For landscape I would stick to FP4, keeps amazing me how this film can differentiate the diverse colors in landscapes. Although my recent discovery is the Adox CHS 100 ii, in your place I would not leave FP4 at home and do a test with the Adox
For landscape I would stick to FP4, keeps amazing me how this film can differentiate the diverse colors in landscapes. Although my recent discovery is the Adox CHS 100 ii, in your place I would not leave FP4 at home and do a test with the Adox
Arca-Swiss 8x10/4x5 | Mamiya 6x7 | Leica 35mm | Blackmagic Ultra HD Video
Sound Devices audio recorder, Schoeps & DPA mikes
Mac Studio/Eizo with Capture One, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, Logic
Hugo,
Maybe consider calling Alberta Tourism and explaining that you're a camera manufacturer. Might simplify your visit a little.
Arca-Swiss 8x10/4x5 | Mamiya 6x7 | Leica 35mm | Blackmagic Ultra HD Video
Sound Devices audio recorder, Schoeps & DPA mikes
Mac Studio/Eizo with Capture One, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, Logic
The NY Times publishes a "Canada Letter" on Saturdays for subscribers. This is from today's:
At One of Canada’s Top Destinations, Tourists Are Back but Much Has Changed
A little over a year had passed since my last visits to the Alberta mountain towns of Banff and Canmore, and the contrast was startling. After a protracted pandemic-induced absence, tourists were back.
An old and tricky problem was also back with a vengeance in Banff: too many cars. Even though the town introduced paid parking on its streets and at lots downtown, I was warned this week that finding a spot there would probably be an exercise in frustration.
So I dutifully followed a series of helpful signs leading to free parking by the town’s rustic, 112-year-old train station, about an eight-minute walk or a shuttle bus ride away from Banff’s core. The main parking lot there was completely packed. My heart sank further when I drove through a relatively new, auxiliary lot nearby with 500 more spaces. Only at its farthest end did I find a half-dozen empty spots.
Banff National Park, the draw for the towns of Banff and Canmore, is, of course, one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations. This week it released some numbers confirming the rebound. Last month the park had 694,127 visitors, the largest July attendance in almost a decade. And from April through the end of July, about 230,000 more people visited than during the same period last year.
But when I made my way through the crowds in town with David Matys of the Banff and Lake Louise tourism authority, it became apparent that many things had not returned to their prepandemic state.
One of the most obvious was the comparative lack of buses carrying overseas tourists. Mr. Matys told me that in 2019, Canadians made up about 60 percent of the crowd, while about 25 percent were American, and the remaining 15 percent were people from the rest of the world. This year, the breakdown is 90 percent Canadians, with Americans making up a vast majority of the remainder.
“People started getting outdoors more during Covid or wanting to be outdoors,” Mr. Matys said as we strolled down Banff Avenue, the main street, which ends at the park’s iconic administration building. “And I think that desire is carrying on.”
As was the case everywhere, some businesses in Banff didn’t survive the pandemic. But the number of empty shops is nothing like what I saw during a recent trip to Edmonton.
In Banff, the increase in Canadian visitors, particularly from Western Canada, has had an unusual effect. Driving in from the Trans-Canada Highway in the middle of this week, I was surprised to see many hotels advertising vacant rooms in peak season. Regional visitors, Mr. Matys explained, either come for the day or don’t stay as long, leaving rooms empty.
But the pandemic has had some positive effects. Much of Banff Avenue was closed for pedestrians during the pandemic and, so far, has remained that way. Parks Canada is also continuing to close a nearby highway for cyclists, if for less of the season. And Mr. Matys pointed out various businesses that used the Covid lull to refurbish their buildings.
He said the pandemic had also helped advance efforts to limit overcrowding during peak season.
“We don’t have a people problem,” he said, “we have a car problem.”
Among the proposals for encouraging people to leave their cars behind is a plan from the company that holds the lease on the railway station. It is proposing to resume regular train service between Calgary and Banff with stops at seven other locations along the way.
Like elsewhere, one of the most pressing problems with the return of tourists has been finding workers to serve them in hotels, restaurants and shops. Compounding the issue has been a lack of young people from Australia and New Zealand in the country on special two-year visas that allow them to work.
“I don’t know if everyone just evaporated or what happened during Covid, but we can’t find people at any level,” Sky McLean, the chief executive of Basecamp Resorts, told me. “Everything from housekeepers to front desk to accountants to carpenters on the construction site to full-blown executives at head office.”
Basecamp, which will open a new hotel in Banff this year and also has several properties in Canmore and elsewhere near the park, had to close rooms at points during the pandemic and sometimes relied on head office staff to pitch in and clean rooms. More recently, Ms. McLean hired recruiters to come up with a longer-term plan.
“It’s the biggest struggle in the industry right now,” she said. “But I’ll take anything over the pandemic.”
Arca-Swiss 8x10/4x5 | Mamiya 6x7 | Leica 35mm | Blackmagic Ultra HD Video
Sound Devices audio recorder, Schoeps & DPA mikes
Mac Studio/Eizo with Capture One, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, Logic
Good review!
I will stay away and plan a week in October at my almost empty state park
Old CCC Lodge in perfect condition, however, I am shocked by the cost of meals
Tin Can
Hugo -
If you haven't heard the Jasper National Park has been a victim of a large forest fire outside of the town site that impacted the delivery pf electrical power to the town. They are in the process of restoring the power and are setting up generators to provide electricity until the power lines can be repaired or replaced. Campgrounds were closed on the weekend most tourists had to relocate. One gas station was still able to operate and there was no ATMs online and debit and credit cards could not be processed.
check this site for current information on the wildfire
https://app.cyberimpact.com/newslett...xiAWhCgQHKHQ~~
You should be aware that there is a forest fire burning north of the town so lots of smoke and the power is iffy. Please check on conditions before you come.
Regards.
Gord and Ray,
Thanks for this information. We will spend one night in Jasper in about two weeks and hopefully things will be better then. Canmore and Banff are Ok, I guess?
Bookmarks