites for photography - there are so many to choose from and so many lovely sights to see.
Your main problem will be "do you have anough film?" (or memory cards??)!!

Oh by the way - film in the mountain parks (Banff and Jasper) is overpriced, so come with as much film as you can. If you are flying in and don't want to cart so much film in your luggage, purchase some in Calgary before setting out for the Rockies.

For your photography - everything depends on the weather and the time of the year that you are travelling.
You can get some lovely "moody" shots even when it is overcast, because the clouds tend to travel between the mountains as well as over them.
Of course, in those lighting conditions, the middle of the day is best because early or late in the day could be a bit too dark.

Otherwise the best time for photography is usually early in the day - just after dawn and early morning, or late in the day with the sun in the west.

Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are better in the morning.
The Vermillion Lakes near Banff are best late in the day.
Maligne Lake (near Jasper) runs northwest to southeast (more or less), so early morning is better than midday in the summertime because of the position of the sun.
The Columbia Icefields are best before noon.
Edith Cavell is also best in the morning.
Patricia Lake just north of the town of Jasper is lovely on a very calm day when the water surface is as still as glass - this doesn't happen often, but you could be lucky!! Here it doens't matter the time of day because you will be facing north and the sun will be behind you.

Good luck!!

Thank you.good info.