06/03/2026
Documenting a contemporary landscape artist at work means tracking the elements just as closely as they do. While filming a documentary on location at Bow Lake, I captured these in-process frames of the incredibly talented Kayla Eykelboom working en plein air {to paint in the open air}
As a photographer on a moving documentary set, my job is to be a little ghost who builds a narrative that ties in with the film, but also captures images to be used for promotion, marketing, and the gathering of funding. From macro shots of paint tubes and weathered brushes to wide landscape frames and intimate moments capturing Kayla laughing through the mountain weather, my images show the true heartbeat of creating art on location.
If you’ve made it this far along in my caption, you know there’s a deeper story unfolding within my imagery. Kayla is painting Bow Lake and Peak, with Crowfoot Mountain looming in the background, landscapes defined by ancient glaciers that are rapidly changing.
Art has always had the ability to be a mirror, a literal representation, but today en plein air painting and documentary photography serve as vital witnesses. By documenting these landscapes in real time, we aren’t just creating beautiful imagery, we are creating a visual archive of our changing climate. Art becomes a tool to educate, inform and connect people emotionally to the state of our glaciers. My work humanizes the data presented by research facilities like the University of Saskatchewan’s Coldwater Laboratory, building a beautifully striking story of a reality we cannot ignore.
💼 Let’s Collaborate: If you are a filmmaker, non-profit, or a brand that aligns with my ethos and you are looking for a professional, commercial, on-location photographer for an upcoming project, let’s connect! Drop a DM or hit the link in my bio.
🎨 Artist: .eykelboom
🏔️ Location: Bow Lake, Banff National Park
