I had been purposefully attempting not to photograph at Dream Lake. It's much too tempting of a location for a photographer and it's easy to pass up all the other spectacular lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park. After all, I only have a limited amount of time to photograph all the wonders of Rocky. This scene was just to irresistible to pass up. Fresh snow, a lake surface of glass that had not frozen, and beautiful clouds overhead stopped my in my tracks. Technicial Details: Canon EOS 1ds III, 17mm F4 TS-E L

Having the photography Gods shine down on you can be one of the most rewarding experiences one can have in the field. Of course you have to make sure your actually in a position to take advantage of the conditions your presented with. There is not a worse feeling than watching an amazing sunrise a half mile short of your intended destination, and I’ve been party to that on more than one occasion.

The end of last week was cloudy, cool and rainy on the Front Range. It was cool enough that the snow line was hovering around 9000 feet. Above 9000 feet, heavy wet snow was falling, even though the temperature was right around the freezing mark. It was supposed to stay cool and wet from Friday right through Sunday.

Knowing full well, that’s it’s hard to keep the Colorado Sun hidden behind clouds for an entire 3 days, I figured we could have an interesting sunrise. Even if a good Sunrise failed to materialize, I love shooting water features and other more intimate landscapes under the diffused and cloudy light. All the conditions were setting up for a no lose situation for photography.

With the conditions in mind I planned on hiking up to Emerald Lake above Dream Lake to photograph sunrise. This summer, I’m trying to avoid Dream Lake like the plaque. Not because Dream Lake is not one of the most beautiful alpine locations in all of Colorado, but very much for that reason.

So starting my hike from the Bear Lake trailhead, I had no intention of stopping or photographing Dream Lake. There was a nice fresh layer of snow coating all the tree’s and the Ranger cottage leaving Bear Lake. Fog and clouds were present over the lower lying areas of the Plains below, but clear blue sky was present above Rocky Mountain National Park.

Arriving at Emerald Lake after the 1.5 mile hike in, I found the surface of the lake to be frozen over with a thin layer of ice and snow. I would not be getting a reflection shot of Hallet in Emerald Lake, but the lake’s frozen surface with fresh snow looked intriguing enough. I was disappointed that it was looking like a cloudless, clear blue sky morning. As if on queue with my shutter firing off at first light, some clouds started to appear above Hallet.

I photographed at Emerald for 25 minutes or so. I was able to capture a beautiful red hue lighting Hallet, with clouds skating overhead. A small band of fog even formed over the surface of the frozen lake making for some nice images. Satisfied with the images I had captured of Emerald Lake, I packed up and headed back out towards my vehicle, the hike of course, would take me right past Dream Lake.

I’ve photographed Dream Lake plenty, for photographers Dream Lake can be like a moth to a flame. It’s hard not to be tempted by it’s idyllic scenery, symmetry of Hallet Peak and Flattop Mountain rising above. As I hiked around Dream Lake on my way out from Emerald, I half heartedly attempted to ignore the unfrozen and placid lake surface. I looked for some images of snow covered trees reflecting in Dream Lake, but found none that interested me.

I was making every attempt to photograph images other than the iconic image of Dream Lake from the eastern outlet. As I neared the eastern outlet, the moth in could no longer resist the flame. This was especially true when I stopped to look back at Hallet and Flattop and noticed that the early morning cloud cover was quickly intensifying over the Lake.

It was at that point, that I could no longer resist temptation. I hastily flung my backpack off and quickly started making images of this beautiful morning. As soon as I framed Hallet and Flattop reflecting in the glass surface of the lake, I was grateful I temporarily at least ended my Dream Lake embargo.

Fog and rain are a great way to convey mood's through weather. The soft diffused light and fog sifting through the Aspen boles helps to set the stage. When Aspen tree's first bud out each spring, their leaves turn an intense key lime like color. The translucent lime green leaves will last only a short while before the leaves turn a darker green. I photographed this nice grove of spring Aspen tree's in the McGraw Ranch area of Rocky Mountain National Park on the backside of Lumpy Ridge. The light rain on the leaves, fog and diffused light are the perfect conditions to showcase the tree's spring green. Technicial Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 24-105mm F4 IS

I was treated to rain, snow, and fog all in the last few days. While it’s been grey and dreary down here around Boulder and most have my Sun worshiping friends are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from lack of Sun the last three days, I’ve been reveling in what I consider great weather, for photography at least.

