Behind The Shot: “Placid Water” By Sherwin Calaluan— Wedge Pond, Alberta, Canada

Wedge Pond is located in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada, and sits below Mount Kidd. This small, shallow pot lake is a great location in the fall, as it’s ringed by a variety of trees and catches the mountain’s reflection in its quiet waters.

During our first visit of the season, my photo buddy Mark and I were met with clouds and rain. I needed to be creative since the weather wasn’t cooperating with us, so I took some photos of larch trees that were close to peak fall foliage.

A couple days later, we planned to return to the same location as the fall foliage colors were close to an end. This time the forecast called for clear skies with a bit of clouds. Mark and I were so excited to go back to the pond. We left Banff two hours before the sunrise so we would have an hour scouting the area again. Mark told me, “Mate, this is our time, a perfect time!” and I replied, “It’s about time!” with a laugh.

We arrived on the location to find a bus and two cars in the parking lot. While on the trail we hear some voices—seems like a busy day on the pond. We arrive to find close to 40 people with tripods and cameras set up on the shore where the best composition of reflection is shown. I try to make a different composition, but still the calmness of the pond catches my attention. I noticed that my last spot I focused on is opposite of Mount Kidd—good thing the weather is clear so I know what’s around me.

I set up my tripod and camera, did some test shots for correct exposure and sharpness, and waited for the perfect moment. Then I checked my battery because it was a little bit cold. There was only two bars left and I didn’t have an extra battery! When I’m shooting landscape I always use my live view screen to check the sharpness, so the battery gets drained easily, especially in a cold temperatures. So I turned my camera off while I waited for the perfect moment.

Then, the sun started to light up Mount Kidd. Everyone was so quiet, the only sounds you heard were click, click, click, click. I started shooting, too. While I was composing my second image I saw the red bar on my live view screen. The alpenglow was hitting Mount Kidd and The Tower and Kananaskis Range. It was so gorgeous. I tried to be as quick as I could and use live view less so my battery would survive the next 30 minutes. After five different compositions, my camera just died. I almost covered the 15-minute show of Alpenglow and I managed to get what I wanted. After this trip I learned the importance of always carrying a spare battery on location so you don’t miss that perfect moment

Equipment: Nikon D800, Nikon 16-35mm F/4, Benro Travel Angel Tripod, Lee Filter Holder System, Formatt Hitech ND 6-Stop Firecrest

See more of Sherwin Calaluan’s work on 500px and Facebook.