Canola Fields in Alberta, Canada

Who knew canola could be so beautiful!? With travel being so limited, more and more people are setting out on road trips to enjoy nature with their families. In Alberta, passing by the bright, golden canola flower fields will make you want to follow the yellow brick road to their location. In this blog post, I’m filling you in on where, when, and how to take the best photos in these blossoms.

Canola Fields in Alberta

Four years ago, I wrote blog post called “Beauty in the Canold Fields of Alberta” and every summer it becomes one of my most frequently visited posts. I figured I’d do a little update with new photos in these vibrant fields of small yellow flowers.

Canola is grown for its seed which gets crushed into oil. The fields grow quite high before harvest, making them a great place for taking stunning photos. The blossoms are at their best in the height of summer so plan for mid-July and onward. Crops are harvested in late summer and it’s one of Alberta’s biggest exports. Just remember to be respectful of these farmer’s fields! It is trespassing so take caution and don’t try and climb over barbed-wire fences as I promise, it won’t end well. Luckily, I haven’t been chased off with a pitchfork as of yet.

Photography Tips

If you’re an amateur photographer, I always suggest trying to shoot in low light so that you don’t have to contend with the sun’s shadows and harsh lighting. Shooting a subject on a cloudy day or during the golden hour (an hour before the sun goes down or just after the sun has set) is the best time to get beautiful pictures. And it also allows the person you’re photographing to open their eyes, instead of squinting! Makes sense right? I took these photos around 9 am on a warm, overcast morning this week. This field is located just between Calgary and Cochrane, along Highway 1A.

How to find Canola Fields

Every year, it’s a bit of a hunt to find canola fields in Alberta. Canola is a rotational crop meaning that one year the field may grow Canola and the next it could be wheat or barley. I’ve gone back to previous fields that I used years before for pictures, only to find a different crop growing instead. Each summer, I’ll spend some time driving around, trying to find a field that has some access from a road. Fields are easy to spot from a distance because of their extremely bright yellow hues, but navigating yourself to that spot can be a little trickier. This exact same field that I used for a Joe Fresh photoshoot in February called “Spring in Canada’, was covered in haybales then.