© 2020 Romi Boon All Rights Reserved
Nestled in the Purcell mountain range of British Columbia, is a Staubert Lake; a small lake only minutes west of the rustic and out of the way community of Trout Lake. After an amazing couple days of ATVing around the mountains in the area (west of Bugaboo National Park), we got up early to make our way home and had planned to catch the 8:30 a.m. Gelena Bay ferry across Arrow Lake. While we drove our RV slowly down the well-maintained gravel road, we happened upon this tranquil lake view. Most eye-catching were the vibrant reflections in the calm waters and the quickly moving shadows from the clouds above. As we stopped to take some shots, I noticed the shadows on the hillside and they were moving fast and this scene was just coming into play! Wow! I knew time was of the essence and that I wouldn't have time to swap out my heavy 400mm lens for my 25-200mm lens; I had to deal with it’s cumbersome size and weight. Quickly, I changed my ASA/ISO to 80, changed my shutter speed to 400 , set my f-stop for 5.6, and then set my lens to 171 mm.... I held my breath and held my camera as steady as I could, with hopes for a great shot. My efforts paid off! As many of you know, the “rule of thirds” applies to most artistic applications however I feel that when reflections are involved, that rule can be broken, it’s the artist’s right as an artist. You’ll notice here, that I placed the lake’s edge in the middle of the photo, rather than at a third. I absolutely love this photo’s balance; it what makes this photo so appealing and strong! Notice the dark shadows that outline the trees on the left. Not only does it surround the group of trees but it does so equally (in balance). Then notice the group of well-lit trees to the right (without the shadow), they’re opposite to the group of trees on the left. Finally, the darkness of the foreground frames this photo nicely and balances the dark shadows above. There was so much to see and do here in this off-grid valley; we look forward to visiting the area again very soon!
