Out of shape with heart pounding at the San Juan Mountains on St. Patrick’s Day, I slowly traversed up the steep icy/snow covered slope toward the roaring falls. It was a warm spring day which made the icy surface very slick. I was fortunate that someone else had left their boot imprint earlier in the season when the snow was softer allowing me to gain a foothold. Later on, I felt a little foolish when I found out that the north trail was dry which obviously would have been much easier to traverse.

The south path I took was only a ¼ mile hike but because of the conditions it took over 1/2 hour to reach my perch. It was also very windy so the spray from the falls was swirling around making photography difficult. The falls consisted of equal amounts of ice and water. Because of the warm conditions, huge chunks of ice were breaking off the 100′ cliff face making a loud roar as it shattered into pieces at the bottom floor.

On my left as seen in the picture, natural ice sculptures on a self overlooking the falls looked as if they where heavenly bodies monitoring the transformation of winter into spring.

I was fortunate to capture a giant chunk of ice the size of a small boat free falling (bottom central). I purposely increased my shutter speed to better capture the fractured water and ice as it loudly cascaded down the rocky cliff face.  At the base, a large tall glacier had formed from the overspray of the  nearly 100’ tall falls.

I felt blessed to be able to witness nature at its finest as winter was giving way to spring…

Wishing you all a happy blessed Easter!

I only get a birthday every four years so I decided to treat myself on the 29th of February to a late evening run up to the beautiful San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado.
I have photographed this particular area for many years and usually the lighting doesn’t work out the way I want it.

This time seemed no different but just before putting the gear away a gorgeous light beam pierced through the dark clouds striking a section of the peak. Soon afterwards, the surrounding clouds lit up with a fiery red glow.
Not only was it my birthday, it was also the day that I caught up in age to my deceased dad. One of the last things I remember before my dad passed away, we were coming home from the hospital to their small ranch when a brilliant sunset lit up the entire Front Range Mountains and sky above the Denver, CO area. With time against him as he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, my dad, who wasn’t a man of faith at the time (who later had a deathbed conversion), looked up to the heavens and then into my eyes and exclaimed:

“What a beautiful sunset God has given to us – He has been so good to me even though I have taken His creation for granted.”

That was a special moment for me as he passed away later that week. Maybe that’s why I am so crazy about sunsets today and have devoted a good portion of my life capturing them?
Regardless, I once again felt my Dad’s presence a few nights ago on my birthday, which I am especially grateful for…

Just like my birthday falling on the 29th, I was in the mood for something unusual this time. I think we have all been there when we reach a temporary plateau defined “as a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress.” Well, this definitely described my situation.

I thought long and hard and decided to head to a place off the beaten path only a few hours from home. I looked outside and noticed it was mostly overcast and wondered if a sunset would even be an option. I decided to go anyway as the weather changes by the minute here in the Southwest part of our country. In fact, the closer I got to my destination, the more the cloud cover started to dissipate. By sunset, there was only a small remnant left off in the eastern horizon. Regardless, as long as I had the saturated sunlight to work with I knew everything would be fine.

The desert sky takes on a beautiful glow well after sundown and that night was no exception. Rich blues, reds, and violet colors painted the late evening sky providing for a nice backdrop to the unique landmarks that make the desert so unique. The weather was unusually warm for this time of year so the long exposures were easy to manage.

My favorite location was the Mar’s like environment It was the perfect combination where the beautiful atmosphere of Earth meets the harsh but colorful landscape of a Mars. I posted this shot even though I know it isn’t spectacular but rather, its the simplistic beauty that caught my eye.

I posted other shots of my adventure  here and on the home page that I hope will provide you with the several perspectives.

Thanks for viewing and hope to catch up with you in the field sometime soon!