The predicted severe weather held off long enough for a great afternoon at Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Their website calls it, “the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public”. You can pay a small fee and use either your own or rented equipment to become a treasure hunter for a day. Or, as in the case of several of the people we talked to, become “professional” diamond miners: these folks dig day after day for years, supplementing their income with their finds.
UPDATE: I had a few more free minutes this morning so I thought I’d add a couple more shots from Crater of Diamonds. First, people wet-screening for gems. Second, Dennis — one of the “regulars” who has been quite successful with his efforts. Not only in finding diamonds but also in finding a bride, which he calls his “real Arkansas gem”.
I’m often on a tight schedule when shooting and that’s not always a good thing. Yesterday, I had the luxury of getting into Little Rock fairly early so that I cold scout some things that I would be shooting during my stay here. Foremost among those was the 
I had a great experience last night on the Maligne Canyon ice hike in Canada’s Jasper National Park. This is a trip you must make with a guide. Boots and ice spikes are provided — a necessity for the second half of the hike when you are literally walking on the frozen and sometimes slushy river. It’s a pretty good trek from the parking area to the ice falls and fairly disorienting in the dark with only an LED headlamp to show you the way. There are a few overlooks at the top of the falls that are accessible during the day on your own but the fun of the night trip begins when the guide leads you off of the path and down into the canyon. It’s similar to exploring a cave except you can see the stars between the high canyon walls and many of the formations are ice instead of stone. This is not a trip that can be made in the summer as the river prevents all access.
Grabbed a few shots of Lake Louise this morning with some fog coming off of the ice. There was a patch of open water at the lake’s outlet that provided another nice opportunity for a reflection. The fog came up almost instantaneously and only remained for 15 minutes or so but it was beautiful while it lasted.
The spot was perfect as it allowed for several shooting opportunities. Nearby hot springs had kept this body of water open and the stillness made for perfect reflections of the nearby mountains — including Mount Rundle shown at the right. Ice around the edge of the lake provided a good surface to shoot from as well as some nice leading lines and foreground elements. in other areas patches of golden reeds broke the surface of the water giving some nice warm color and a very different look than shots that were dominated by the ice. In the end I was able to grab lots of different images that don’t all look like they were shot in the same place or on the same evening. A very versatile location. What a great way to end a day.