No Aversion To The Inversion

Weather plays of huge role in the success of your landscape photography. Unique conditions such as an inversion can take locations that normally my not be optimal for landscape photography, and instead transform the landscape into something magical. From near the top of Flagstaff Mountain, and low hanging inversion caused c cloud layer to form, thus filling Boulder Canyon and the area over Lost Gulch with clouds at sunrise. Technical Details: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, 24-70mm F4 IS L
Weather plays of huge role in the success of your landscape photography. Unique conditions such as an inversion can take locations that normally my not be optimal for landscape photography, and instead transform the landscape into something magical. From near the top of Flagstaff Mountain, and low hanging inversion caused c cloud layer to form, thus filling Boulder Canyon and the area over Lost Gulch with clouds at sunrise. Technical Details: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, 24-70mm F4 IS L
One of my favorite weather events occurred over Boulder again this week. A cold air inversion settled over town on Saturday night after some light snow making for some great photography opportunities over Boulder at sunrise on Sunday morning.

For me, if I even think there is a remote chance that conditions might be right for an inversion I’m going to be up in the foothills trying to get above the cloud deck before sunrise. The factor in all of this of course is how high up does one need to go before they break on through the cloud deck.

Depending on the conditions, the cloud deck may only be 1000 or so feet above the ground. The cloud deck might also be 10,000 ft above the ground making it impossible to get above.

Typically I’ll be on the look out for the potential for an inversion when the following type of weather is occurring in the area. Rain or snow is forecast through the night. Weather reports indicate that the precipitation is supposed to cease and clear out before sunrise. Usually, I’ll just look at the predicted hourly conditions on one of the weather sites. If those hourly conditions show the precipitation ending and clearing conditions taking hold soon after the precipitation stops, I’ll make sure I’m ready to go in the morning.

Conditions that indicate clearing is going to occur quickly do not guarantee that low hanging clouds or an inversion will still be hanging around early in the morning however. Here in Colorado, I would say eighty percent of the time one is going to wake to find the skies indeed devoid of any cloud cover at all.

What I’ll do when I even think the conditions may cause the inversion to linger through the night and be around in the morning when the sun rises is to get up at least two hours before sunrise. I’ll walk the dog and while doing that scan the sky to assess the atmospheric conditions. It’s important to note that conditions can and do change rapidly. Numerous times I’ve walked the dog in completely clouded over conditions that had me pumped up and ready to go only to have crystal clear skies thirty minutes later when I get back to my house.

Looking east towards Realization Point, a lone tree stands above the cloudline peering into the abyss as sunrise paints the clouds in warm pastels. Technical Detail: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS L
Looking east towards Realization Point, a lone tree stands above the cloudline peering into the abyss as sunrise paints the clouds in warm pastels. Technical Detail: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS L

But when I go through my morning routine, if the clouds are still present and the conditions in the sky don’t appear to be clearing, then I know I have a decent shot of having some interesting conditions when the sun does crest the horizon.

So on Sunday morning things were looking pretty good when I headed out the door. Photographing an inversion has you crossing your fingers the entire time while you scan the sky every few minutes. On one hand you don’t want the clouds to dissipate before sunrise, and the other your hoping the clouds stick around but that you can get high enough up to get above them.

One of the best places to go when their is an inversion in town is to head up Flagstaff Road. Climbing the 2000 ft above town up Flagstaff Mountain gives you the best chance of getting above the clouds while out the same time being right smack dab in the middle of some of the most beautiful natural areas around Boulder. As I climbed past the three mile marker on Flagstaff, things were looking a little bleak. I did not have much more road to go and I was still not yet above the cloud cover. Finally, just above Realization Point, I spied the moon in the sky to the south of me and I was above the clouds and the inversion.

I hustled through the woods over to an area that overlooked Boulder Canyon and the Lost Gulch area. The clouds were only a hundred feet or so below me but I could see Sugarloaf Mountain and the ridge along Four Mile to the north. All at once high clouds above the low hanging fog started to turn pink and it was game on.

Luckily for me, the elements all came together and stayed together long enough for me to capture a beautiful sunrise over Lost Gulch. Images that would not have nearly same impact if not for the weather conditions present on Sunday morning.

