Heated seats are a pretty common selling feature up here ... I have not run across anyone yet who has aftermarket add-ons. I use them only for a few minutes when first getting in car when we are in the minus 20s or worse ... wife uses them fall/winter/spring unless the temp is well above freezing.

Last time I rented a vehicle (Jeep Grand Cherokee if I recall correctly) it not only had the heated seats but also a heated steering wheel ... it was pushing minus 30 at the time and I had to be out at a project site taking some photos (no gloves) and it was nice to use the steering wheel to warm up fingers

You really do need to narrow your focus to a few things as there is a lot of stuff to do and see in/around Calgary, apart from the national parks just to the west ... more stuff than you might be able to cover in a couple of days. If you are here between July 7 and 16 there is the world famous Calgary Stampede, if you are into that (including rodeo, etc.). To the northeast of Calgary is Drumheller if you are into the "badlands" and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology if dinosaurs are your thing.

There have been multiple posts over the years about all of the stuff to do and see in what we refer to as "the mountain parks" (a series of national parks all linked together) to the west so I won't repeat here ... I'm assuming you can search the site for "Rocky Mountains" or "Banff" etc. The Parks Canada visitor centre on the main drag in the Banff townsite (looks like an old church building converted ... easy to spot, but parking can be a pain in that area) is a great starting point, but again you will need to focus on specific interests (pun intended) if you have limited time. Expect the parks to be very busy this season as there is free park admission all year for our 150th anniversary ... weekends will be particularly busy out there.

The Banff townsite itself is very "touristy" with lots of shops and restaurants, but you don't have to go too far out of the townsite to get some spectacular scenery. Are you hoping to see wildlife? ... vs. great mountain scenery? ... picturesque lakes?

Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions about the area :)

NOTE: You do not need to have your "free pass" ahead of time ... Parks Canada is just trying to keep line-ups at the park entrances from getting crazy, the Banff East Gate in particular, coming into Banff National Park from the east/Calgary side (which is the most popular choice for people flying into the area as Banff is only 1 to 1.5 hours drive from the airport). From which direction do you plan on approaching what we refer to as "the mountain parks"? (there are multiple national and provincial parks all mashed together out there).

The start of a long weekend is your worst case scenario in terms of numbers of people heading that way from the Calgary side, and this year will be extra crazy with our 150-year celebrations (esp. at the start of July) and free admission. If you are there during June it might not be too crazy yet. You pull up to one of the kiosks and basically they stick a free annual pass out the window at you ... at least that's what happened the last two times I was out there for work, even though I had only pulled in there to ask them a question about something. There are bypass lanes for people who already have a pass (for this year I suspect many people will not even bother getting a pass as entry to the parks is free).

Others have mentioned many of the great photo opps so I won't repeat them. If you only want to see stuff that is an easy shot from roadside there are a number of pullout locations for sight seeing ... shoulder of the highway is not meant for this!). I don't recall seeing any others mention of the Lake Minnewanka Loop just opposite Banff off the Trans Canada Highway ... a scenic drive with high probability of encountering bighorn sheep grazing right beside the road. The Banff townsite itself is iconic, but extremely "touristy" and not much for photo opps ... great spot for finding food, and loads of shopping opportunities if that is what you are into :). There are some classic vistas down around the Banff Springs Hotel (but parking can be a challenge, particularly on weekends). There is also a gondola you can take up Sulphur Mountain from Banff ... spectacular scenery but a pricey ride. It used to be (years ago when I last went up) that you could walk/hike the trail to the top and get the same scenery (for free) and then they would let you ride back down on the gondola for free ... I thought I had heard somewhere that this is no longer the case, but I am not certain. It is a long way up for those who walk (at least for us "old guys").

Now where's the adventure in that (the Photoshop approach)? :)

OK, new plan then ... the rope gets wrapped around the iceberg (from a safe distance, if you insist) by a search and rescue helicopter (how far is CFB Gander?)

