It’s not often the sun is red and when it is, it usually comes from wildfires. Such was the case this morning as smoke from the 416 Fire in southwestern Colorado stretched to the Front Range. Certainly it is sad to see forests burn and we certainly wish it wasn’t happening but it does make for some pretty views.

While daytime temperatures in northeastern Colorado were relatively mild yesterday, as the sun was coming up it was a bone-chilling 7 degrees. I really did not want to get out of my toasty, warm truck but as I saw this scene unfolding I had no choice.

A notable lack of clouds had me thinking the sunrise was going to be a dud but I was soon proven wrong. The golden orb coming up over the horizon bathed the water of Jackson Lake State Park in orange and the hint of fog / steam coming off the lake looked ethereal.

Since there weren’t any clouds above to highlight I opted for a panoramic crop of this one and think it came out pretty nice.

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.” I can’t help but think of that old saying this evening – I am a sailor after all. 😉

The sunrise on the Colorado Front Range this morning was amazing as always. Those gorgeous colored clouds and sky coupled with the frozen pond below were awesome.

However, Mother Nature is apparently set to deliver a potent storm on us tonight and tomorrow so I am of course, taking warning.

This was on an extremely cold December morning on Colorado’s Great Plains. I was at Jackson Lake State Park primarily in search of eagles but as the sun began to crest the horizon and cast its golden light, I couldn’t help but divert and capture the scene.

A light frost had coated the grass helping to make it really shimmer. I then used a bit of a photographic ‘trick’ then allowed me to turn that rising sun into a bursting light.

This really is a cool technique and very easy for those that want to try. Simply stop your shot down as much as possible – something like f/22. The result is the ‘starburst’ effect you see here. It works best if the sun is somewhat obscured like through grass or leaves on a tree.

More of my landscape images here.

The first day of the workweek is rarely a fun one and Monday oftentimes lives up to its reputation. Rather than feed the fire, here’s an image I snapped this weekend to calm things down. This was actually looking to the north at a 90-degree angle to the sunrise. The rising sun lit up the cool, cotton ball clouds and the reflection colored the ice and water orange. When you get stressed today, just try to think of a scene like this. 😉

Not many clouds this morning to make for an extraordinary sunrise but it was definitely golden and pretty unto into own right.

If the team was doing worth a darn, I probably would have called this a ‘Broncos sunrise’ since it was taken on a game day. That, unfortunately, is not the case and while the view did feature the team colors, it sure did not portend a victory. 🙁 Nevertheless, the scene was beautiful with the clouds on the horizon blazing orange and that deep blue, Colorado sky above just beginning to get illuminated. More landscape images here.

I was pleased to find this image of mine included in Colorado Outdoors magazine’s 2017 photo issue. Taken at Jackson Lake State Park, Colorado back in January, it was indeed one very cold morning. However, all that ice and a subdued sunrise made for some nice pics that morning, even if it was 17 degrees and windy at the time. 😉

I had hoped one of my wildlife shots would make the cut for the magazine this year but no such luck. That’s okay, I am flattered to have this one in there and it gives me something to shoot for next year.

Image available here.