I had some of the most amazing conditions on Saturday which I’ll share in my next post. For now, I’ll leave you with an image I made this morning in McGraw Ranch area of Rocky Mountain National Park.

This image has a very Yin and Yang feel to me. The spring runoff along North St. Vrain Creek was turbulent. On the other hand, a large granite boulder rested in the middle of the creek, unmoving and unwavering. Wild Basin is chock full of potential when it comes to photographing the streams and falls located in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's a favorite location of mine, especially on rainy ovecast days. Technicial Details: Canon EOS 1dsIII, 24-105mm F4 IS, Circular Polarizer.

I spent last week wandering around the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. Wild Basin is a lesser visited section of Rocky located in the southeastern half of the Park. It’s a favorite photographic destination of mine. While there are beautiful alpine lakes in Wild Basin, they require one way hikes of up to six miles or more to visit. Wild Basin requires a bit more effort than some other areas of the park if your looking for peaks reflecting in lakes.

What makes Wild Basin so interesting to me is all of the creeks, streams and falls that course the area. In many ways it can feel more like your on the wetter western slope of Colorado, than the drier eastern facing mountains. The North St. Vrain, Cony Creek and Ouzel Creek all make for great subjects in the spring, feeding many of the interesting water features located in Wild Basin.

Wild Basin is a good change of pace for me. The scenery in the lower half of Wild Basin may not be as dramatic as other areas of Rocky, but it’s unique and rewarding to scamper along the boulders of the creeks looking for interesting and unique images.

I prefer to head to Wild Basin when it’s rainy and overcast. The diffused lighting is great for photographing the streams and forest. I could spend a lifetime of cloudy days photographing and exploring along the banks of the many creeks.

Persistence can be a gift and a curse. Most photographers probably have a little bit of 'OCD' in their bloodlines. How often do you visit a given location to create and image worthy of your portfolio?. I've visited this location many times over the last few years, waiting for all the elements to come together. Finally, my persistence paid off and I managed to capture the Flatirons of Boulder coated with fresh snow as the storm cleared the Front Range of Colorado. Technicial Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 24mm TS-E F3.5 II w 1.4 TC

Contrast this with the possibility that over saturating a given location or subject may be stifling your creativity, or even worse causing you to miss out on better opportunities elsewhere. Is your persistence causing you to become shortsighted and curbing your overall creative opportunities? These are certainly questions that run through my head each time I set out to create new images.

In general, I view persistence as a positive aspect with regards to my photography. There are certainly times when obsessing over a given location hampers my ability to expand my portfolio and explore and photograph new locations.

Contrary to how many clients and non-photographers view my work, time in the field is not typically spent wandering aimlessly around with my camera hanging around my neck hoping that serendipity strikes and I create an image worth sharing.

While on occasion I may create images in this manner, most of the locations in my portfolio have been visited on numerous occasions, at varying times and seasons in an attempt to create an image that I think best represents the subject matter.

Many times I’ve visited a given location hundreds of times over many years before I create an image that I’m pleased with. While some of my fellow photographers may be more proficient at creating images, I believe locations must be visited and photographed numerous times for one to be successful. I’m curious to know what approach others take when visiting locations.

Fall River flows through the rock gorge that makes up Chasm Falls. The granite slot is an impressive location to view Fall River. Hiking to this location with Old Fall River Road still closed allowed me to take in my surroundings without the normal distractions found during the buys season when Old Fall River Road is open to car traffic. Technical Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 24mm TS-E f3.5 L II

Old Fall River Road is the original right of way that tourists and visitors would travel through Rocky Mountain National Park. In fact, Fall River Road predates the inception of Rocky Mountain National Park and at one time was the only road connecting Larimer and Grand Counties. Trail Ridge Road is now the main thoroughfare through Rocky, but Old Fall River Road remains a popular destination when open for one-way car travel from July until early fall or the first snowfall.

