These giants live just outside the Calgary Board of Education building. They have been there my whole life, as I remember seeing them in commercials when I was very young. They are almost hidden away, as you really don't see them with all the tall buildings around until you are on the same block. I thought they were very visually appealing, and with everything here being so tall, I could use a little forced perspective to make them seem as large as the skyscrapers. I found that with how dark these are, I could really play up the contrast and make these appear much more dramatic as the cloud cover really helped create a certain mood as well.

This stout little robin was out on the grass just after a rainstorm. The sun came out and lit up the landscape while this bird danced around the puddles and was searching for some worms or perhaps some new nest material. I always find robins seem to have a sense of purpose when they are hopping around on the ground.

Flower closeups can look quite abstract at times with the different patterns. and shapes. I find once you take the color away, then it really becomes even more pronounced. These particular flowers have features that are more clearly defined, and they tend to stand out even with the yellows and reds turning into monochrome. In a way they almost look like paper, the curls and shapes formed by nature rather then a human hand.

Yellow tulips are known to have originated in the Ottoman Empire, in an area of modern-day Turkey. They were introduced to Europe in the 16th century, and their popularity as a garden flower has endured ever since. This led to a tulip craze in the Netherlands, where they became a much sought-after commodity for a time, with prices becoming very inflated. Eventually the prices dropped back to earth, and tulips are now found all over the world.

Canada geese love water; it doesn't even have to be a large body of water. Sometimes a small puddle will do; this goose seemed to be perfectly content here. It was starting to warm up, and while there was still snow on the ground, this was as good a place as any for the Canada Goose to go for a soak. It was an early autumn snowfall that sometimes hits Calgary before fading back into a bit warmer weather; the leaves were still on the ground, and because our weather here shifts so much, it's possible that this goose might stay all year round.

Zebras are the best-suited animals for monochrome, in my opinion; actually, it's not hard to tell why. Their striped black and white coats are a natural fit for this medium. The animals that are native to Africa, and unlike their relatives among the horses and donkeys, zebras have never been fully domesticated. They are considered to be an at-risk animal, and many of them can be found in protected areas across Africa.