It’s been awhile since I’ve posted an image from Chautauqua park of the Flatirons, so I figure were due for one. The meadow around Chautauqua park in Boulder is the place to be for the classic iconic image of the rock slabs that help make Boulder famous. Chautauqua park is a great photographic location in any season, but from spring through mid-summer its hosts a great display of wildflowers on good years.

Starting in early May the meadows below the Flatirons will host a display of varying wildflowers. On a good year, the meadow seems to produce flowers in a near scheduled pattern. Yellow Golden Banner is usually the first flower to make their appearance in the park, followed next by Wild Iris and Arrowleaf. Purple Lupine will cover the fields by mid June and the season will start to wind down with the addition of Sweet Pea in the area near and around the Ranger cottage. While the Sweet Pea makes for a beautiful display when used to frame the Flatirons, it really shouldn’t be there. Sweet Pea is actually considered an invasive species and was planted by some of the first settlers in and around Boulder. Even though we’d prefer these magenta, pink and white flowers found other areas to habituate, they do make for a point of interest for the photographer. Throw in some screaming morning light, some high cirrus clouds, viola! you’ve got yourself an iconic image of the Flatirons.

Successful photography is about presenting the complex in an orderly, coherent fashion. Successful landscape photography is not about how much one can include in the frame, but instead using your vision to include only compelling and interesting elements. This is a basic photography concept and one that allows the viewer eye to travel through the image without being overwhelmed or distracted. Although it’s a basic photography concept, we can often be overwhelmed in the field with visual stimuli. Because of this, many photographers will fail when it comes to creating compelling imagery because they may be unable to create order from chaos.

Typically when I head out in the field to create images, I like to have an idea of what I want to shoot and where I want to go. I believe it to be important however, to keep both your mind open and your options open. I was recently reading and interview with a photographer who’s work I greatly admire discussing his inspirations. The Photographer purposefully avoids viewing other photographers work when possible. This is not done in an elitist fashion, but because he wants to stay true to his own vision and create original and unique imagery. He feels viewing other photography dilutes his own vision and prevents him from creating imagery unique to his vision of natural places. While I don’t subscribe to his idea to such an extreme and find viewing other photographers work inspirational, I greatly respect his desire to stay unique.

This morning I headed up the Mesa trail from the South Boulder trailhead. I was not feeling inspired to photograph anything in particular and in fact was simply enjoying a peaceful morning hiking with my dog, Jackson. Clouds obscured the sunrise this morning and the soft diffused light is some of my favorite lighting to photograph in. This time of year, mornings break often under ‘severe clear’ conditions, Boulder, Colorado is unique in that it is the junction between two competing eco-systems, that of the high plains and the Rocky Mountain foothills. The South Boulder trailhead and Mesa trail are great in that they wind through Bluestem grasses, Yucca’s and Ponderosa forests.

Early on in the hike, the many Yucca’s growing along the slopes caught my attention. They are starting to bloom in many of the areas along the Mesa trail. While looking for a good composition of blooming Yucca’s, this particular scene caught my eye. The red rocks, typical of this area combined with the Yucca leaves and flowering Shrubby Cinquefoil could be interesting if I could blend all the elements together. When photographing images such as these, it’s of the utmost importance to know what to include and what to keep out. At the same time, your not able to physically move trees, flowers and rocks so you have to work within the parameters nature has given you. Sometimes the flowering Shrubby Cinquefoil does not want to bloom far enough away from other distraction objects, and sometimes it does,

In keeping with the Aspen tree theme, here’s a recent example of an Aspen grove along the northern flank of Green Mountain in Boulder, Colorado. Were still inching along towards summer here but finally I can see signs of life and spring in our lower elevations. Most photographers enjoy making images of Aspen trees during the fall when their leaves turn a golden yellow. There is however, a short window during the spring, shortly after the trees ‘bud out’ when the Aspen trees put on just as interesting a display of color. Shortly after Aspen trees begin to display their recent spring foliage, Aspen leaves take on a translucent key lime like hue. It’s a short window between the key lime look and the darker summer green leaves. Under the right lighting conditions, the green Aspen leaves literally appear to glow.

I’ve been spying this small Aspen grove on the side of Green Mountain in Boulder for some time. Boulder, Colorado does not have many Aspen groves, but there are a few dispersed areas of Aspen trees here and there amongst the Evergreens. Because of the heat and lesser amounts of moisture, they tend to grow in smaller, less impressive groves than other areas of Colorado. I passed this grove the day before but it was sunny and the lighting conditions where much too harsh to capture the detail and make the key lime spring leaves ‘pop’. I returned a few days later after a light rain had been falling on the area. The leaves looked great under the diffused lighting and I spent some time wandering around the trees. It was an awesome feeling being outside, under a light mist with the organic smell of life, and spring in the air and grove. Periodic claps of thunder could be heard in the distance but I was loving every minute of it. This was spring renewal at its best for me. I was revitalized with thoughts of what the future holds and opportunities to come.

