While driving down to Albany recently, the many fields of blooming Canola look like a yellow carpet stretching over the hills. It's a great sight - particularly if there's a clear blue sky, and the sun is shining on the Canola.

Canola fields blooming

Cranbrook, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @10mm, 1/60 sec, f/13, ISO100

Boulder Rock is a great place to visit. It's located in Karragullen, in the eastern corner of Midgegoroo National Park (formerly Canning National Park), right next to Brookton Highway. It's a huge granite rock outcrop, with various large boulders scattered over the top, and provides lots of interesting angles for photography. There's also plenty of wild flowers and scrub in the bush around the rock.

Unfortunately, the carpark and picnic area has been closed, so you'll need to park on the side of the road when visiting the rock.

Here's a selection of photos from my recent visit.

huge boulders that look precariously balanced

Canon EOS 50D, 24-70mm f/2.8L @24mm, 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO200

Taken in May, in Banff National Park, somewhere near Saskatchewan Crossing, after a snowfall covered the area in fluffy white snow.

white outlook

Saskatchewan Crossing, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Canon EOS 50D, 24-70mm f/2.8L @34mm, 1/1250 sec, f/8, ISO200

Many parts of Banff National Park were still covered in snow last month. These two photos were taken at Mosquito Creek, in the Banff National Park in Alberta.

The raw photos didn't have much colour, primarily due to the large amounts of snow and overcast sky, but I was quite happy with the results of a black and white conversion on both these photos.

snow-covered picnic table

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @17mm, 1/64 sec, f/8, ISO200

After light snow fell for a few hours, everything is covered in white, including the picnick table, rocks, and trees.

snowy banks of Mosquito Creek

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @10mm, 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO200

Another photo taken last month in Waterton Lakes National Park, in the south of Alberta, Canada.

Waterton Lakes gravel road

Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @10mm, 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO100

I took three lenses with me to Canada - the 10-22mm, 24-70mm f/2.8L, and 70-200mm f/4L. I think the 10-22mm lens got the most use (including the photo above), and I kept a CPL filter on the 10-22mm lens most of the time too.

I love the way a light fall of snow provides a light coating on all the branches in the trees.
While making my way from Calgary to Lake Louise last week Monday, I stopped at every lake and lookout that was sign-posted on the road. This is a photo that I took while in the carpark at Barrier Lake.

snow-covered trees

Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
Canon EOS 50D, 10-22mm @22mm, 1/100 sec, f/8, ISO200

I'm working in Canada for a couple of weeks, and on Saturday, I went for a drive to Waterton Lakes National Park, in the south of Alberta.

I used the side mirror of my rental car to take this photo of the snow-covered Rockies.

Rocky Mountains in the rear view mirror

Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada, 2009-05-09
Canon EOS 50D, 24-70mm f/2.8L @70mm, 1/320 sec, f/7.1, ISO100

Another shot from Liffey Falls in central Tasmania, taken last year while there on a brief holiday.

This is one of the minor falls, namely the third cascade. A slightly longer exposure helps smooth out the water in this photo, giving it that smooth silky look.

Third Cascade at Liffey Falls

Liffey Falls, Tasmania
Canon EOS 350D, 10-22mm @22mm, 8/10 sec, f/13, ISO100

Taken somewhere near Brunswick Junction while driving down to Busselton last December, this is a typical view out in the country near the beginning of summer.

hay bales

Brunswick Junction, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 17-85mm IS @38mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5, ISO200

Here's another photo of the Penitentiary at the historic Port Arthur site in Tasmania, taken during our holiday several months ago.
It was taken from the same location as another photo of the Penitentiary that I blogged some time ago, but this time taken in landscape mode, specifically to include the tree on the left and top, to provide a natural frame.

the Penitentiary

Port Arthur, Tasmania
Canon EOS 350D, 10-22mm @22mm, 1/800 sec, f/4.5, ISO100