Ten Years In The Making

Beautiful Eagle Cliff Falls in Havana Glen cascades over the rocks and past some beautiful autumn colors. Havana Glen which is located in Montour Falls, New York is only a short distance from the more well known Watkins Glen, but equally as beautiful. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 16-35mm F2.8 L II
Beautiful Eagle Cliff Falls in Havana Glen cascades over the rocks and past some beautiful autumn colors. Havana Glen which is located in Montour Falls, New York is only a short distance from the more well known Watkins Glen, but equally as beautiful. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 16-35mm F2.8 L II
It’s been nearly ten years since I’ve been able to get back east to photograph fall color. It certainly was not from a lack of desire to do so, but sometimes life and schedules get in the way making what was once commonplace, rare.

So finally after nearly a decade and a less than stellar autumn color season here in Colorado, I was able to make the trek back east to New York to photograph the fall colors and visit with family. The visit was shorter than I would have liked, but still a very productive and fun one.

Autumn was in full swing throughout the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes region while I was back photographing so the timing was just about perfect. For the most part most days were mild but overcast. Perfect weather in my opinion to shoot the colorful fall canopies under nicely diffused light.

Lake Nawahunta in Harriman State Park is a favorite spot of mine. Seeing vibrant reds such as these is a rare treat and something I don't see often out west. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-105mm F4 IS
Lake Nawahunta in Harriman State Park is a favorite spot of mine. Seeing vibrant reds such as these is a rare treat and something I don’t see often out west. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-105mm F4 IS

Since it’s be awhile since I had photographed fall back east, I was very much like a kid in a candy store. The vibrant reds, oranges and yellows all looked spectacular along the hillsides and streams I hiked explored and hiked along. Even in New York, autumn seems to slows the bustling pace allowing one to contemplate and enjoy the colorful surroundings.

There’s a different pace to fall in the east as opposed to fall out west. The colors in the east peak more slowly than out west. Barring a nor’easter or hurricane, leaves stay on the trees longer and fall more slowly. In the west the transition from fall to winter is much more pronounced. One day it can be sunny and seventy degrees and the next day there can be a foot of snow, bare tree’s welcoming winters arrival.

I spent most of my time photographing Harriman State Park in the Hudson Valley and the area around Watkins Glen in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Like most expeditions there are plenty of places you want to photograph but run out of time to visit.I’ve got scouted out some new areas and have plenty of ideas for my next fall visit, I just hope it’s not ten years in the making.

Few places are more dramatic in fall then Watkins Glen. The numerous waterfalls, fall colors,and rocks covered with colorful autumn leaves make it feel as if there is a new image to be created every few feet. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-105mm F4 IS
Few places are more dramatic in fall then Watkins Glen. The numerous waterfalls, fall colors,and rocks covered with colorful autumn leaves make it feel as if there is a new image to be created every few feet. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-105mm F4 IS

Welcome Back Rocky

Longs Peak greets a beautiful but windy morning in Rocky Mountain National Park. Fresh snow has fallen on Rocky's highest peak and the high winds have formed beautiful lenticular clouds which glow in the early morning light. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS L
Longs Peak greets a beautiful but windy morning in Rocky Mountain National Park. Fresh snow has fallen on Rocky’s highest peak and the high winds have formed beautiful lenticular clouds which glow in the early morning light. Technical Details: Canon Eos 5D Mark III, 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS L
I’ve just returned from a short but very productive trip back east to photograph the fall colors. I’ll be posting some of these images in the near future so stay tuned. Even more exciting is the fact that I was able to get up to an open and welcoming Rocky Mountain National Park for a beautiful sunrise.

It always feels good to be home after traveling and it feels like forever since I’ve had a productive morning photographing Rocky. Being a creature of habit means I have a fairly regimented routine. While traveling and exploring new places is essential to learning, creating and improving your craft, photographing on your home turf always feels rewarding.

While it takes a little longer to get up to Rocky Mountain National Park than it did previously the trip over the Peak to Peak highway is worth the extra time involved. With the government shutdown out of the way for the time being, Rocky is open and Estes Park is bustling and busy again with visitors. It’s as great a time as ever to get back up to the park and spend time with old friends.

Navigating Through Autumn

Historic Flooding, cold and snow and a government shut down have all contributed to making photography in Boulder, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park very difficult. While autumn has not lived up to its usual hype here in Colorado because of these events, one is still able to find beautiful scenes even in the midst of difficult times. Ironically, the flooding and heavy rains caused this seasonal puddle to form in Boulders Chautauqua Park. The tree's in Chautauqua Meadow were peaking as a beautiful sunrise unfolded over the Flatirons. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 17mm TS-E F4L
Historic Flooding, cold and snow and a government shut down have all contributed to making photography in Boulder, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park very difficult. While autumn has not lived up to its usual hype here in Colorado because of these events, one is still able to find beautiful scenes even in the midst of difficult times. Ironically, the flooding and heavy rains caused this seasonal puddle to form in Boulders Chautauqua Park. The tree’s in Chautauqua Meadow were peaking as a beautiful sunrise unfolded over the Flatirons. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 17mm TS-E F4L

In a nutshell, the last few weeks have been a hard go here on the Front Range of Colorado. In what is typically my favorite time of year for photography, conditions and circumstances beyond control have placed a damper on many of the places and locales I often photograph between Estes Park and Boulder.

At time like these, landscape photography can seem trivial compared to the damage and devastation the flooding in and around Boulder has caused to peoples homes, business and communities at large. Even so, I look to my photography as a temporary diversion to the reality of the situation that will now accompany us for sometime.

A triple whammy would be the best way to describe what’s happened here this autumn. First the historic flooding that inundated Boulder and Estes Park which in turn closed roads and trails. Secondly, a spate of wet, cold and windy weather over the Front Range at the end of September combined with an above average year for moisture tempered the fall colors rendering many tree’s leafless, brown or still green. And the lastly, our good friends in government provided us with first hand kabuki theater and shut down the government, or at least thirty percent of it making access to National Parks and in particular Rocky Mountain National Park, impossible.

I can only describe the last month in one word, frustrating. It would be hard for me to believe that cabin fever could settle in over the month of September, but that’s what its felt like for me. Not being able to access places I find vital to my soul has been difficult. I daydream in envy thinking of the herds of elk, or solitary black bear trudging through the meadows or back country of Rocky Mountain National Park with nary a human for miles. A return to primal times is what it must feel like in all these once so easily accessible locations.

Things are starting to look up however. Roads are starting to reopen including Colorado highway 119 through Boulder Canyon. This will make getting to the Peak to Peak highway and Estes Park much more convenient. I’m holding out hope that our federal government can come to some sort of compromise on funding and Rocky Mountain National Park can reopen sooner than later.

So until Rocky Mountain National Park reopens and many of the trails on Open Space and Mountain Park property in Boulder are repaired, I’ll be looking for other opportunities to photograph and keep the rust off, including a quick trip back east for fall color. Patience will be paramount, but sooner than later we can all put these bumpy few months behind us and start returning to our usual haunts.