I Caught a Glimpse of a Turquoise Lake Amongst the Tall Mountains (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the southwest while taking in views across a forest of evergreens to more distant ridges and peaks of the Waputik Range at Hector Lake Viewpoint. This is in Banff National Park along the Icefields Parkway.

Mount Kerkeslin with the Athabasca River Flowing By (Jasper National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at Athabasca Falls and along the walkway with a view looking to the southeast across the open valley with the river flowing by and Mount Kerkeslin as a backdrop. This is along the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park. My thought on composing this image was to capture that wide open feel with the setting. Nearby I included some foreground with the rocks along the rivers edge. I felt that helped to add a layered look with the river and then the forest and mountains to complete the image captured.

On a Cool Afternoon, I Came Across a Stillness Amongst the Mountains (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside pullout along the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park. The view is looking to the southwest to the ridges and peaks of Mount Amery and the Lyell Group. As I didn’t have that complete unobstructed view with the nearby evergreens, I liked how they added a foreground interest and layer for a look beyond to the North Saskatchewan River and mountains.

Across the Canadian Rockies (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the west while taking in views across a forest of evergreens to more distant ridges and peaks of the Waputik Range at Hector Lake Viewpoint. This is in Banff National Park along the Icefields Parkway. In composing this image, I decided on a more leveled-on view with the horizon. I felt I could capture a view looking over and across the forest to the more distant mountains. I liked how there was that little sliver of the lake to highlight a contrast between the forest and mountains.

I Fancy Standing on the Earth’s Edge with Mountains and Trees (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside parking area pullout along the Icefields Parkway with a view looking to the south to ridges and peaks of the North Waputik Mountains (Epaulette Mountain, Kaufmann Peaks, and Mount Sarbach). This is in Banff National Park.

Sunwapta Falls and a Backdrop of the Canadian Rockies (Jasper National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views of the waterfalls with a forest of evergreen trees all around. This is in Jasper National Park and along the Icefields Parkway. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the viewpoint I was on with the clearing in the trees to capture the waterfall, as well as the river coming downstream. Nearby trees would be a frame for the river and waterfalls, but also include the backdrop of the Endless Chain Ridge.

Vermillion Lake Reflections (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While taking in views along the shores of Vermillion Lakes with a view looking to the southeast to the ridges and peaks of Mount Rundle. This is in Banff National Park.

My Reflections on Waterton Lakes National Park and the Prince of Wales Hotel by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at Driftwood Beach with a view looking to the southwest across the calm, still waters of Middle Waterton Lake. This is in Waterton Lakes National Park. What I wanted to capture with this image was a balanced, leveled-on view across the water reflections to the bluff with the Prince of Wales Hotel and the mountain backdrop of Campbell Mountain and other ridges and peaks of the Livingston Range. I chose to work with NX Studio to better bring that complete setting in the image as I was having problems bringing out the true colors I wanted. I later exported a TIFF image to DxO PhotoLab 6 where I did some final adjustments with contrast, saturation and brightness for the final image.

Beautiful Mountains While the Shores of Johnson Lake (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the southeast while taking in views across lake waters present in this part of Banff National Park. My thought on composing this image was to keep a leveled-on view with the horizon, keeping a balance between the mountains in the upper portion of the image and the reflections on the lake waters. The other concern I had was metering properly to not blow any highlights in the bright morning sunlight, while still being able to pull the more shadowed areas later in post production. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 6 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

Being Alive and Smelling That Sweet Mountain Air (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: At the Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint along the Icefields Parkway with a view looking to the southeast to Crowfoot Glacier, Bowcrow Peak, and Crowfoot Mountain. This is in Banff National Park.

Guest Viewings in Joshua Tree National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the west while taking in views across mountain desert setting in this part of Joshua Tree National Park. This was at a roadside pullout along the main part road. In capturing this image, I decided to angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward to bring out more of a sweeping view across this national park landscape. The foreground had varied details with the Joshua Trees, sagebrush and creosote bushes, and leftover snow from the storm the day prior. In my mind, all those came together to bring out a non-typical landscape that most do not experience in Joshua Tree National Park

Taking in the Wonder of the California Coastline by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: This was another of those image rotations I have on my Mac desktop from past trips where I decided to see what I could do with some post-processing knowledge I have with DxO PhotoLab 6 and Color Efex Pro 5. With some adjustments to exposure to bring back some lost highlights, some use of color control points and a few different filters, I was able to bring this out as a final image...and definitely a place I really need to visit again one year soon!

Feeling a Cool Breeze As I Stand on the Shores of Herbert Lake (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the south while taking in views across lake waters to more distant shores with evergreens and then snowcapped peaks of the Bow Range with Fairview Mountain, Mount Aberdeen, Mount Temple, and Little Temple (based on the PeakVisor app on my iPhone). What drew me into this view was the layered look with the lake waters, then evergreen forest, and then finally the mountain peaks.

Mount Temple and the Bow River from Morant’s Curve (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the southwest while taking in views from Morant’s Curve along the Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park. My thought on composing this image was to pull back on the focal length and include foreground interest with the Bow River and some nearby forest. Mount Temple and other ridges and peaks of the Bow Range would be a backdrop for this setting in the Canadian Rockies.

Smith Mountain and Distant Views of the Northwest Mojave Ranges (Death Valley National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking the Dantes View Trail with a view looking to the south in Death Valley National Park. My thought on composing this image was to use the ridge I was on as a leading line into the image and then down the mountainside to the basin and valley below. While I did want to angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward to bring out more of a sweeping view, I was also limited by how much because of the sun's position in the sky and minimizing any artifacts across the camera lens.

When I Close My Eye, I Dream About Mountains (Joshua Tree National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at Keys View and looking to the west-southwest across a mountain desert landscape with some snow still present from a recently storm. This is in Joshua Tree National Park. My thought on composing this image was to take advantage of the dead, fallen tree and use that to add to the setting in the image captured with the ridges and more distant snowcapped peaks of several mountain ranges in southern California. With the sun behind me, I felt I was able to capture more details, from near to far, including more in the peaks of the San Gorgonio Mountain and San Jacinto Mountains. The rest of the image composition was then a matter of aligning myself to find that angle with the tree, ridges, and mountain peaks. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 6 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.