The seasonal closure of Old Fall River Road makes Chasm Falls a great hiking destination the remaining portion of the year. With Fall River Road closed for the season and the parade of cars held at bay by a locked NPS brown gate, time spent photographing Chasm Falls is a far more intimate experience.

I’ve visited and photographed Chasm Falls many times in the past. Prior to this visit, I’ve always photographed Chasm Falls like most park visitors, by driving to it. Chasm Falls is in reality the first actual pull off along the steep windy road. Most visitors to Rocky Mountain stop here to view the falls on the way to the Alpine visitor center. Because it’s so popular in the summer with Fall River open to auto traffic, it can be difficult to connect with the place.

Edward Abbey, a favorite author of mine advocated removing all the roads from the National Parks. Abbey felt that if these natural areas were of such importance, visitors should have to put in the effort and see them on foot, in a more natural and less corrupted setting. While I don’t share Abbey’s viewpoint on the matter, spending time alone at Chasm Falls without the parade of auto’s and visitors made for a much more organic and enlightening experience.

Photographing alone at Chasm Falls, there were no distractions, no human voices or sounds of cars and car alarms. With only the sound of Fall River and the birds in the trees I was able to take my time, slow down, and really enjoy and connect with my surroundings. Abbey’s thoughts lingered in my head for the remainder of the day. My experience this day at Chasm Falls, devoid of cars and on foot was enlightening. Maybe Abbey was on to something?

It was a perfect sunrise. All the elements came together and I was lucky enough to be on the shore of Bierstadt Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park to photograph it. It's rare enough for all the elements to cooperate and come together like this, but when photographing in conditons such as these, the experience is as exciting as the first sunrise I photographed. Albert Bierstadt was known for his dramatic landscape paintings. Bierstadt Lake provided and equally impressive light show this morning. Technical Details: Canon Eos 1Ds III, 24-105mm F4 IS L

Albert Bierstadt’s paintings of the American West, featured dramatic skies, clouds and mountains that helped to dramatize, some would say overly so, the landscapes of the early American West. There are two landmarks named after the famous Hudson River School painter in the state of Colorado. Mt. Bierstadt, and Rocky Mountain National Park’s Bierstadt Lake.

Bierstadt Lake lies atop the Bierstadt Moraine and boasts some of the best views of Hallet Peak, Flattop Mountain, Mt. Otis, Thatchtop, and Notchtop. At sunrise, Bierstadt Lake presents the photographer with impressive lighting and views of the these northeasterly facing peaks.

Bierstadt Lake is a fairly good size lake compared to the other lakes Alpine and Sub-Alpine lakes of Rocky. If you can happen to be at Bierstadt under the right conditions, with little wind and clouds floating over the famous peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park you can easily be transported into a scene that seems reminiscent of a Bierstadt painting.

This particular morning was just one of those very mornings at the lake. Bierstadt Lake is a favorite location of mine. I’ve photographed quite a few beautiful sunrises from the shores of Bierstadt. A large approaching storm from the west was starting to settle in over Rocky this day. This was a ‘calm before the storm’ moment. Even as the storm moved in, there was no wind present and the clouds had not yet moved far enough east to obscure the sunrise.

I setup my camera on my tripod and waited for the first rays of the morning to illuminate the peaks. As a photographer who has been lucky enough to witness and photograph many beautiful sunrise’s, I still get just as excited, if not more so when I’m on the cusp of photographing a location under what I believe is going to yield dramatic conditions and light. The anticipation and excitement as the scene unfolds is difficult to describe in words alone.

With the click of the shutter as the first rays of light hit the peaks, time seems to slow as the light show unfolds. In many ways for me, it’s like I’m not even photographing at all. It’s an experience and a feeling I don’t want to come to an end. As soon as it begins it’s just as quick to come to an end. The light fades and flattens and it’s time to pack up and hike out.

Albert Bierstadt’s paintings were often criticized for their overly dramatic and indulgent lighting, color and size of presentation. After morning’s like this at Bierstadt’s lake, I can deeply appreciate what Bierstadt was attempting to convey in his paintings. To those of us lucky enough to witness lighting such as this we know that Albert may have been too conservative in his presentation of his art and vision.

