I always thought I didn’t have the patience for landscape and nature photography, and therefore never applied myself in this area, but on a recent trip to Colorado I truly enjoyed not only being in nature but also attempting to capture it’s beauty. Above is a photo looking out over Telluride in the late afternoon, a beautiful little mountain town that I am so glad I finally got the chance to see. One of my best friends, Zachary Zwart, who is like a brother to me, has lived there for years and the visit was long over due. He and his girlfriend, Michael Arnold, were wonderful hosts. They showed me amazing views, like the one above, took me on a lovely hike to a waterfall and pointed me in the direction of a wonderful hike while they were at work.

Above is a photo taken on that first hike in Telluride. In a day when everyone has an iphone and when DSLR cameras are becoming more common for the amateur photographer, taking a professional photo rather than a snapshot can appear to be more of a challenge, especially for me when the subject seems static. I think I used to believe that nature photography wasn’t for me because I like journalism and the decisive moment. What I realized on this trip is that nature has a decisive moment too. Even this static cliff has a moving waterfall and more importantly has moving light. Light can make the difference between a snapshot and a piece of art. I took sunset and dusk photos when I could, but at times like this, sun flares (as in my last post) helped make the light more interesting. It is easy to take a stunning picture in a beautiful place, but it is more of a challenge to take a unique one.

The next day there, my friends were at work and I decided to take a hike. I brought a lot of camera equipment with me on this trip. I borrowed my friend’s wide angle lens, brought my telephoto lens, my standard 17-50 mm lens, a fixed 50 mm lens, a flash and a tripod. I had actually never been on a hike by myself and was a little nervous of getting lost or being eaten by a mountain lion, but I figured I would be safe enough. I set out with my camera, all my lenses and even my tripod. Not only was it wonderful exercise (especially with all the extra weight), but I loved having the time to spend taking photos without worrying I was holding people up. I utilized all my lenses and took everything from macro to wide angle.

 

Early on in the trail I took this macro shot of a daisy. The photo above it is a small group of the same flowers. Here’s a trick for those, like me, who have not shelled out the money for a macro lens. I love playing with macro photography, but I just don’t have consistent enough of a need for one to justify the expense. If you have a fixed 50 mm lens, you can hold it against your camera backwards to simulate a macro lens. That is how I took the above photo. It is a bit hard to focus (move your camera closer and further from the subject to focus on it), but you definitely get some cool effects. Here are a few more examples, all of which except the last one were taken on this hike. The last one was taken the next day.

 

Above is a wider shot of the next two macro shots.

 

 

 

At the end of the hike, there was a waterfall. I first used my wide angle lens to capture the whole thing. I put my camera on a tripod so I could use a low shutter speed. This effect makes the water smoother and gives it a dreamlike quality.

 

Next I took some with my telephoto lens on a tripod, so that I could get up nice a close to the waterfall and concentrate on a detail of it.

After a splendid time in Telluride, complete with a massage and delicious food/history tour both provided by Michael, Zach and I went camping nearby with my sister, Kimberly, and brother-in-law, Robert. Below are some of my favorite photos from hiking, visiting mesa verde and taking a scenic drive.

 

 

 

 

 

Mesa Verde, a well photographed area, no doubt, was breathtaking. Some of my favorite shots in the area are from after the sun began to set- the magic hour of the day. Kimberly and I had a great sister day- I’m so happy she let me take some time to capture these scenes.

 

 

 

 

I thought the texture in the next two made them interesting. I also like the idea of the first sign of fall peaking through.

 

However, sometimes a softer look can be just as effective.

 

 

I loved the way the shadows fell on this mountain face. It really is all about light and shadow and how they change the scene.

Below is a photo from out campsite at dusk. The rich blue really sets the mood of the photo.

 

And finally, I tried my hand at photographing stars and had some fun light painting with a flashlight. I really got a lot of use out of my tripod. I wish I could have used a more precise flashlight, but it was still fun.

 

 

 

 

And with that I will say goodnight. This blog also marks the launch of my new website and as the blog is tied to it, I really plan to update regularly, so thank you for looking and I do hope that you check back. I have some exciting adventures to come- everything from photographing newborns to weddings to traveling to nurse and volunteer in Ecuador. I leave for that one on Saturday. Stay well and keep shooting and exploring your world.