Fall Photo Weekend 2024

The Monochrome Guild Fall Photo Weekend tradition began back in 2000. The shoulder season is an economical time to travel. In the mountain parks the quiet times between the summer tourists and the winter skiers, in particular, is very budget friendly. Hotel rates were the lowest of the season then. Typically this is the last half of October and the first half of November.

And so it began.

Monochrome Guild founder Rob Pohl, and former member Jon Barnard ventured out to Jasper National Park for the first of these outings. Almost a quarter century later the the practice continues. During the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, it was not possible, but otherwise there has been an outing every year.

Guild members travel to Jasper most of the time, but on occasion have also visited Banff, Kananaskis, and the Drumheller badlands. In some years a spring trip was added, although it has not become a regular outing.

Up to a half dozen members have taken part in these trips and usually we rent a suite or two. It is a great weekend for photography, visiting, dining out and relaxing.

In October of 2024 another trip was planned and four members of the Monochrome Guild were able to take part. They were Court Smith, Fred Braakman, Rob Pohl and Steve Wreakes. All are retired and so the group ventured out during the week.

We elected to visit the Drumheller area this time. A large forest fire swept through Jasper in the summer of that year and wiped out a quarter of the townsite. Cleanup was underway, and many of the hotels were being used as temporary housing for residents.

The group stayed in Drumheller, and photographed around Dorothy and East Coulee. A day trip east to Dinosaur Provincial Park was also on the agenda and some of the photographs taken on this trip are included in this gallery.