This certainly was not an image I had intended on photographing this morning in Rocky Mountain National Park. After a very succesful sunrise shot at The Loch, I spied this open water along Glacier Creek on the hike back down. The abstract nature of the shot appeals to me, and the green moss on the rock along the creek bed helps to offset the white snow. Technical Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 70-200mm F2.8 IS L II

With the warm temperatures and early spring continuing, there are lots of current photographic opportunities in Rocky Mountain National Park that are occurring much earlier in the year than is typical. I realize this abstract of Glacier Creek just Loch Vale may be a bit too abstract for some, but I spent a good deal of time photographing this portion of Glacier Creek a few weeks ago and came away with some different views.

Typically, this portion of Glacier Creek would be buried under heavy winter snows through most of April. Stopping to photograph this spot a few weeks ago, the green moss on the rocks of the creek bed stood out in great contrast to the white winter snow that surrounded the small opening that had formed on Glacier Creek revealing the early spring runoff.

I setup my tripod precariously along the banks of Glacier Creek. It was difficult to setup in a location that provided a clean vantage point of the opening on the creek, while not sliding down a large bank and ending up in the creek itself. I attached a polarizer to my 70-200mm lens to cut down on the glare and emphasize the green moss on the rock, contrasted against the white snow. All in all it was an image I had not visualized photographing on my hike up to The Loch for sunrise, but I’m quite pleased with the images I walked away with this morning.

The classic view of the Boulder Flatirons is from Chautaqua Park and the Meadows. The meadows provide many great 'props' such as wildflowers, tree's and Yucca plants to provide sweeping near to far views. Even though Chautauqua Park in Boulder is a photographers favorite location, there are many other great locations around Boulder to photograph the Flatirons and Boulder's other natural wonders. Technicial Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 16-35mm F2.8 L II

Tip 1: The Flatirons from Chautauqua Park and meadow is by far the most popular location to photograph in Boulder. This is the classic view of the Flatirons that you will see hanging in shops and galleries along Pearl Street. Chautauqua Park is a beautiful spot and the meadow allows one to photograph with short hiking distances and lots of interesting props to make strong near/far compositions.

Chautauqua Park is a great morning location all year. Just a short drive from downtown Boulder, one can expect the best light at sunrise. The Flatiron formation east facing orientation allows them to receive the earliest of light as the sun rises over the high plains. The Flatirons will typically glow an intense red as the first light of bathes the granite faces.

Chautauqua meadow provides ample amounts of interesting foreground subjects as well. Starting in the late Spring, wildflowers will begin to bloom over the meadow. Typically Golden Banner will begin to bloom in the meadow around the first week of May. Wild Iris, Silver Lupine and Sweet Pea will all follow along as temperatures warm. Depending on moisture and temperature you will typically find large groups of wildflowers in the meadow from early May through late June. The meadow also has interesting tree’s, boulders and Yucca’s that can be used all four season’s as foreground props.

South Boulder Creek meanders through the bottom of the frame as South Boulder Peak illuminates the mornings first light. I photographed this image from Eldorado Springs. This view of the Flatirons is not photographed as often as Chautauqua Park, but some of the best views of the Flatiron foramtion are photographed south of Boulder. Technical Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 16-35mm F2.8 L II

Tip 2: Photographing the Flatirons does not begin and end at Chautauqua park. As stated above, Chautauqua park is by far the most popular place to photograph the Flatirons. This is partly because of its close proximity to downtown Boulder and easy access. While I love photographing from Chautauqua Park, I think there are some even better locations to photograph the Boulder Flatirons.

In particular, some of the Boulder County Open Space and Mountain Park’s properties south of Boulder offer some of the best vantages of the Flatiron formation. The area around Eldorado Springs offers some great vantage points of the Flatirons and South Boulder peak. Some hiking and exploration around the Doudy Draw trailhead as well as the Flatirons Vista trailhead will reveal some of my favorite vantage points for photographing the Flatirons.

