What, no camera? No camera, just ice skates.
My friend and fellow photographer Harvey Spaven, took these pictures in March 2010.
A few days before I had driven from Auburn, Washington to Calgary, returning from the Vancouver Olympics.
As I came east on highway #3 I saw Crowsnest Lake glowing in the late afternoon sun, not a flake of snow, just Ice, clean smooth ice, stretching for hundreds of meters. Sure it was cold but cold is only relative isn't? Alas, no ice skates in the car. A few days later Harvey accompanied me back to the Crowsnest Pass, this time with a camera and my skates. I just had to experience gliding across this vast expanse of frozen water.
For me it was truly magical. Now I don't claim to be anything like an accomplished skater. The truth is I am lucky to keep from spending more time sitting on it then skating. That is not the point, the point is I have always wanted to do it. I created an opportunity, I made it happen. That's my story, my narrative and I'm sticking to it.
As I came east on highway #3 I saw Crowsnest Lake glowing in the late afternoon sun, not a flake of snow, just Ice, clean smooth ice, stretching for hundreds of meters. Sure it was cold but cold is only relative isn't? Alas, no ice skates in the car. A few days later Harvey accompanied me back to the Crowsnest Pass, this time with a camera and my skates. I just had to experience gliding across this vast expanse of frozen water.
For me it was truly magical. Now I don't claim to be anything like an accomplished skater. The truth is I am lucky to keep from spending more time sitting on it then skating. That is not the point, the point is I have always wanted to do it. I created an opportunity, I made it happen. That's my story, my narrative and I'm sticking to it.
You came to this page to learn something about me and the other photographers.
That little narrative above is a part of As I Found It.
I can only speak for myself but my life experience has taught me, I am anything but alone.
Looking back as far as my memories go, my life has been one of constant exploration, a continual mix of experiencing and reflecting.
I got my first camera as a Christmas present when I was 11.
I have been telling stories and making images ever since.
The other photographers that contribute to As I Found It all have remarkably similar stories to mine. Most are just a bit shy when it comes to telling you about themselves. At his time Barbara Nikols and Harvey Spaven, both of Calgary, are contributing to our galleries. It was Harvey that took my picture on Crowsnest Lake. There is a philosophy behind the title As I Found It and in general all the photographers are in remarkable agreement. Those words have of course several interpretations. From the journalistic point of view, I am not a journalist, they have not been retouched, noting added and nothing subtracted. That is, they are an accurate record, I hope well presented, of the world as we found it. These images capture a mood and often a theme. They record both the reality of the moment and emotions of the recorder at the same time. Every image is its own narrative and through narrative we make sense of the world. That world is as broad or as narrow as we allow ourselves to find it.
My name is Dennis Nikols. Most of the images here were made with a Cannon Rebel XT, using a variety of Cannon and Sigma lenses. EXIF Technical Information is attached to most images and many are geotaged. Barbara Nikols often uses my Rebel XT and Harvey Spaven has a new Cannon Rebel T3. Harvey, Barbara and I go way back with film experience. Harvey has the added advantage of being an artist with experience in oils and acrylics.
The other photographers that contribute to As I Found It all have remarkably similar stories to mine. Most are just a bit shy when it comes to telling you about themselves. At his time Barbara Nikols and Harvey Spaven, both of Calgary, are contributing to our galleries. It was Harvey that took my picture on Crowsnest Lake. There is a philosophy behind the title As I Found It and in general all the photographers are in remarkable agreement. Those words have of course several interpretations. From the journalistic point of view, I am not a journalist, they have not been retouched, noting added and nothing subtracted. That is, they are an accurate record, I hope well presented, of the world as we found it. These images capture a mood and often a theme. They record both the reality of the moment and emotions of the recorder at the same time. Every image is its own narrative and through narrative we make sense of the world. That world is as broad or as narrow as we allow ourselves to find it.
My name is Dennis Nikols. Most of the images here were made with a Cannon Rebel XT, using a variety of Cannon and Sigma lenses. EXIF Technical Information is attached to most images and many are geotaged. Barbara Nikols often uses my Rebel XT and Harvey Spaven has a new Cannon Rebel T3. Harvey, Barbara and I go way back with film experience. Harvey has the added advantage of being an artist with experience in oils and acrylics.
I will try and answer any specific questions, just contact me by email and don't forget to add the image title.
That also applies to specific locations, for example, this image of Crownest Lake is on the north side of highway 3, just east of the Alberta/B.C. boundary, it is looking East.
The rocks are Palaeozoic Limestones of the Palliser Formation.
The highway is on the viewer's right and the Canadian Pacific Railway line is on the flat, just above the ice, on the left.
Crownest Mountain is hidden from view by this knob of limestone right below the About Us text.