This seems like a perfect set up for a fun shot. Would be fun to take a small boat out there (maybe an old fishing boat) and a really (really) long piece of rope ... get the rope wrapped around the 'berg, hook up to the boat, and then full steam ahead ... a big plume of smoke coming out of a stack would be a bonus :) Seems like it would be a cool shot if you got the angle and perspective just right.

Too bad I have to work today ... and that I live in Alberta (where we have icebergs, but ours are called glaciers) about 6,000 km (maybe 3,800 miles) from Newfoundland ... and I don't think my canoe would quite fit the needs of the shot :(

Yup, airplane mode is a must, so that it is not sending or receiving cell signals ... just does a link with the local WiFi. I have only used on WestJet, and they have a free app you install ahead of time (ideally) and it takes care of the connection.

I have watched a 90 minute movie on my phone (my ancient original iPad can't connect on WestJet's system, as I need an operating system upgrade to use their app and the old iPad won't run the new iOS ) and it was nto too bad. Power wise, I carry one of those little "USB power banks" (correct name?) and could easily get by without plugging into the seat back for multiple hours of viewing stuff.

Seeing that here too, with WestJet phasing out the seat-back screens in favour of an onboard WiFi system you simply link to via your smartphone/tablet/laptop (I think the assumption is that the majority of people would have such a device with them). You don't get to surf through a selection of live TV channels anymore (just a selection of recorded episodes from a few shows) but still have the usual selection of pay-per-view movies to select from. I am told the seat backs now have outlets for power (including USB) but they put the stupid things so low down on the seat that I can't see them ... I'd probably have to get on my hands and knees to access them :(

Linda:

I think the vertical stalk at about the right "one third point" breaks the photo up into two distinct sections. On the left of it, it creates a framing element of sorts that helps focus the eye on the bird, with the bird roughly centred in the left panel. To the right of that vertical, there is really not much to look at other than the drooping bit.

Years ago an instructor suggested to me that it is best to avoid elements like that if they completely cut through the scene (not that one can always have this option) ... but they are OK if they don't cut all the way through if that makes sense. For example, if we could see the top of that vertical piece in the scene, with a bit of background above it, it and the stuff to the right of it becomes more a part of the overall scene.

As a general "rule" I often find myself wanting/needing to break the "rules" of composition. In particular, I have often found myself looking at a scene where the symmetry in the subject makes it a perfect choice (at least in my mind) for locating it dead centre.

Just my two cents ... :)

Here are a few from a Cuba trip years ago ... these are not the greatest quality, and have captions added, but do show some interesting "transportation" scenarios

efficient parking!


= public transit


Human powered ferry

I agree wholeheartedly ... nothing ostentatious whatsoever, which is my kind of church :) Years ago I heard a phrase in relation to something completely different (I think it may have been a math professor summing up some mathematical proof) that seems to be a perfect description of this church: "elegant in its simplicity"

The iconic lighthouse ... nice shot.

The day we visited there it was gloomy looking with major cloud cover and rain on the horizon. As we approached I was looking forward to a chance to shoot it without the nice blue sky and bright sun, and even better without any people in the shot ... we went there fairly early, but even that plus the cold/cloudy conditions did not get me my wish :( Still found a half dozen or so clambering over the rocks. Good practice in cloning out distraction! Spent most of our time after that prowling around the docks around the cove/harbour ... lots of stacked lobster traps and cool boats to fill a frame :)

Nice pics ... how long has it been out of use? I'm sure those walls could tell some interesting tales (but only if they could talk, of course)

Thanks

Even though we live very close to the Rockies we find ourselves not getting out there very often ... we tend to leave that for when we have out-of-town guests, and have not had any of those for quite a few years.

I recognize 3 as Moraine Lake ... may I ask where the other two were taken?

Excellent ... I hope he also loaded it up so the mass was equivalent :) No point doing a practice run with boxes full of air!