Bow Trail - Cochrane
- Mar 21
- 2 min read
In Calgary there is the Bow Trail. It is a wide, busy road that provides a transportation corridor from downtown Calgary, where it runs along the south shore of the Bow River, then out to the west edge of the city. It is lined with buildings, houses, and the LRT. One tends to focus closely on driving when using it.
There is a Bow Trail in Cochrane as well. It is a developed footpath that winds along the north shore of the Bow River. It makes its way through several parks and is lined with trees for much of its length. In some places there are houses to the north of the trail, but they are separated from it by wide green spaces. I prefer our Bow Trail.
Recently our walking group was on Bow Trail for our Monday morning walk. It was a cool winter morning and there was fresh snow on the ground. The sky wasn’t perfectly clear, but the sun was bright and gave a lovely even light with no shadows.
At one point, I positioned myself to capture a photograph of three of our group making their way along the trail. I was waiting for them to get closer so I they could be easily identified, but, at that moment I saw that there was much more in the scene than just the walkers. I quickly recomposed and captured the above image.
As I was processing the image I started thinking about the people that might be looking at it. I thought of two groups—our walking group and everybody else.
The guys in our walking group will, I believe, train their eyes on the three walkers and will be able to identify each easily. Their eyes will then spread to the rest of the image, taking in a winter scene of the country they know well.
Others will look on the eye catching scene as a peaceful country winter photograph with three unknown people that provide scale and visual perspective.
What is shown is the west end of Bow Trail, looking west. The country in the background is the Stoney Nakoda Nation where those hills show roughly where the Rocky Mountain foothills start.
This is one of the many joys of photography. Through composition and use of lighting one can create an image that can be appreciated by others in different ways.
If this triggers some memories or feelings for you, why not leave a comment below for others to read.
Thanks Jack. There is a vibrant freshness to the photograph, one of which the viewer might exactly feel if she where walking at that moment on the trail. There is open water, a striking blue and the snow adds a crispness to the feel. The plants are dusted with frost and I could almost feel the frosty breath of the three persons walking in the photo. The pathway is mirrored with ice and this adds to the vibrancy of the picture. The sky in the background is stretched out like a blue canvass. The whole photograph has a feeling of pureness and freshness. Very enjoyable to look at. Tamara
This shot reminds me of the beauty I sometimes take for granted. Sometimes lost in conversation or thinking about the rest of my day I find I’m missing what a joy it is to live in Cochrane. Thank you Jack.
Immediately reminds me of the many trails in our beautiful province, and other places, that my wife and I have walked over the years searching for wildflowers, birds and other things worthy of capturing in a photo. Beautiful shot.
Beautiful!