Glory Hole Workshop

Shooting the Glory Hole: Workshop

Presenters: Clayton Reitzel, Bob Royer and
Larry Holland
Article written by Barbara Morban, IACC Webmaster

It was a pleasure for about 20 members to attend a workshop on Saturday, January 20, 2018 that was run by three well-respected photographers and Club Members—Clayton Reitzel, Bob Royer and Larry Holland.

While on a trip in early January 2018, a stop was made at the Glory Hole, which is in Jasper National Park on Highway 16 near Jasper House and the Rocky River Bridge. If you blink, you could miss this popular spot. Many a Club member has taken a photo of the Glory Hole, and some have been recognized for their work (e.g., see below: Bruce Smith).

For those of us who have not been at the Glory Hole, this workshop was an opportunity to learn from these three photographers who shot the same scene at the same time.

Clayton introduced the Glory Hole. According to
Darwin Wiggett, it was Canadian Photographer and IACC Honorary Member Daryl Benson who named this little stream the ‘Glory Hole’ because it consistently yields great photos at sunrise. Clayton then shared his post-processing techniques using Lightroom, which included an HDR merge, adjustments after the merge, and the use of colour effects. He also shared a short video clip that explained lens diffraction (an image grows progressively less sharp at small aperture values and details will begin to blur). Clayton reminded everyone to find the ‘sweet spot of a lens’ (the aperture at which a lens will give maximum sharpness).

Bob shared his images and disagreed that the ‘Glory Hole’ consistently yields great photos. He said that he has yet to take a shot of this place that he truly loves. He briefly mentioned that there was a law of reflections and angle of reflections, and although he personally tends to ignore the technical definitions his image most certainly included some noteworthy reflections. Bob then shared his post-processing techniques using Luminar, a newer software editing program that met his needs.

Larry shared his image and joked that the best way to get a good shot is to stand near Clayton. Larry shared his post-processing techniques using Capture One, which he believes is an outstanding software editing program that has some excellent features. Larry commented on some tips for photographing when it is dark outside in the winter months. It is important to have: gloves/mittens that are not too bulky, to wear foot warmers in your boots, and to wear a headlight. It also is best not to wander off in the dark. It is important to be considerate and avoid being so intense that you are oblivious to other people whose view you may be blocking. (It sounds like too many tourists are starting to make it very difficult to get some good photographs!)

Thank you to Clayton, Bob and Larry for taking the time to share their knowledge about composition and post-processing with respect to the images of the Glory Hole. We also thoroughly enjoyed seeing some other photographs taken of Abraham Lake by these talented photographers.

Bruce Smith's image of the Glory Hole near Jasper is in the Wall of Fame section of the latest edition (80) of Landscape Photography Magazine: https://landscapephotographymagazine.com/magazine/issue-80

The Glory Hole Sunrise: Workshop: January 20, 2018