Travel | MiKS Media Photography

Road Trip – Part 1

by Kasia Sokulska | Mar 23, 2019 | Travel

It has been a while since we were able to go for a longer trip. That’s why when an opportunity to escape for a day to the mountains presented itself a few weeks ago, we took it gladly. We were suffering from a nasty long spell of freezing cold temperatures for several weeks here in Edmonton and having a chance to venture out, when it gotten a bit warmer was making me very happy. The trip gave us also, a chance to record a podcast episode for Shutter Time. Today, I will share a few pictures I have taken from the car, while we were driving. There is way too many pictures from that trip to fit in one post (and no, I ended up with only about 600 shots as opposed to what we said on the podcast, from which I selected about 80 all together, sorry about that ;D) and I will share the rest in the following posts.

It is not always possible to stop on the side of the road, but the views can be so lovely that I always try to capture them while in motion. Some of them don’t work, of course, our roads are not that even 😉 and I end up taking several pictures of the same thing hoping that one will work and in many cases, it actually does. So here is a few of the “good” shots that I have managed to capture during that day. Enjoy!

Kasia

One Night in Quebec City – Travel Photography

by Kasia Sokulska | Jan 13, 2019 | Travel

I have had a chance to visit Quebec City, Quebec, just recently for a few days. We have started our trip before sunrise and had a pleasure to watch, from above, the land waking up to lovely pinks and clear blue sky. It didn’t last long, but I’ve managed a few shots before clouds covered all of the sky.. Work related conferences are not conductive to deep exploration, but I have managed a little bit of time to visit the old Quebec and the area surrounding our hotel. I was lucky to have snow falling during my outing, making the already pretty part of the city even prettier. One thing is certain. I will want to come back and visit with enough time to wander around and explore outside of the city as well. This time was not nearly enough ;D

Kasia

A Day At The Mountains

by Kasia Sokulska | Nov 25, 2018 | Travel

Southern Alberta Rockies are too far away from us, here in Edmonton, to visit them often, however, we have been able to travel to the Waterton area a few times within the last several years. It is always a treat to go there and look for new places to explore, as well as re-visit the old favorites . Here is some more pictures from our trip a few years back. We were quite lucky that time because we had no smoke to encumber visibility. The night sky was also exceptional with stars so bright one could almost touch them, quite perfect for some Milky Way photography. It is so nice to look at these pictures and remember summer, when our world outside is covered with snow and cold wind is blowing…

Kasia

Traveling Alberta – On The Way To Waterton

by Kasia Sokulska | Nov 23, 2018 | Travel

Alberta has many things to offer to a traveler. There are wonderful prairies, out-of-this-world hoodoos, lakes, forests and magnificent mountains. Every year, we try to visit different part of the province with the kids, always bringing back a lot of pictures with us. Some of the shots have to wait quite a while before I can share them with everybody. Such is the case with this set. These were shot during one of our trips to Waterton National Park and surrounding area a few years back. We have had the good fortune to be able to take a few night shots of the Big Rock at Okotoks, Alberta, as well as capture a view or two on the way south. It is so good to go back to that time and remember the warm days, pleasant evenings and starry nights of summer travel, especially now, when winter has come to us to stay for a while. Add to this many great views and wonderful nature and you have a feast for your eyes. Much better thean looking through the window today.. ;D Enjoy!

Kasia

From Hoodoos to Urban Architecture – Two Different Worlds

by Kasia Sokulska | Nov 17, 2017 | Travel

Last day of our summer trip to Southern Alberta we have started in Drumheller, where we stopped to visit the Hoodoos. As early as we went, there were already quite a lot of visitors climbing the rocks and wondering about. It is a very interesting place, with an unusual landscape. It reminds me of The Flinstones, which isn’t that strange considering that Badlands are famous for discovery of numerous dinosaur fossils (including the famous, around here, albertosaurus). We have visited Drumheller so many times through the years, that one would think, I wouldn’t need to take anymore pictures. However, I always end up admiring the intricate designs of rock formations. They are, quite simply, fascinating and, it seems, I can’t help myself ;D.

Time is ever an enemy, when one travels. Thus, with regret, we left the strange world of hoodoos and dinosaurs behind and headed back to civilization. Our last stop, was in Calgary. A couple of hours of wondering in the downtown area made me take some architectural shots (I know, my rubber arm was being twisted, I’m sure ;D). It is such a different world from the Badlands and Alberta countryside.. While in Drumheller, the curves ruled, here was the world of, mostly, straight lines. While the land outside the city was so interesting in color, here, one often needs monochromatic processing.. One needs completely different mind set to photograph both. And yet, travel allows us to experience both in a short span of time and makes us, photographers, switch gears and see things differently. And that, is one of the things I enjoy the most while traveling – the challenge of different environments, light and conditions. Seeing beautiful places is no hardship either ;D

Kasia

Roads in Between – Travel Photography

by Kasia Sokulska | Nov 14, 2017 | Travel

When you set up on a trip, you never know what kind of weather you encounter. This summer, we were, mostly, spared the rain but, quite often, were forced to drive through a hazy world, due to smoke being blown to our province from BC fires. At times, though, the haze lifted, giving us a clear view of the surrounding world. Driving for hundreds kilometers, you can see lots of different types on landscapes, especially, if you are moving east from the Rocky Mountains towards central parts of southern Alberta. From hills partially obscuring the Rockies, to the very flat prairies, there is always something interesting to see. This time we were lucky to encounter pronghorns. I’ve lived in Alberta for many years and, though I’ve heard about them, I’ve never been able to see any of them before. This time we have seen 3 of them. Quite curious creatures, they were staring at us, as much as we were staring at them, when we stopped to take a couple of pictures. Mind you, we were far enough from them, not to pose a threat ;D Here is a few of the pictures, I have taken while we were on our way from waterton National Park to Drumheller and, farther still, from Drumheller to Calgary, showing my family, as much of southern Alberta, as we could fit within time we were given…

Kasia