I realized something of great importance this past Saturday while traveling Iron Mountain Road in Wyoming: I love Wyoming. I love it the way you love something you didn't realize you loved at first. The way some things kinda sneak up on you when you're not looking then bam - there they are and you wonder how long this has been going on. I love Colorado too, but Colorado's easy to love - everyone loves Colorado. [...]
Often times when you head out for the day along Colorado's Front Range you simply don't know what the day holds. That's one of the reasons it's such fun: that unexpected surprise emerging when you think you're looking for one thing - and another takes you completely off guard. Such was the case on this day. Fort Collins was shrouded in cold, gray fog. There was really no hint of redemption - just unrelenting grayness. [...]
Looks like I'm going to have another go at the Bisti this weekend. It'll be the first real road trip of 2017 and I'm excited. After recently getting the 645 dialed in I'm feeling ready for whatever happens. Dark Sky is a great weather app for the iPhone. At first glance it's simple, easy to use and understand. But there's a lot more power under the hood, like the satellite tracking map at far right. [...]
The Nikon F with FTn finder and 50mm lens. Admiring the F again tonight; its simplicity, elegance, small footprint, lack of any type of power what so ever required to operate. All mechanical, no electronics. What a thing of beauty. Who would have thought in 1959 something was being released into the world that would have such a long lasting impact - not just on the art form of photography, but the world. [...]
Winter Grasses and Snow, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Nikon F2S, Ilford Delta 100. Winter is one of Colorado's unique charms. One day we'll be -15°, a few days later we'll be in the mid-to-low 60's. January can be a pretty dreary time, especially just after the holidays. Back to work we go, after what was hopefully a restful - but more likely a stressful - holiday season. Summoning the energy to get [...]
A moonless, cold night in early October proved an excellent time to hunt for the Milky Way in southwestern skies. Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, San Juan County, New Mexico (2016). Last light overlooking Cortez and the San Juan range from Geologic Overlook, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado (2016). Southern morning vista with Monument Valley in the distance, Valley of the Gods National Monument, Southern Utah (2016) First light in Alamo Wash, [...]
We've just returned from the annual fall walkabout, this time to the American Southwest in search of perfect light. We found it in Monument Valley, Utah one morning. This first of a series of entries won't be a linear description of the trip, but instead snippets surrounding given images, memories or thoughts. Milky Way, Artist's Point, Monument Valley, Utah. The park doesn't open until 7am, but we were able to get in earlier and set [...]
Chicago Lakes from Summit Lake Overlook, Mount Evans, Colorado (2016). To view image as large as possible please click and you'll be directed to the gallery containing it. One of the commonly cited demerits of 35mm film is its lack of resolution when you want to print really big. It's true. This is a physical limitation; a wall unclimbable by any camera or any lens combination. Leica, Nikon, Canon, Zeiss... it matters not. A frame of [...]
I have had the privilege of living in Colorado since 1981 when I moved to Fort Collins to attend Colorado State University. Having moved from Illinois, I'd literally do anything to get into the mountains. At first a poor college student with no car, I once borrowed a friend's bike - two sizes too large - to pedal up Thompson Canyon from Fort Collins, backpack with ice axe and all. I remember a sleek, streamlined peloton of [...]
South Brush Creek, Snowy Range, Wyoming At first it looked like a brownish, furry lump in the middle of WYO 320. The wind blew and late morning sun peeked in and out of an active sky. Through a dirty windshield it was tough to make out. As the car rolled closer the profile of a small head emerged from the fur, then turned a few times trying to get her bearings then let out a [...]
