6.28.20 - Not an hour before this sunset, I was sitting at dinner, complaining about the lackluster sunrises and sunsets we’d been having recently. While finishing the meal, I noticed a bit of color in the sky, but it didn’t seem promising. Then, on the drive home, the colors started to pop. I hightailed it to my local go-to spot for impromptu shoots and was able to capture the brilliant reds over Beaver Creek Reservoir. I haven’t done much research into the Saharan dust storms, but I suspect this colorful event was, at least in part, due to the extra particles in the atmosphere reflecting more light.
2.9.20 - I decided to shoot Sunday night’s sunset on a whim, so I headed straight to one of my easy go-to spots as the colors popped. Fortunately the warm tones burned slowly in the sky, meaning I was able to get off a number of shots before the colors faded. I’ve photographed this scene dozens, if not hundreds of times, and it never seems to disappoint. I do always struggle figuring out if I should shoot a single vertical frame, or go for the wider panorama. This night I’d say the panorama worked out fairly well!
6.15.19 - The first time I saw a photo of this place, I knew I had to photograph it. Nearly two years later, I took an impromptu trip to the southwest. I stayed at this location for the better part of three days photographing this viewpoint and a number of other attractions.This was the first sunset I saw at this spot and by far the best light from the three days there, and I nearly missed it! I had everything set up and framed exactly the way I wanted, but the light just wasn't cooperating. The sun was going down behind me, though it was completely obscured by cloudcover. It didn't look like any light was going to break through to highlight this view. Fortunately, I had scouted another location about eight miles away that I knew would look good under cloudy, diffuse light, so I threw everything in the car and zipped off.This is all public land, though maintenance to the roads is few and far between. The windy, dusty, rugged gravel roads have no official speed limit, but most of my driving was done at 20 to 30 miles per hour. I had been meandering along to this other spot for about 10 minutes when I looked back and saw the faintest hint of pink on the rainclouds behind me. Sure enough, a small gap had cleared to the west where the last sunlight of the day was beaming through. I whipped the car around and raced back to the original site, topping 60 miles per hour at times, skidding around turns, kicking up gravel and dust the entire way. I’m sure the undercarriage of my car isn’t thanking me, but it was completely worth it to arrive right as the light completely lit up these rainclouds.Over the next few days, I did manage to catch some beautiful light on a number of features in the area. However, this was the one time the entire sky really lit up; I’m fortunate I caught it in the paramount location I had come to photograph. Even though I got this memorable light, I have no doubt I’ll be back to shoot this spot again, probably a number of times.
11.2.19 - While the rest of the weekend was drab, the sunset managed to sneak out from under the pallor for just a few moments before disappearing behind the mountains. Fortunately this herd of elk was resting right in front of the last remnants of fall color to catch this fleeting moment of light.
6.14.19
7.8.19
6.18.19
4.1.19 - I was hoping for a wild sunset, which didn't happen, but the purples and blues lingered on the horizon, giving a subtle reflection off of the river. This is seven vertical frames stitched together, so it's quite a large image. Click for larger.
3.13.19