Even with the mild winter we’ve had this year, the transition into spring from winter never seems to occur at a pace we would like. It can often feel like were taking one step forward with a warm spring day and then two steps back when you wake up to find snow on your car in the morning .

The lower elevations around Boulder are starting to show signs of life as the grasses are starting to green and some of the early bloomers are sprouting buds. People who follow my photography know that one of my favorite subjects are trees. I find the form and shape of trees fascinating. They make for great subjects for photography but learning to compose and arrange successful photographs and images of trees can be very difficult to achieve. When photographing trees, one of the first things one must do to capture a successful image is to learn to arrange the chaos into a cohesive image. It’s just as important in photography to learn what to exclude from and image as it is to understand what elements should be kept in the scene. This could not be more true when photographing trees.

Often when I make a successful image of trees, the scene grabs my eye as I walk by a location. These photograph is no exception. I was hiking on the Bobolink trailhead which is part of Boulder, Colorado’s beautiful Open Space and Mountain Parks system. I was interested in the budding bushes that were growing along the creek in a classic Colorado riparian habitat.

These bushes on their own were not compelling me to setup my camera and make images. It was an overcast day, which are the conditions I favor when shooting more intimate photographs of trees and landscapes. Photography is about capturing light, and the soft diffused light of an overcast day helps to evenly light a scene and prevent harsh shadows from obscuring details. Soft diffused light helps to create a more painterly scene and allows for all the subtle detail, shapes and colors to shine. As I walked by this scene, the combination of the budding flowers and this beautiful Cottonwood tree caught my eye. It was quite a challenge to arrange the chaos present in this scene into a cohesive image. After many lens changes, multiple tripod setups and compositions I was finally able to arrange a pleasing composition. I eventually settled on using a telephoto lens to help compress the scene and isolate the bending branches of the cottonwood trees amongst the budding bushes.

One of the common weather jokes in Colorado refers to the constantly unpredictable weather conditions. People here in Colorado often joke that there are two seasons, winter and August. Though in reality Colorado does have four seasons, spring and fall can teeter between summer like weather and winter like conditions. Spring on the Front Range of Colorado can be very unsettled and snow is a common theme. By April were all ready for summer like conditions and a cold drink by the pool. Mother Nature usually has other ideas and April is Colorado’s third snowiest month. This spring has been dry on the Front Range so some late season snow is appreciated. For photographers the snow will help bring spring wildflowers which will soon appear.

I took advantage of a late season April snow storm to head up Flagstaff Mountain just outside of Boulder. Flagstaff Mountain is one of my go to locations. For me it’s a short drive to the mountain and access to some classic Colorado scenery. I love the diversity of the area. Flagstaff Mountain is dotted with Yuccas, Ponderosa Pines, Bluestem grasses and Granite boulders. These make for great photography subjects when covered in snow and fog. No matter how many times I photograph on Flagstaff Mountain in weather conditions such as these, I never cease to find new compositions and limitless opportunities to create unique and original imagery.

‘Winning’. The word is simple in meaning, but often more complex to define what actually constitutes a win. It has become a popular catch phrase of late because of its frequent use by a popular celebrity. While I wont use this blog to explain the many beneficial uses of acquiring ‘tigers blood’, winning as it pertains to photography is not so easily defined.

From my point of view, I register a win each time I am lucky enough to get out into the field with my cameras and photograph. Many times, I may head out into the field and encounter circumstances such as poor weather, or poor lighting that may prevent me from actually capturing any images at all. Though I am grateful to be spending time out in the field regardless of the underlying circumstances, there are times when I may return from a shoot feeling at a loss or unsatisfied with my results. Even when all the stars align, human error may prevent a photographer from successfully capturing an image. For a photographer, using your vision to execute successful photographs can be challenging and difficult but also very rewarding when it all comes together for you in the field.

Many of the photographers I greatly admire often state that capturing only a handful of images each year that portrays their vision constitutes a success. While I tend to agree with this line of thinking, I find there are some landscape photographers who are able to spend a short amount of time in the field and return with more than just a handful of portfolio worthy images. Those photographers may of course feel their efforts and results were all in vain.

When attempting to ‘win’ at landscape photography, perspective may be the most important trait. Each time I venture off into the field, it important to value that time to hone my skills, improve my craft and hopefully capture some compelling imagery. As the old saying goes, ‘a bad day in the mountains is better than a good day at the office’.