Colorado River Trail, Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, Colorado

Happy New Year!! Hello and welcome to the first post of 2013!  The 2013 calendar has been released and this is the cover photo.  We visited two great National Parks this year: Death Valley Nat'l Park in California and Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park in Colorado. Many of you have asked why no captions were provided for the photos this year.  Well, an explanation of each photo will be posted on this blog on a monthly basis.  Take some time to read the story behind each photo along with some helpful tips.  In addition, take some time out of your day to browse the website.  Thank you all for the compliments on my photography.  I enjoy capturing these photos as much as you enjoy viewing them.

This photo was taken mid-morning while looking for moose in the area for about 3 hours or so.  Turns out we were probably a few weeks late as the moose retreated into the deep woods of the Rockies.  We wandered down this trail and came upon this scene and it struck me immediately.  I thought this really looked like a cover shot right from the beginning!  After composing several compositions, this is the image I chose.  It's so peaceful to look at and reminds me of the idyllic Rocky Mountain view.  Believe it or not, this is the trailhead for the mighty Colorado river.  The same Colorado river which runs through many states in the west including the Grand Canyon! 

Photo tip: Use leading lines to guide your viewer into the scene.  In this photo, the small stream leads your eye to the bridge and up through the photo.

Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, Colorado

This is one of the first photos I took upon arriving at Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park.  After hours of travelling and driving, it's always exciting to begin exploring the park right away.  I've spent hours poring over maps, searching forums, and reading articles on the best places to shoot.  I'm always anxious to get out and start shooting right away and this trip was no exception.  We drove Trail Ridge Road a few times and knew it was getting towards sunset.  Clouds had blanketed the area much of our time exploring.  However, I knew I had to be on location, ready to shoot, if the clouds broke.  I chose this spot along the road.  Although I was looking for a slightly better group of trees for the foreground, the light show was happening and I needed to start shooting.  This light only lasted for a very brief time and I was firing off the shutter like crazy.  This turned out to be the best of the bunch.  I like it because the tree represents a strong foreground, you have the repeating lines of the hills, and the snow capped mountains and cloud color can't be beat!

Photo tip: Scout your location ahead of time and be prepared to shoot.  Great light is usually fleeting.  If you are set up and ready to go, you won't miss it!  I use two great tools to prepare ahead of time.  1. A sunrise/sunset calculator: http://www.sunrisesunset.com/predefined.asp and 2. A cloud cover predictor: http://cleardarksky.com/csk/

Good light,

Bill