Mountain Road Trips

Headline

Sometimes the best road in the Rockies leads to a photograph you almost drove past.

Short Description

Driving through the Canadian Rockies always offers unforgettable views, but occasionally the landscape reveals something unexpected. In this moment, the yellow centre line of the highway aligned perfectly with the sweeping folds of the mountain beyond, creating a composition that lasted only a moment before disappearing again.

Extended Description

Some photographs are carefully planned. Others announce themselves in an instant.

While driving through the Canadian Rockies, something about the mountain ahead caught my attention. It wasn't simply the fresh snow or the dramatic clouds—it was the unexpected geometry. For a split second, I noticed the yellow centre line of the highway appeared to continue naturally into the sweeping sedimentary layers of the mountain beyond.

I turned the truck around and returned to the spot. Once the composition revealed itself, creating the photograph became surprisingly straightforward. The challenge wasn't the camera settings or the light. It was recognising that brief moment when the lines, curves and perspective came together, and having the confidence to trust that first impression.

Mountain Road Trips celebrates those unexpected discoveries that make every journey through the Rockies an adventure.

Behind the Lens

I've always believed that photography teaches you to see differently.

Most people would remember this stretch of highway for the mountain views. I remember it for the geometry.

The alignment between the centre line and the rock formations lasted only a moment as I drove past. It was enough to make me turn the truck around and find the exact position where the composition came together.

People sometimes imagine landscape photography is all about dramatic locations. Often it's about noticing relationships that others simply drive by. This photograph reminds me to keep looking, because the next great image might appear around the very next corner.

Safety Note: Whenever I stop to photograph along highways, I do so only where it is safe and legal to pull over. I almost always have someone with me acting as a spotter for approaching traffic and wildlife.