The Nature Photographers Network is the single best nature photography website on the internet. Although I have not participated much until recently, I have checked the site nearly every day for the last two years and have learned so much from the articles, critique forums, and the local Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers (RMNP) regional forum. If you are a nature photographer and have not joined NPN, it is the single best $50 you can spend each year.
I have been looking for a way to meet more local photographers, so I decided to participate in this year’s RMNP Spring Fling get together in Moab. I have been to Moab quite a few times, but not since I took up photography, so it was fun to visit with photography as the only purpose for the trip. It was great to meet some of the wonderful photographers that frequent the RMNP site and I made a few new friends.
Here is a selection of color photos from that weekend (click the image to see it larger). I will post a few black and white images soon.
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- Turret Arch at Night, Arches National Park
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- Turret Arch through the North Window
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- Early Morning, Green River Overlook
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- A Camel (at least to me), Arches National Park
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- Balanced Rock and the Garden of Eden
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- Early Morning, Dead Horse Point
May, 2010: Medano Creek is a seasonal “river” that flows during the spring in Great Sand Dunes National Park. The creek runs along the base of the sand dunes, carrying melting water from the high peaks behind the dunes. The creek’s flow changes from minute to minute as damns in the sand form and break upstream. This changing water flow leaves behind interesting patterns in the sand, like the patterns shown in this photo. At this time, the sun was low in the sky, helping add some texture to this little scene in the sand. I intentionally exaggerated the lovely copper glow from the sun shining on the golden sand.
April and May are good months to see the creek in many years. For 2011, Medano Creek’s flow is expected to be much lower than normal because of low snowfall levels in March. There was also a fire in the creek’s watershed during 2010 and the National Parks Service has reported that soot and ash is showing up in the creek’s flow. The creek provides a number of excellent photographic opportunities, from wide angle shots with the creek serving as a leading line to abstract scenes like this. to read more about the creek, check out the NPS website.
Warning: personal content ahead. Turn back now if you were expecting a story about crafting this photo.
My family did not travel much during my childhood. From the time I was born until the time I left for college, I can remember four trips – to Kansas to visit relatives, Arizona to visit relatives, Yellowstone, and my 8th grade trip to Washington, DC. None of those trips hold any particularly fond memories. The one thing I wanted to see in Yellowstone, the Artist Paint Pots, was left off the itinerary. I was too focused on a boy to enjoy Washington, DC. The trip to Kansas was fun because the relatives owned a bedding plant company and had a pool. All I remember about the trip to Arizona was my parents arguing over my dad’s driving in the snow and smuggling some citrus fruits into Colorado. read more…
Bret Edge, an excellent photographer and prolific blogger, has graciously featured me on his blog today. He is doing a series of profiles of female landscape photographers to help inspire other women to pick up a camera and get outside. Bret’s blog is an excellent source of information and inspiration about photography, and he has an photo impressive portfolio – I encourage you to check out both! Thanks for including me, Bret! I really appreciate it.
Check out the profile here.
About the photo: Elowah Falls, Columbia River Gorge. Right after a rain storm cleared for a brief moment, sun and mist combined for some interesting lighting. 2 image manual blend for dynamic range. Magical and memorable moment in nature.
- Ice melts on a pond at the Alamosa Wildlife Refuge in Colorado’s San Luis Valley
The National Audubon Society’s Guide to Landscape Photography by Tim Fitzharris was the first book on landscape photography that I read and even after viewing the work of hundreds of other photographers since that time, it still contains some of my favorite landscape photographs. One such image is an early morning view of Alamosa Wildlife Refuge, which is located in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.
After viewing this image in the book about three years ago, I stopped by the refuge and was very surprised that such a beautiful image came from such a “boring” place. Since that time, I have come to appreciate that a lot more than stunning scenery contributes to beautiful, memorable images – things like knowledge of a location, timing, and a photographer’s creative approach.
Since that first visit, I have stopped by a few times, mostly to observe and explore. During my last trip to the San Luis Valley in February, I planned to spend all of my time in the region at the Great Sand Dunes. As seems typical of late, I was rushing out the door and left all of my memory cards at home. I did not figure this out until I was standing in a field of sage, ready to photograph the silvery plants with some interesting clouds and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background. Compact Flash cards are hard to come by in rural Colorado and by the time I found one, the day was fading quickly.
Instead of trying to make it to the dunes, I stopped at the Alamosa Wildlife Refuge and was treated to some interesting finds. I saw what looked like an ice covered lake in the distance and hiked out to it. What I thought was a lake turned out to be a very shallow pond. By the time I arrived, interesting clouds were swirling over Blanca Peak, the fourteener in the distance. Although the ice was melting, I was able to do quite a bit of exploring because I could see the bottom through occasional patches in the ice and knew that even if I did fall through, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. After an afternoon of getting to know this place under more interesting conditions, I was pleased to walk away with an image that helps tell a story of a place that, on its surface, may seem boring but actually holds quite a bit of interest.
Edit: Here is one more image from that afternoon.
