As a Californian who doesn’t go out very much, it’s a bit surreal driving along the Trans-Canada Highway towards Banff. These massive mountains are so small when you’re afar, but as you’re approaching they loom above you and it’s pretty staggering.

The Three Sisters is a trio of peaks that greets you as you enter Canmore; this small town served as our low(er)-cost base of operations for our 4 day exploration of Banff. We didn’t intend on really doing any photography on Day 1; we mostly just wanted to settle down, make some food, and plan/prep for the next few days. However, we didn’t want to do groceries on an empty stomach, so we stuffed ourselves with poutine first. All this led to some pretty impeccable timing; the perfect storm was brewing as we drove to Safeway and there was a convenient turnout along the highway, so what else was there to do other than seize the opportunity?

This is the first shot I got on my 56 mm f1.2 lens, capturing the gradient of rain on approach over the mountain range.

The weather differential was unreal. This was the view in the perfectly opposite direction. Both shots were shot within 15 feet of each other.

We took advantage of this time to venture closer to the Three Sisters, eventually getting to the side of Policeman Creek. We were equipped for just a food and grocery run, so I was lucky to have my tripod handy; however, I was not so nature hardened at this point. At the end of the day, I counted at least 15 mosquito bites; however, what was in store for us made it all worth it.

First, we had to weather the rain as the storm hit. The clouds were thick, the rain was smothering, and the sun was bright, which made for some extremely high dynamic range. The shot below looks like it is shot in B+W, but that’s actually in full color, with minor light adjustments.

Thankfully my 23 mm is weather sealed. One of my buddies, Charlie Wang, took the following photo of my rain-trodden setup.

This next shot was taken 11 minutes later as the sky was clearing up.

After everything cleared up, I was finally rewarded with these two amazing views. A vibrant double rainbow and a clear view of the Three Sisters.