With travel being somewhat restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I have taken the opportunity to explore several local areas that offer somewhat different photographic experiences. With all of the areas being within a 10-minute drive it is easy to go out shooting for a couple of hours first thing in the morning and still have most of the day available when I get home.

St. Albert Botanic Park has a wide variety of trees and flowers in a somewhat formal setting. With the flowers in bloom constantly changing, is a great area to “play” with closeup and macro photography. With no entry fee and open from dawn to dusk, it is indeed a little gem in St. Albert.

Here is a selection of photos I have taken at the Botanic Park. Click on any photo in this post to enlarge.

River Lot 56 is a nature preserve on the edge of St. Albert. During the early days of settlement in the area, land was subdivided for farms in strips of land stretching back from the river, allowing each farmer access to the water source. River Lot 56 was one such farm which was transferred to the Province in 1965 to be preserved as a natural area. It offers a range of opportunities for close-up photography as well as landscapes. Every time I go there I see something different.

Lois Hole Provincial Park is largely a wetlands area which is a great place to photograph birds.

In addition to these outings, I also did a little close-up photography in my basement using a tabletop “studio”. In this controlled environment I could adjust my scene and lighting until I got the shot I wanted. The image below is actually made up of 34 separate photos, with the camera focus changing slightly with each photo to produce a final image that is sharp throughout the areas I want to be in focus. This technique is known as focus stacking.

I am sure that I will return to these three areas in and around St. Albert many times over the Summer and Fall.