As I look back at the last few years, I see almost every December we go on a road trip. This year is no different.
It was 2015 when we last photographed the Canadian Rockies in winter and it turned out to be one of our favourite road trips of all time. This year, we wanted to go back to the same spots and discover some new places as well. In my last post I shared a preview of this rich and eventful trip and promised a series of visual essays.
Today I would like to share with you a visual journal, which was actually crafted not in the mountains, and not at our planned destination, but en route and in-between. It was an unexpected stop at a small, sleepy village, one of the last stops on our journey home. To make this even more bizarre is the fact that I passed the turn to the village. Only when I had driven about two kilometers down the road did something pull me back, as if my visual instinct told me to turn around and photograph. So I did.
Ironically, this is usually when my best seeing unravels – unexpectedly and without warning, somewhere in-between two destinations. It was still early in the morning when a blanket of fog, the smoke from chimneys and a filtered but early rising sun created a strong visual mood. I decided to turn toward the village and drive around, open-minded and curious about what’s to come.
As we slowly drove from street to street, a bizarre chain of encounters took place which we could never have envisioned. The story of the morning started to reveal itself as if we were on a movie set. I grabbed my camera and started to craft images…
Once again, as I am sharing those visuals with you, it turned out that a random pause in the trip, between two destinations, offered us one of the best images of the trip. Again and again! What a coincidence.
Next time…
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Love this photo of a simple place, great! Oft when I travel with my wife we divert from the main road or the motorway just to go through small villages which are always interesting if you are curious enough!
this greenish car is isolated so well by its form and absolutely stunning color
Dear Olaf,
nice words and I enjoyed the green car!
Merry Christmas to you and Kasia.
All the best,
Kevin
Hello Kevin,
It is great hearing from you. I reallly appreciate your note and wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2020!
Warm Regards,
Olaf
I enjoyed your winter random images, Olaf! That GREEN car was really something…Happy Holidays to you and your family…
Thank you so much Susie! Your support and kind notes throughout the year helped me a lot. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
It is so nice to capture everyday life in a local you are visiting. I think it is sometimes so easy to overlook scenes that are not considered spectacular. Although, I’ll grant you the last picture was spectacular. I’m going to double my efforts to keep an open mind, and my finger on the shutter button when my XPro-3 finally arrives. Thank you for your efforts!
You are absolutely right about it. It is especially easy to overlook locations which we haven’t planned to photograph. We are often so stuck on photographing our destination that we ignore other opportunities. Thank you for visiting and I truly appreciate your kind comment.