Don’t spend your next paycheck on a stack of professional nature photos. Get outside and take them yourself.
You don’t need to be a seasoned photographer to capture amazing stills at these seven Manitoba sites. All are renowned for their serene landscapes, seasonal contrasts, and abundant wildlife. It’s hard to take a bad photo in any of these places.
You don’t need to be a seasoned photographer to capture amazing stills at these seven Manitoba sites. All are renowned for their serene landscapes, seasonal contrasts, and abundant wildlife. It’s hard to take a bad photo in any of these places.
1. William Lake, Turtle Mountain Provincial Park
Tucked along the border with North Dakota, Turtle Mountain is an odd sight amid the gently rolling prairie lands of southwestern Manitoba. There’s a great mix of pure landscape photography and wildlife shots here. Head to an elevated point above William Lake for a chance to capture both — birds of prey love the park’s active thermals.
2. Manitoba Escarpment, Riding Mountain National Park
Riding Mountain National Park is like Turtle Mountain’s big, bike-loving brother. For best results, visit in summer: If you can dodge the mountain bikers for long enough, you’re sure to capture stunning shots of the steep, heavily wooded Manitoba Escarpment against the bright-yellow canola fields at the edge of the prairie, far, far below.
3. The Forks National Historic Site, Red River, Winnipeg
Located on the Red River, in the heart of Winnipeg, The Forks National Historic Site is easily the most accessible site on this list. It’s also among the most unexpected. On warm days, you’ll glimpse eagles and hawks soaring on the thermals above the riverbanks, eyes peeled for unsuspecting fish. At night, the urban forest awakens — stay quiet and watch for foxes, coyotes, bobcats, deer, and other critters stealing down to the water for a drink or meal.
4. Grassy Narrows Marsh, Hecla Island
Part of Hecla Grindstone Provincial Park, Grassy Narrows Marsh is among Manitoba’s most accessible places to view moose in their natural environment.
“Moose regularly browse in Grassy Narrows,” says local nature photographer Lori Janeson. “The trick is knowing when they’re most likely to show up.”
Even if you miss the big lugs, you’ll surely catch a few of the dozens of bird species that make their homes here throughout the year.
5. Baldy Mountain, Duck Mountain Provincial Park
Duck Mountain Provincial Park’s best-known attraction boasts stunning boreal forest views. Visit during the golden hour for unforgettable images of the lush, rolling landscape. Use your zoom lens to capture the contrast with the distant prairie. You’ll learn something too: “The viewing tower and the trail have fourteen on-site interpretive signs that describe the fur trade, the early inhabitants, the first ranger's cabin and the resource rich land known as the ducks,” advises the park website.
6. Gimli, Lake Winnipeg
This storybook seaside town effortlessly merges the natural and human worlds. Whether you fancy capturing sailboats against a stark blue sky or fly-catching fish jumping in the shallows, this is a great place to set up shop.
7. Snake Dens, Narcisse
It sounds like something out of an old Greek myth, or perhaps a bad horror flick: a ghost town given over entirely to snakes. Not so. For one thing, they’re harmless garter snakes; they don’t bother with anything bigger than a mouse. And there are lots of them: literally thousands. Visit in May, when they begin to stir from their winter torpor.
Have a favorite spot to photograph in Manitoba? Share it in the comments section below.
Article written by Julie
(Photo by d-court via Flickr)
Tucked along the border with North Dakota, Turtle Mountain is an odd sight amid the gently rolling prairie lands of southwestern Manitoba. There’s a great mix of pure landscape photography and wildlife shots here. Head to an elevated point above William Lake for a chance to capture both — birds of prey love the park’s active thermals.
2. Manitoba Escarpment, Riding Mountain National Park
Riding Mountain National Park is like Turtle Mountain’s big, bike-loving brother. For best results, visit in summer: If you can dodge the mountain bikers for long enough, you’re sure to capture stunning shots of the steep, heavily wooded Manitoba Escarpment against the bright-yellow canola fields at the edge of the prairie, far, far below.
3. The Forks National Historic Site, Red River, Winnipeg
Located on the Red River, in the heart of Winnipeg, The Forks National Historic Site is easily the most accessible site on this list. It’s also among the most unexpected. On warm days, you’ll glimpse eagles and hawks soaring on the thermals above the riverbanks, eyes peeled for unsuspecting fish. At night, the urban forest awakens — stay quiet and watch for foxes, coyotes, bobcats, deer, and other critters stealing down to the water for a drink or meal.
4. Grassy Narrows Marsh, Hecla Island
Part of Hecla Grindstone Provincial Park, Grassy Narrows Marsh is among Manitoba’s most accessible places to view moose in their natural environment.
“Moose regularly browse in Grassy Narrows,” says local nature photographer Lori Janeson. “The trick is knowing when they’re most likely to show up.”
Even if you miss the big lugs, you’ll surely catch a few of the dozens of bird species that make their homes here throughout the year.
5. Baldy Mountain, Duck Mountain Provincial Park
Duck Mountain Provincial Park’s best-known attraction boasts stunning boreal forest views. Visit during the golden hour for unforgettable images of the lush, rolling landscape. Use your zoom lens to capture the contrast with the distant prairie. You’ll learn something too: “The viewing tower and the trail have fourteen on-site interpretive signs that describe the fur trade, the early inhabitants, the first ranger's cabin and the resource rich land known as the ducks,” advises the park website.
6. Gimli, Lake Winnipeg
This storybook seaside town effortlessly merges the natural and human worlds. Whether you fancy capturing sailboats against a stark blue sky or fly-catching fish jumping in the shallows, this is a great place to set up shop.
7. Snake Dens, Narcisse
It sounds like something out of an old Greek myth, or perhaps a bad horror flick: a ghost town given over entirely to snakes. Not so. For one thing, they’re harmless garter snakes; they don’t bother with anything bigger than a mouse. And there are lots of them: literally thousands. Visit in May, when they begin to stir from their winter torpor.
Have a favorite spot to photograph in Manitoba? Share it in the comments section below.
Article written by Julie
(Photo by d-court via Flickr)
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