POTD: Watching

Watching

Location: Kebler Pass, Colorado
Camera: Nikon D3, 14-24mm lens
Settings: f/2.8, 24 seconds, ISO 1600
When: October, 2011

It was cloudy when I parked to spend the night in my jeep near Kebler Pass.  If you’ve ever slept in a jeep you know it’s not the most comfortable place to spend the night.  Nature photographers get used to this and you wake up several times during the night to reposition and stop the aching in your back.  I woke at half past three to clear skies and a full moon shining bright.

After a short drive I noticed these aspen trees on the hillside above the road. Pointing the wide angle lens upward drew the tops of the trees together. Normally I would correct this but it seemed as if the trees where joining together to enjoy the starry sky.

All my images are available as limited edition artwork. Click here for more information or to purchase a fine art print.

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POTD: Ambiance

Ambiance

Location: Ohio Pass, Colorado
Camera: Phase One P45, Schneider 72L, Cambo Technical Camera
Settings: f/16, 2 seconds, ISO 50
When: October, 2011

I love the experience of aspen groves ablaze in autumn yellow and Ohio Pass near Crested Butte, Colorado is one of the best places to photograph them.  The forest follows down the side of the mountain providing a background full of color.

When photographing the texture of the forest I try to include some kind of compositional element.  In this shot the hiding evergreen adds the compositional element to anchor the viewer’s gaze.

All my images are available as limited edition artwork. Click here for more information or to purchase a fine art print.

POTD: Majestic

Majestic

Location: Aspen, Colorado
Camera: Phase One P45, Schneider 72L, Cambo Technical Camera
Settings: f/11, ISO 100, 1/25 sec, 2 vertical shots stitched
When: August, 2011

Another image of the Maroon Bells photographed a bit later in the day.  I waited a few hours to let the light reach the foothills near Maroon Lake.  The lake remained completely calm which is rare.  I photographed this composition several times and this shot with a slight ripple in the water from visiting Canadian Geese added a painterly feel to the mountains reflection.

During Autumn, the banks of this small lake are completely filled with hundreds of photographers hoping for a gorgeous morning.  During the summer you often have it to yourself with fields full of wildflowers in the meadow north of the lake.

All my images are available as limited edition artwork. Click here for more information or to purchase a fine art print.

POTD: Maroon Bells

Maroon Bells

Location: Aspen, Colorado
Camera: Phase One P45, Schneider 72L Lens, Cambo Technical Camera
Settings: f/11, 1 sec, ISO 100
When: Unknown

I’m back after a short break, I hope you enjoy today’s image of the day.  Located outside of Aspen, Colorado these majestic mountains received their name for their maroon-colored bell shape. Maroon Lake in the foreground mirrors the foothills making it one of the most picturesque and photographed mountains in the country.

All my images are available as limited edition artwork. Click here for more information or to purchase a fine art print.

POTD: Peaceful

Peaceful

Location: Beaver Lake, NW Arkansas
Camera: Phase One P30, Mamiya 645D, 300mm
Settings: f/16, ISO 100, multiple exposures stitched and overlaid
When: September 2009

A few days ago I posted an image from this location called “Moonglow”.  A beautiful moonrise captured just as the moon was floating through the “Band of Venus” whichis a band of pink that rises through the sky just after sunset.

Following that photograph, I repositioned the camera slightly using a much longer focal length to compress the scene.  By shooting two tall exposures over one another I was able to stitch them into this vertical panorama of the scene.  I also photographed the moon with a much faster shutter speed to reveal the detail on its surface.

Vertical panoramic images are much more difficult to compose but no other format can fit a huge statement onto such a small amount of wall space.  An image only 2′ wide is more than six feet tall.  Standing in front of a print that large you feel as though you could step right into the scene.  One theme you will find with most of my photographs is realism.  My primary goal is to capture stunning scenery as closely as possible to what it would be like had the viewer been standing next to me.

All my images are available as limited edition artwork. Click here for more information or to purchase a fine art print.

POTD: Falling Waters

Falling Waters

Location: Ozark National Forest, NW Arkansas
Camera: Phase One P65+, Cambo RS, Schneider 35XL
Settings: f/16, ISO 100, 4 sec, 2 shots stitched
When: October 2009

Falling Water Falls is a popular swimming hole in NW Arkansas.  From this point until Falling Water Creek empties into Richland Creek is a wonderful area to explore and photograph.  There are countless pools, cascades and waterfalls along this short stretch of paradise.

October 2009 was an incredible time in NW Arkansas.  Spring rains in this area create literally thousands of waterfalls in the Ozark Mountains.  We also have fantastic fall colors from all of the hardwoods.  It is very rare for us to have good water and color at the same time.  It happens once every 10-15 years and has not happened since 2009 so every fall photographers in this part of the country hope “this year” will be that year.

This image of Falling Water Falls was taken just as the fall colors were starting  to change.  A week later I visited again and there was so much water this entire area was filled with a raging torrent.

All my images are available as limited edition artwork. Click here for more information or to purchase a fine art print.

POTD: Moonglow

Moonglow

Location: Beaver Lake, NW Arkansas
Camera: Phase One P30, Mamiya 645D, 75-150mm
Settings: f/16, ISO 100, 1/125 & 1/2 sec
When: September 2009

I found this scene quite by accident one evening as the moon was rising over the Earth’s Shadow a day or two before the full moon.  I didn’t have my camera at the time because we were boating with friends.   I returned the next three months until conditions were right to photograph the full moon over this small island with narrow causeway to the mainland.

All my images are available as limited edition artwork. Click here for more information or to purchase a fine art print.