Dinosaurs Alive! Assiniboine Park Zoo

Tyrannosaurus Rex at Dinosaurs Alive, Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg.  A great natural setting to view these life-size animatronic dinosaurs.  Bring a wide angle lens, if you want full length shots.

Polar Bear, superman

This Polar Bear at the Journey to Churchill in Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg had just dove in and continued by in a near perfect position.  I’ve patiently tried for this shot quite a few times, finally everything came together.  He almost looks like he could fly, just requires a photoshopped Superman cape.

Percheron Horse, Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg

A Percheron horse posing nicely in front of his brand new stable/barn at McFeetors Heavy Horse Centre, Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg.

Arctic Fox with fish

Arctic Fox, captive, at Assiniboine Park Zoo.  Had to photograph this guy with his fish, even though it was through some frosty thick enclosure glass.

Snow Leopard cub, Assiniboine Park Zoo

One of a pair of Snow Leopard cubs at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg.

Steller’s Sea Eagle, portrait

Steller’s Sea Eagle, captive, at Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg, Canada

Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg – a short interior photo tour

A few interior shots of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in downtown Winnipeg, included are some of the amazing architecture and exhibit areas.  Highly recommended if you find yourself in Winnipeg, Canada.

Alabaster stone walkways

Exhibit spaces

Peyto Lake, a definite must see if in Banff National Park.

View of the glacier fed waters of Peyto Lake, Banff National Park.  Probably everyone visiting Banff has taken the same image, this is my 4th time at the lookout, but it is still a stunning view, and easy hike.

Polar Bear underwater at the Journey to Churchill

Another Polar Bear shot at the Journey to Churchill, Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Polar Bears swimming underwater at the Journey to Churchill, Winnipeg, Manitoba

This is without a doubt one of the most memorable things i’ve ever seen.  Regardless of your personal views on wildlife kept in captivity, the Journey to Churchill at Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg is an amazing facility.  In collaberation with The International Polar Bear Centre also located at Winnipeg’s zoo it allows visitors a chance to view Polar Bears in a very unique way.  This is Kaska an orphaned female relocated from Churchill, Manitoba after her mother was shot and killed.

Shooting through the thick curved plexiglass and the variety of lighting and reflections is very tricky, but with a fast indoor lens and a little experimentation I managed a few keepers.  Images were high iso, grainy and pretty soft through the glass and water, even the best autofocus systems have trouble through 6-8 inches of curved plexiglass, but it’s more about the moment than technical perfection.

Visitors viewing Kaska

For a brief period we watched two bears play under the water.