15 Minutes Of Perfection

In photography quality of light is always more import the quantity of light. You only need brief moments of light combined with respites  in the wind to have a chance to capture the landscape in all its glory. The conditions did not look promising at all when I first arrived at Rocky Mountain National Park. Surprisingly the wind stopped and the color in the sky exploded over Otis, Hallet and Flattop Mountain. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-70mm F4 IS
In photography quality of light is always more import the quantity of light. You only need brief moments of light combined with respites in the wind to have a chance to capture the landscape in all its glory. The conditions did not look promising at all when I first arrived at Rocky Mountain National Park. Surprisingly the wind stopped and the color in the sky exploded over Otis, Hallet and Flattop Mountain. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-70mm F4 IS
Fans of 1980’s TV will recall with great affection the famous line Colonel John ‘Hannibal’ Smith used to spout near the end of each episode of the ‘A-Team’. While puffing away on his stogie, teeth clenched, having just fired off thousands of rounds of ammo, destroyed dozens of vehicles, and buildings all without causing any bodily harm or injury to his foe’s he would state ‘I love it when a plan comes together’. Oh to be as cool as George Peppard, or even more importantly just as prepared.

Some days, the photography gods smile down on you and you’ve got to love it when it feels like the plan has all come together for you. We spend hundreds of hours a year in the field searching for those timeless moments. So much so that some would argue our obsession tests the bounds of our mental health, making us feel much more like ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock than the confident character of Hannibal.

Winter seems more prone to test the bounds of one’s sanity and photography grit. Winter has its rewards for sure, but it can test one’s patience and leave them wondering why they even bothered to get up long before dawn to be in the field. Winter in Rocky Mountain National Park can go so far as to toy with one’s emotions and endurance. Violent winds, cold temperatures, snow, blowing snow, clouded over sunrises or cloudless mornings will put any photographer through the crucible if they spend enough time in Rocky during the winter season.

Most of the time my approach to photographing Rocky Mountain National Park in winter is to get out in the field preferably in a scenic location and hope for the best. There are just too many variables in play to simply check the weather forecast and assume those conditions are what you will find at 9000 ft or more above sea level.

Many times I arrive at Rocky and find the conditions much more severe than anticipated. I cant help but think to myself there is no way I’m coming away with any new images this day. I’ve learned the hard way not to listen to little voice inside my head tempting me not to leave the comfy confines of my vehicle. So what if it’s near white out conditions and the trees are nearly toppling over from the wind, there has to be something I can photograph.

The short but sweet lighting conditions helped paint Hallet Peak in stunning light while the winds raked over her summit. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 70-300mm F4-5.6 L
The short but sweet lighting conditions helped paint Hallet Peak in stunning light while the winds raked over her summit. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 70-300mm F4-5.6 L

Last week I had just such an experience. The winds were howling on the plains and as I climbed up through the foothills long before dawn they only strengthened in intensity. Snow and gravel pelted my windshield and my truck bounced around with each gust. I thought to myself in a sarcastic tone, this should be awesome.

I plodded along towards Rocky anyway. A bad day in the park is pretty much better than a good day anywhere else so I figured I would at least drive around and check the conditions.

There were clear skies to the east so there would at least be sun in the morning. When I arrived clouds and snow were being blown over the continental divide and all the high peaks were obscured by clouds. The wind was howling something fierce. I started driving up Trail Ridge Road towards Many Park’s Curve so that I could survey the conditions from a higher vantage point. As I was driving towards Many Park’s, dismayed at my chances of shooting this morning a funny thing happened. I caught a glimpse of Longs Peak. Surveying the continental divide, all the peaks were now in view and no longer obscured by clouds.

I stopped my truck and did a double take. 10 minutes ago when I drove through the parks entrance, there was no chance the conditions would let up and improve. Or so I had assumed. Amazingly, not only could I now see the high peaks, but the wind had almost completely stopped. I now had 40 minutes or so to find a location before the sun would rise.

I quickly turned around and headed up Bear Lake Road. Dream Lake might be nice but I would not have enough time to get up to Dream before sunrise. I settled on the small meadow just west of the Storm Pass trailhead. One gets a commanding view of the divide and the willows would provide some nice color along the bottom of the frame.

Sunrise turned out to be spectacular. One of the most colorful sunrises I have witnessed in Rocky. Amazingly the wind abated for 15 minutes or so at sunrise, contrary to what normally happens at sunrise. Finally the wind started picking up in intensity again and the clouds obscured the light. But those 15 minutes where more than enough to capture the beauty of the sunrise this morning.

Boulder Hoarfrost

It does not get anymore exciting than this for me. I love photographing when the weather is overcast, foggy or snowing. Hoarfrost is one of my favorite conditions to photograph the landscape in, but it is also very rare. I was lucky enough to be able to capitalize on just such conditions over Boulder this week. These two trees were covered with hoarfrost when I photographed them in the marshy wetlands just east of the Bobolink trailhead. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 70-200 F4 IS L
It does not get anymore exciting than this for me. I love photographing when the weather is overcast, foggy or snowing. Hoarfrost is one of my favorite conditions to photograph the landscape in, but it is also very rare. I was lucky enough to be able to capitalize on just such conditions over Boulder this week. These two trees were covered with hoarfrost when I photographed them in the marshy wetlands just east of the Bobolink trailhead. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 70-200 F4 IS L

The streak of interesting and turbulent weather in and around Boulder continued this week. While I’m counting the days down until summer, the weather conditions on the Front Range are certainly making for very enticing opportunities for winter photography. The combination of lots of snow and cold temperatures are certainly keeping everybody on their toes.

