A Weekend in Jasper National Park, Alberta - Part 1 - Old Fort Point Hike - Edmonton Travel Lifestyle Photographer
Photos from a lovely hike at Old Fort Point in Jasper National Park, Alberta Canada.
One of my favourite places to adventure is Jasper National Park, Alberta, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It's only four hours from Edmonton, which makes it the perfect place to escape to for a weekend (or even a day if you're extra adventurous). There are great hikes (we started at Old Fort Point), sights, camping, canyons, waterfalls, and relaxation spots to be had. You can head into the Jasper Townsite for food and shopping all within a short distance. You really can't go wrong.
On a weekend this past April, myself and three friends hopped in the car and headed west to Jasper for a couple of days. It was the perfect getaway of unwinding, breathing the fresh air, and watching the EdOilers in the playoffs :p.
Our drive from the city was cloudy, but pretty. Mountains, trees and fog win my heart over every time.
We started our first hike at Old Fort Point. We couldn't have asked for better weather as we made our way into the trees. Here are some of my favourites from our hike.
"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." - John Muir
Archer the Adventure Pup had fun exploring.
Signs of spring.
Taking in the gorgeous views.
The views from the top of our hike were just beautiful.
Found some big horned sheep on the final leg of our hike.
Nearing the end of the hike.
Our hike ended along the beautiful Athabasca River, still not completely thawed from the winter. If you're ever headed to Jasper I highly recommend checking out this trail at Old Fort Point.
Next we headed up to Pyramid Lake to check out the Pyramid Lake Island. I'll have photos from there in my next post!
2016 - A Personal Year in Review - Edmonton Family Photographer
A selection of my favourite personal images from 2016.
I wanted to look back on 2016 through my personal images too. I always try to have personal projects on the go, not only to ensure I have photos of my own kiddos, but also to keep my inspiration up and continue learning and improving the best I can. To me, photography is not only appealing as a creative outlet, but also as a source of constant learning. There is always something new to try, or a new technique to experiment with. I love that about it.
I spent a good chunk of 2016 taking courses. On shooting and editing techniques, video, business, and lighting, etc. I started 2017 enrolled in a course, and am planning out a couple others for winter/spring as well. I practiced. A lot. (My poor kids, haha.) I feel it's so important to keep learning continuously and, honestly, I'm still working my way through some parts of past courses. As a creative, it's hard to be confident in your work sometimes (okay, most times). I always second guess myself. I always worry about messing up. Worry about it not being good enough. I let anxiety get the best of me sometimes. But, being able to go out and get the shot you want, and not have to guess about how to do it is seriously such an amazing feeling and not something I had when I first started out on this journey. It makes all of the past time, difficulties, stress, and worry worth it.
I have high hopes for 2017. I hope to continue learning and growing as a photographer. New ideas. New personal projects. New business plans. New plans for self growth. New hopes of battling the worry and anxiety that comes with the creative process. New plans to stay organized. New plans all around. haha. One specific thing, is I decided to join the 52 Frames Photo challenge this year. I'll have more about that in my next blog post. ;)
In the meantime, I've gathered my favourite personal photos of 2016. Mostly of my kiddos, because that's how I roll. I love seeing how much they have grown over the last year. I hope you'll have a scroll through, and if you've made it this far - thank you for reading!
Happy New Year to you and your loves.
xo
Megan
