Many thanks to my business partner Bob Winter for his remarks on my recent win, was a fun contest to enter and a total surprise in taking first place. It will be a special experience for me, for the next contest hosted by Algonquin Outfitters, I will become one of the judges.

I also got away with my hubby to Alberta over the Christmas holidays but for a much longer duration. We stayed on my daughter's ranch for 3 weeks, which gave me the ultimate experience of shooting horses in winter, Northern Lights, experimenting with frozen bubbles and a few amazing days of a getaway to Jasper National Park. I was one Happy Shutterbug so I will post several Parts to this experience to break it all up.

Part#1 Arrival and getting to know the 12 different horses and one special Donkey called Hank.

Days were short, so not many hours to accomplish all I had in mind for shots. Sunrise was not till around 9:30 am and sunsets starting around 3:30 pm. The angle of the sun to the layout of her ranch was not conducive to the sunrises I had in mine, but the property tree line was attractive as the sun rose and cast her magical light. Especially on those frosty mornings. I had pictured her horses running towards me, kicking up the deep snow and the frost glimmering from their breath in the cold air. Also with my obsession with Light I also wanted that golden light to paint them in beautiful rim lighting...and my wish came true! I also captured some surprising abstracts of the horses, and to my delight they hardly needed any type of post processing. Love it when those mistakes actually turn out as "Gifts" to myself.

The next day we were leaving for Jasper so that will be in another post as Part #2