From the Great Plains to the rarified air of 14ers, I was priviledged over my past photo year to see some extraordinary sights. Here are my personal top 25 landscapes. I hope you enjoy the view – I know I did when I took them!
Log and leaves in the fall
The fall foliage on the Colorado Front Range this year has been pretty darned good with some gorgeous scenes to be found. Last weekend, the critters did not want to cooperate so I spent a good bit of time seeking out scenes like this.
A short walk took me off the beaten path where I could enjoy some peace and quiet. I sat on this log for a bit, just soaking in the view and listening to the rustling leaves in the breeze. When I went to stand up, I realized I was sitting on a nice spot for a picture. 😉
With a significant winter storm set to arrive today, the fall colors are not long for this world and will soon be replaced with bare branches and snow.
Fall foliage from a couple hundred feet in the air
One from my fall foliage excursion a couple of weeks ago. Taken on the east side of Boreas Pass and looking toward Como, Colorado and the South Park area, my drone provided a nice, bird’s eye view. The colors were gorgeous and the silhouetted mountains to the southwest on the other side of the valley were spectacular.
Sun bursts above the golden road
Some beautiful, Colorado blue and gold on my drive this past Saturday. Boreas Pass between Breckenridge and Como was absolutely resplendent in color, signifying the change of seasons. Hopefully those of you in the Centennial State have been able to get out and see the show. Wind arrived later in the day after I took this picture and I suspect it took a heavy toll on the leaves.
The golden road from above
Yesterday I made my annual fall foliage trip, taking Boreas Pass out of Breckenridge, up and over to Como, then Guanella Pass from Grant to Georgetown. The colors were absolutely awesome as always and this was probably the prime time for them for many locations. Certainly, I took plenty of shots from ground level but also brought along my drone for aerial views. This was taken from about 350 feet above looking straight down. Kind of fun and different.
Fall foliage and fresh snow
Going back to October for this image taken along Webster Pass. You can be certain this same view would be a lot snowier and a lot bleaker right now.
It was cold but beautiful morning in the Colorado high country when I took this shot. The first widespread snow had coated the mountains above timberline and below, the aspen trees were resplendent in the fall gold.
This image was one of my favorites from that outing. I loved all the colors – the green, yellow, white and blue.
Aerial views along the South Platte River
One day after work last week I made a stop at a local open space to fly my drone. Ideally, I was hoping to get some cool fall foliage pics but the scenes weren’t as nice as I had hoped. Strong winds the day before had knocked a lot of leaves off the trees and it was a bit early in the day so light was harsh. Nevertheless, I managed to get what I think are some pretty cool captures. I am fascinated by just how differently things look from above. Some of the images have quite a lot to take in as you look at them.
A beautiful fall sunrise on the farm
I have been visiting this local open space for years. The old farm was bought by the City of Thornton and it is now a nice little retreat in the middle of suburbia. I have always said I needed to photograph it at sunrise and this past Sunday I finally did.
As you can see, it was well worth it. Mother Nature put on a beautiful show in the sky and the changing of the seasons colored the trees and bushes in hues of yellow and orange. That barn looked pretty cool and the meandering creek just adds to the image.
The golden road
The fall foliage here along the Colorado Front Range has been quite beautiful, showing you don’t have to go to the mountains to get cool captures. This scene was from last weekend at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
I am sure some folks thought I was nuts laying on the road to get this shot but I think it was worth it. 😉
Red fox poses for pictures in front of the changing fall foliage
So, I have had some pretty danged good luck with foxes lately, as seen in this image for Fox Friday.
I was recently out photographing with a friend and we knew foxes were in the area and I joked, “I want a fox to come sit right on that log and pose for us.” No joke, five minutes later, I look over and there is a fox on a log looking right at us!
It wasn’t the same log I had pointed to but this one was in fact better as it had a lot more character and the leaves behind made the scene even better. The fox was clearly very much aware of our presence but tolerated us as we were a good ways away.
It was wary at first, standing for quite a while and clearly ready to run. We just stayed put and watched, marveling at its beauty and enjoying the opportunity. It then sat down, giving us some great poses. It doesn’t get much better than that!