The transitioning weather brought with it another one of my favorite conditions to photograph in, hoarfrost. It’s a fairly rare occurrence for hoarfrost to form on the tree’s and grasses here in Boulder, but when it does occur it quickly transforms the landscape into something straight out of a dream.

Another of my favorite go to locations in and around Boulder is Flagstaff Mountain. This grove of Ponderosa Pines perched on top of Flagstaff Mountain are a favorite subject of mine, especially when frosted over. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 24-105mm F4 IS L
Another of my favorite go to locations in and around Boulder is Flagstaff Mountain. This grove of Ponderosa Pines perched on top of Flagstaff Mountain are a favorite subject of mine, especially when frosted over. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 24-105mm F4 IS L

Hoarfrost occurs when the relative humidity of the air is greater than 100%. Combine this heavily saturated air with cold temperatures and objects such as trees and grasses below freezing and hoarfrost will form on branches, leaves and blades of grasses coating everything a pristine covering of white ice.

Hoarfrost can make even mundane, overlooked locations shine. The fog encompassing the landscape makes the white tree’s and grasses stand out like ghosts. The fog also helps to conceal and cover over signs of man that may have normally acted as a distraction to the image.

The tree’s in the marshy wetlands just east of the Bobolink trailhead cried out to be photographed while covered in the white frosting as did the Ponderosa Pines on Flagstaff Mountain. Hoarfrost is both rare and fleeting. It only takes a short period of sun or warming temperatures and it’s gone. So when the landscape is covered with hoarfrost, enjoy the beauty but have your camera at the ready.

Bad Weather = Great Photographs

Weather is the most important factor in landscape photography. Dramatic conditions improve ones chances for dramatic imagery. A cold air inversion over Boulder setup a dramatic sunrise over the Flatiron formations. Clouds hide the eastern plains of Colorado while the trees and mountains glow in the pre-dawn light. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-70mm F4 IS L
Weather is the most important factor in landscape photography. Dramatic conditions improve ones chances for dramatic imagery. A cold air inversion over Boulder setup a dramatic sunrise over the Flatiron formations. Clouds hide the eastern plains of Colorado while the trees and mountains glow in the pre-dawn light. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-70mm F4 IS L

The weather around here started changing in a big way last Monday. While January ended up being the third snowiest month on record for the Boulder area, we had a good stretch of warm days and cloudless skies. Great weather for just about everything except landscape photography. But as January transitioned into February, the conditions along the Front Range became more unsettled. In other words, unsettled weather is just what I had been hoping for.

I spent the better part of last week splitting my time between Rocky Mountain National Park and the Boulder area. Both locations are favorite of mine and because I photograph in these areas so often I have a pretty good sense of where to be to optimize my chances of capturing dramatic imagery in conditions favorable for landscape photography.

Prior to the change in the weather last week we either had cloudy morning with no breaks in the sun, or clear bluebird skies with no clouds. That whipsawed pretty quickly last week with cold temperatures and a couple of weather fronts moving through the state.

On Saturday, the snow and inversion waffled around 7500 ft or so moving above and below the town of Estes Park. Here the Twin Sisters peak their head above the clouds as the early morning sky lights up over Rocky Mountain National Park. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS L
On Saturday, the snow and inversion waffled around 7500 ft or so moving above and below the town of Estes Park. Here the Twin Sisters peak their head above the clouds as the early morning sky lights up over Rocky Mountain National Park. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 70-300mm F4-5.6 IS L

The cool temperatures and upsloping winds managed to form a nice inversion on both Saturday and Sunday morning. Saturday the inversion and cloud line sat at about 7500 ft above sea level which meant the eastern slopes of Rocky Mountain National Park were in prime position to potentially yield dramatic conditions of fog and clouds at sunrise. By Sunday morning, the inversion had moved down to around 6000 ft or so meaning the area around Boulder was now the most promising area to photograph.

There was no way I was going to miss sunrise on Saturday and Sunday with some of my favorite weather conditions prevailing over Rocky Mountain National Park and the Boulder area. As is always the case when photographing in these conditions, one has to be ready to move quickly and be prepared to find differing locations to accommodate the conditions and the lighting. There is also a pretty good chance you will just end up getting skunked by the conditions. Staying at home of course will guarantee you of that outcome.

So after a few weeks of less than stellar sunrises and mild and clear weather the conditions greatly improved for creating images. As the saying goes amongst photographers, bad weather equals great photographs.