After spending a few days in Banff, we made our way up the Icefields Parkway and spent a night in Jasper.
Let me just say—the drive was absolutely spectacular. It takes a little over three hours, but every single minute is worth it.
I’m not even kidding when I say I had my camera out the entire time. There were just so many incredible viewpoints along the way—it felt like I couldn’t put it down.
We stayed the night in Jasper, and it was bittersweet. The town looks so different now; about 30% of it was lost in the summer fires. It’s heartbreaking to see such devastation in a place so beautiful.
You could tell the fire had jumped from building to building as the buildings that were burnt down in down seemed to be completely random.
A large portion of Jasper National Park was also completely burned. The areas that were affected the most were Athabasca Falls, Maligne Canyon was completely closed and the entire area was burnt to a crisp.
Related: 10 Best Things to do in Jasper National Park
Fire damage on the drive to Maligne Canyon.
Maligne Canyon closed sign. The entire area was burned. So sad.
Digital photography equipment I’m currently using:
My favorite lens is easily the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM. Expensive but worth it. I bring it on every trip with me.
Goals going forward
One of my goals with film photography moving forward is to take more photos of me.
Aside from the occasional mirror film selfie, I still feel super uncomfortable in front of the camera. And with film being so pricey to buy and develop, I don’t always feel confident I’ll even like how the photos turn out. But it’s something I really want to work on, so I’m going to give it a shot (pun intended) and see where it takes me.
