There’s a world off the beaten path in the Canadian Rockies, and one photographer has done the legwork so you don’t have to. 

George Brybycin has travelled throughout the Rocky Mountains in many of Canada’s major parks to show us images the inexperienced hiker may never get to see. 

In his new book, “The Essence of the Rockies”,  Brybycin takes us higher than ever before. In addition to new sites and shots of mountain ranges that have rarely been photographed,  Brybycin manages to give new angles to old photography favourites. 

One shot in the book is of Lake Louise, which is probably the most photographed view in Canada. Brybycin hiked high up into the surrounding mountains to shoot the lake. Upon visiting Lake Louise myself, I couldn’t even see the mountain he discovered to climb and shoot from. 

“The Essence of the Rockies” is a culmination of a forty-year photography adventure. It is Brybycin’s 45th book and features stunningly crisp images. 

It has always been Brybycin’s goal to sell his photography books for only $20, as detailed in the sleeve of his new book. While he was unable to lower the price that much, he did keep it at only $29.99, which really allows anyone to purchase the book. 

It is a wonder that Brybycin managed to keep his hands still enough after the climb to even take the photos, but he manages to capture mountain moments in a way that makes it seem as if he was never really there. 

Some of my favourites were the night-time, long exposure sky shots. Brybycin has a few shots that are dully lit, with just the colourful stars illuminated. On page 56, a photo of Banff National Park’s Bow Lake shows a green sky with streaking stars on a long-exposed photo. The lights from across the lake are the only other sources of natural light, yet the photo shows a subtle hint of snow through the night. 

Brybycin also photographs the small bivouacs he uses to sleep in on the long climbs. The shots are beautiful with the little tents glowing red and orange against snow and rock. 

Another stand out is on page 102, where seven canoeists are pictured on Moraine Lake. It’s hard to take a bad photo of Moraine Lake, it seems, with the deep aqua colour of the water. Brybycin takes his shot and manages to make the canoeists pop and become the centre of a photo where the eye could easily be drawn to any one of the 10 beautiful peaks surrounding them.

On page 130, Mount Assiniboine is seen reflecting the early morning sunlight in pinks and purple, with the crescent moon beside it. Brybycin used the shade beautifully to capture the morning. 

What’s great about the book is the information in each of the photo cutlines. While Brybycin does not provide exact directions to the climbs he completed to get each of his photos, he does give the reader an idea of the struggles he must have faced. For the Mount Assiniboine photo, it was a 22-kilometre trek. In others he details a two or three day ascent. In some of the winter shots, the clarity of the photos gives you a bit of a chill, as you imagine how cold Brybycin must have been as he clicked the shutter on his camera. 

For those who will never be able to see the top of Pyramid Mountain or the snow-capped peak of Mount Columbia for themselves, Brybycin’s book provides the opportunity, without ever leaving your house.