It probably will be just afternoon thundershowers which means
spectacular thunderheads & clear sunrise shooting. Here's what I got
around this time of year a few years back with a P&S:
http://www.edgehill.net/1/?SC=go.php&DIR=Overseas/2001-05-28-canada

On May 21, 4:13 pm, "Eric Miller" <millerericnos...@bellsouth.net>
wrote:

Sounds like a plan, although the 50 f/1.4 is redundant.
I'd leave that one at home, unless I was planning to do some stitched
panoramas.

Well, crappy weather often makes for good photos. To me, the biggest
problem is blown-out sky seen in a typical mountain photo, only partially
overcome with a polarizing lens. Bad weather will actually help in that
regard. I don't consider myself an expert, but I live along the Canadian
Rockies and I have been up and down dozens of the mountains there.

    The distances are big, and so by necessity I backpack with light
equipment. Don't expect to get very close to predators, though near Banff
you might get lucky with elk, sheep, and rarely goats. I've never seen a
cougar, and despite spending years on the trails I have only had a
face-to-face encounter with a grizzly once, and a half-dozen, in-your-face
black bear encounters. Most bear sightings will be from the car, early in
the morning, and it will be difficult to position yourself for a great
photo. Because of the great distances to walk and carry things, it isn't
worth it to carry long lenses beyond about 200mm. I have a really light
Gitzo tripod and I carry a medium zoom with lens hood, and a 20mm 2.8 or a
16-35. I carry a polarizer and sometimes will bring a grad ND filter to
darken the sky. With the tripod and multiple exposures, you might get away
with an HDR technique rather than the bulky ND grads. The rest stays in the
car, just in case I stumble across something near the road.

   Ideally, you want to get up really early, about 4:00-5:00 am, shoot
photos til about 10:00am, snooze til about 19:00h, then shoot til 22:00h.
Unfortunately that isn't a very safe approach if you have to walk to a
destination, as you don't want to be caught on a trail in the dark. In the
mountains the sun seems to set a lot faster than on the prairies, so you
better be close to the car at twilight. It works better if you backpack in,
but then the equipment list narrows as you also have to carry a tent, food,
stove, etc.  In addition, if you are a family man then your time has to be
shared with family, ultimately meaning that those remarkable twilight images
may be too much of a compromise for the family.

   If you are backpacking then you should be prepared for snow, not just
rain. Certainly you need a toque and a water repellent winter coat, even in
August. I would definitely take a day to drive the Banff-Jasper highway, but
remember to gas-up in the cities. The one Saskatchewan crossing service
station is a government-sanctioned robber. If you have a few hours in
Canmore you might do the Grassi lakes hike to charming little lakes there. I
would get out of Banff as fast as possible, and spend a day or so walking
around Lake Louise and maybe the teahouse. I would definitely spend a little
time at the Columbia Icefields, and if you have a few hours I would consider
hiking the Wilcox trail just south of the Columbia icefields. If you have
less time, maybe hike up Parker's ridge. Jasper is definitely worth the
effort, a much more quaint town than Banff. Edith Cavelle mountain is worth
the effort, and if you have time, there is a charming hike to fine meadows
higher up. If you have more time, then the Yoho valley and maybe even
Emerald lakes would be worth a go.

   I know some outstanding landscape photographers, and the one unifying
trait they all share is the willingness to put in the effort to get a great
result. Unfortunately most of us fall down by trying to do the
'multitasking' family vacation. Professionals do the job very differently.

Dave

On May 21, 4:13 pm, "Eric Miller" <millerericnos...@bellsouth.net>
wrote:

Eric, you are going to one of the most beautiful places in Canada.  I
envy you.  I don't think there's any advice we could offer you that
you don't already know.  You can't rely on weather forecasts.  I'm
betting that you will get rainy days but I'm also confident knowing
that you will get times when that sky is a gorgeous blue and the white
puffy clouds will be amazing!  I always found photographing flowers,
plants, etc in overcast conditions to be great.  The colors just pop
and the contrast can be to your advantage.  Be prepared and catch that
once in a lifetime shot.  Enjoy your trip and welcome to Canada!
Helen

If the trees are wet, you can get a little more "pop" from them with a
polarizer.  This works fine in the fall, not sure for green folliage.
I'm also not sure how well this works on stone and such.