Photographing sunrise and sunsets is always a bit of a gamble for photographers. Figuring out exactly where to be when that sweet light hits can become an endeavor all onto itself. Being a quarter of a mile in either direction could result in having some of the most inspiring and epic lighting ever, or the opposite and ending up skunked questioning one’s choice of location. That happened for me yesterday, as I gambled on the potential of a dramatic sunrise in Rocky Mountain National Park occurring over the west side of the park as opposed to the east. I made the wrong choice as sunrise on the far east side of Rocky yesterday was beautiful and dramatic and more or less a dud on the west side of RMNP where I had setup.
You cant win them all is what I say to myself when this happens which is mostly my way of coping as I will obsess the rest of the morning wondering how I ended up in a less than optimal position when a sunrise unfolded. Truth is, dramatic sunrise and sunset light while awesome, is a bit overrated. As a photographer you will have many times where you are not in the right place, or the light is not working as you anticipated. The test of course of great photographers, is to use the light you have and to create compelling images of the landscape regardless. With that in mind and a heavy dose of cope weighing my camera backpack down and tail tucked, I figured a hike up to Big Meadows would at least help me get over my pouting.
Big Meadows on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park is Rocky Mountain National Park largest meadow. It doesn’t get the notoriety that many of the other iconic locations in Rocky get, but I find it one of the most fascinating and beautiful locations in the park. That beauty does not necessarily translate to your classic mountain images, but there is always something cool to photograph or experience.
Big Meadows is huge. When you arrive from either the Green Mountain Trailhead or Tonahutu Trail you are struck by just how large it is. The Pine Beetle and the East Troublesome Fire have damaged many of the trees in and around the meadows, but the grasses are strikingly green and verdant in summer, beautiful Tonahutu Creek meanders through the meadows and Nakai Peak towers over the meadows on the northeast side. Moose are common as are deer and elk. Wildflower are abundant in the meadows and hillside as are many different types of birds and raptors. I find Big Meadows spectacular and inspiring.
While many will hike through Big Meadows on their way to other locations in Rocky Mountain National Park, both hikers and photographers alike should take their time exploring the beauty found in this meadow. Sure Big Meadows was my second choice yesterday, but after spending the morning coping with missing out on sunrise, there really was no other place in RMNP I wanted to spend the morning at than one of my favorite spots in Rocky.