Those of us who live in the Ridge Meadows area see them every day - the beautiful and imposing peaks of the Golden Ears Mountains.  They look particularly good in winter.  Here is a recipe for getting that perfect shot:

When to take the photo:  For a crisp winter shot, the best time of year is December through February.

Time of day:  In winter, the sun rises from almost behind the mountains, and sets shining toward them.  So while you can get good photos between 7am and 9am, the "golden hour" is between 4pm and 5pm.  This is when the warm light hits the mountains and the sky behind looks dramatic.

Conditions:  My favourite conditions are clear and cold (like below freezing).  When the mountains are snow-covered, they really pop out at you.  You can also get good shots when clouds are "stuck" to the mountains, although this happens more in the morning.

Equipment:  An SLR or high-end compact camera are necessary to bring out all the details sharply.  A zoom setting of 150mm-200mm (35mm equivalent) will fill your frame with the mountains from most locations around town.  More than that will feature the mountains without the surrounding area.

Here are a few photos with the settings that were used:

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikkor 105mm Micro (35mm equivalent of 160mm zoom)
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/8 Sec
Aperture: f5.6
Time taken: about 4:30pm on a January evening
Conditions: below freezing and clear
Also used: Tripod (necessary for the slow shutter speed)
Location: North of Dewdney Trunk Road around 232nd St
Moon: added in Photoshop later!

Camera: Nikon D70s
Lens: Nikkor DX 18-200mm
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/400 Sec
Aperture: f14 (keeps foreground and background in focus)
Time taken: about noon on a December day
Conditions: below freezing and clear
Location: Meadow Gardens golf course

OK, now it is time to go out and make your own masterpiece!  When you do, please This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   and let us know if you would like your shot included here!