Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
This camping trip to 10,000 feet two weekends ago was a disappointment in terms of wildlife sightings. It was however, a winner in terms of the views afforded, particularly at dawn. The winds were howling pretty good which is unusual for early in the morning and a chill was definitely in the air. In the end it was worth it but I was thankful to be close to camp with hot coffee awaiting.
Thus far this summer, Colorado has managed to escape any significant wildfires. However, smoke from blazes burning in neighboring states has occasionally intruded on our normally blue skies. Such was the case last weekend when smoke from fires in Montana intruded. Certainly the cause of the smoke is not welcome but it does make for some nice sunrises and sunsets, like this early morning capture.
A capture from last weekend near the top of Mount Evans, Colorado. The slopes of this mountain are one of my favorite places to watch the rising sun. The show is almost always beautiful and there is quite a lot to take in if you spend the time.
This shot is a nice example of that. Not only do you have the starburst from the rising sun with the orange glow across the horizon, you also have the silky shadowed side of the lower mountains and foothills in the distance. Closer in, you see part of the highest paved road in North America, the Mount Evans Scenic Byway, illuminated by the rising sun.
Sometimes I wish I could just hit pause on moments like this and spend hours soaking it all in.
Driving up toward the summit of Mount Evans this past weekend in the pre-dawn hours, my friend and I could see the show starting to unfold to the east. As we ascended, it became clear sunrise was going to be quite photo-worthy. “We have to stop!” we both said simultaneously and of course we did.
Before the sun topped the horizon, the clouds were lit in deep reds and oranges. I knew what was to come so I positioned myself so when the star emerged, it would be in the “valley” between the two mountains, yielding a beautiful starburst. Awesome stuff!
While taken a half hour or so after sunrise, we’ll still throw this out for Sunrise Saturday.
Taken a couple of weeks ago, the clouds were doing a good job making wildlife photography a bit tough but that was easily forgiven thanks to this scene that unfolded to the east. Those beautiful rays really were awesome to see!
Let’s call it Sunrise Saturday. Taken one week ago as I headed out on my photo walk, this scene clearly required some attention.
You’ve seen me share many a sunrise from this spot as it really is a great place to capture the beautiful starts to the day we oftentimes see here. The clouds above were awash in reds and orange with us a bit of blue peeking through on the horizon. All was reflected near perfectly on the surface of the pond. Yup, not many better ways to start the day!
Oh if I had only been a few minutes earlier! As I was leaving for my photo excursion, I could tell I was going to regret leaving a little bit later than normal. It was clear the show on the horizon was going to be a good one and indeed it was.
As I headed out, I could see a brilliant sun pillar developing to the east but needed to get somewhere to get the shot. It took me some time to get to an area open space with a clear view of the horizon. By then the pillar was fading but I was able to at least capture a hint of it. Beautiful!
It seems fitting to share an image like this today.
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ~ Luke 24:6-7
You’ve seen me share pics from this same spot on the Colorado plains many times. It has to be probably one of my favorites to just sit and watch the sun rise over the horizon. During the winter, it is so quiet, calm and peaceful.
Taken a couple weeks ago, the ice had just melted off the lake that week and while I would have preferred some clouds to add drama to the skies, it was still a pretty awesome scene. That tree always does a nice job adding some interest to the image.
Kind of a fun scene. This little rowboat was put in place as decoration by some property owners in the Colorado foothills. I’ve driven by it hundreds of times, probably have even photographed it a time or two. It just kind of makes for a neat scene, out there all alone on a tiny island.
I reckon someone more philosophical than I could come up with an extraordinary metaphor to use with the image. For me, I just think it is cool and on one morning last weekend, it was lit up beautiful with the golden light of sunrise and a nice reflection on the water beneath it.
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