Tip 3: There is much more to photograph in Boulder than just the Flatirons. While many photographers favor images of the Flatirons, exploring Gregory Canyon, Flagstaff Mountain, and trails such as the Mesa trail will all provide rewarding images of Ponderosa Pines, Yucca’s and other more intimate forest scenes. I personally find photographing these areas during or after a recent snowstorm to be the most rewarding time to hit the trails around Boulder.

The Cathederal Wall glows orange as the Sun's first rays light up Loch Vale and reflect in the surface of The Loch in Rocky Mountain National Park. It took some 'environmental engineering' to get this image to work as the image below demonstrates. Technicial Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 24mm f3.5 TS-E L II, and of course a submerged twig from the lake.

Take this weekends leap of faith venture up to The Loch in Rocky Mountain National Park. Colorado’s abnormally warm, dry Spring weather pattern has remained the norm. I was hoping there would be some open water to photograph when I arrived at my destination but I had no way of knowing until I had put 3 snow packed miles behind me. I had not hiked up to The Loch since August, so I could only take a guess with the amount of open water at Dream Lake, there might be some at The Loch.

Hiking up the crusty snow packed trail from the Glacier Gorge parking kept me on my toes. Typically in the Winter and early Spring months you hike up a frozen Glacier Creek to get up to the Loch Vale area. This spring morning was no different and hiking up a still mostly frozen Glacier Creek was still possible. Other than the annoyance of an occasional slip on the ice, or a leg post holing in soft snow it was an enjoyable hike up to The Loch.

Trolling around the near shore of The Loch revealed lots of snowpack and no signs of open water. There were some high cirrus clouds and little wind, so overall conditions were great. I was finally able to find a small area of open water. Quickly setting up my camera and tripod revealed that I was going to have a hard time photographing the Cathedral Wall reflecting in the Loch.

My camera setup resting plum and leveled along the shoreline of The Loch thanks to one soggy twig. I would have liked to have used my tripod, but my center column prevented me setting up this low to the ground.

My camera had to be a few inches from the surface of The Loch in order to capture a full reflection of Mt. Taylor and the Cathedral Wall without the icy mass on the surface of the lake hindering the view. Because of the three mile hike up to the lake, I brought my lightweight tripod with a center column, not my heavier tripod without a center column. For the layperson, the center column hinders one from extending their tripod legs outward in such a fashion that you can set it up level with the ground.

My only hope for getting the reflection in the shot was to ditch the tripod and setup my camera on the exposed granite along the shoreline. One of the rocks was flat enough to allow me to rest my camera setup on top of it in a somewhat stable fashion. The problem was I needed to level my camera so that the scene before me was level.

I was surrounded by only snow. I could find no small rocks or other items to help prop and level my camera. Luckily, there was a small stick submerged in the lake along the shoreline. Reaching into the icy cold lake, I retrieved the stick and used it to prop and level the left side of my camera. Combining that with the use of rise on 24mm TS-E lens I was able to stabilize and level the camera so that I could photograph the reflection. I’m not the first to rig up my camera to get the shot, but I was not leaving The Loch without capturing this beautiful spring scene. Anybody else out there have any good tales on unique circumstances when out photographing?.

It looked like it was going to be a so-so sunrise this morning at Dream Lake on this St. Patrick's day morning. With lot's of good fortune on my side, I was able to capture a beautiful sunrise from a thawing Dream Lake this morning in Rocky Mountain National Park. Technical Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 24mm f3.5 TS-E L II

I can only suspect my good fortune this morning can be attributed to the luck of the Irish. How else can I explain what appeared to be a completely cloudless and breezy morning transforming into a beautiful and epic sunrise?. Even more surprising was the fact that the wind instead of intensifying at Dream Lake at sunrise as is typical, actually subsided. All of those lucky breaks are not enough to explain the unusually mild and warm weather we’ve been having that has thawed the eastern outlet of Dream Lake and allowed just enough open water to squeeze in Hallet and Flattop mountain reflecting on the lake’s surface. I’ll just have to be content with this spectacular St. Patrick’s day morning knowing I stumbled upon my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.