Less Than Optimal

I set out to Rocky Mountain National Park this morning hoping to capture a dramatic sunrise. Sunrise never materialized so I had to look for other subjects to photograph. While not exactly what I had in mind, this abstract of willows along Fall River in Horseshoe Park was both fun and rewarding to make. I had to just take a moment to get over the fact that sunrise was a bust, and then start looking around for other subjects. The colorful willows caught my eye. Anyone who has had to bushwack through willows will have a greater appreciation for the 'density' these bushes put forth. Technical Details: Nikon D810, Nikkor 28-300mm F4.5-5.6 ED
I set out to Rocky Mountain National Park this morning hoping to capture a dramatic sunrise. Sunrise never materialized so I had to look for other subjects to photograph. While not exactly what I had in mind, this abstract of willows along Fall River in Horseshoe Park was both fun and rewarding to make. I had to just take a moment to get over the fact that sunrise was a bust, and then start looking around for other subjects. The colorful willows caught my eye. Anyone who has had to bushwack through willows will have a greater appreciation for the ‘density’ these bushes put forth. Technical Details: Nikon D810, Nikkor 28-300mm F4.5-5.6 ED

We all dream about setting up on location and waiting for a stunning sunrise to unfold before our camera. It’s the kind of dreams that get people out of bed at zero dark thirty so they can be ready and on location just for the chance they may photograph something special. The truth of the matter is that even though magazines, coffee table books and the internet are chock full of locations with screaming light, more times than not one will not experience epic light or optimal conditions while out in the field photographing.

Sunrise might have been a bust this morning but there was no wind which allowed me to capture this pattern of willows and grasses in Horseshoe Park. Technical Details: Nikon D810, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 ED VR
Sunrise might have been a bust this morning but there was no wind which allowed me to capture this pattern of willows and grasses in Horseshoe Park. Technical Details: Nikon D810, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 ED VR

We all need to make the most of our time in the field. You’ve put a lot of time, energy and money into being at the right place at the right time. There’s no reason a busted sunrise needs to be a make or break proposition, especially when photographing in one of the most beautiful locations in the continental United States such as Rocky Mountain National Park.

This very situation unfolded when I was out in Rocky this morning. In fact, I have this very scenario unfold when out photographing Rocky Mountain National Park countless number of times. Once I get over the self pity of not being in one of the worlds most beautiful places for a spectacular sunrise or sunset, I gather my thoughts and start to think of ways I can make images in the moment and under the current, even is less favorable conditions. You know what?, these kinds of days in the field have yielded some of my most original as well as most satisfying personal images.

Cant forget the obligatory ice image. Fall River has finally begun to freeze over again. Technical Details: Nikon D810, Nikkor 28-300mm ED VR
Cant forget the obligatory ice image. Fall River has finally begun to freeze over again. Technical Details: Nikon D810, Nikkor 28-300mm ED VR

While they may not all be book or magazine cover material, finding compositions and working under conditions and lighting that may be deemed by some as less than optimal, allows a photographer to free his mind and create unique, subtle images that help to unveil the more modest side to beautiful locations like Rocky Mountain National Park.

So by all means sacrifice and seek out epic and spectacular sunsets. Get up early, stay late, hike the extra mile. Do so with an open mind however. Be ready to switch gears if the light and clouds don’t materialize how you were hoping they would. Slow down instead. Look for the overlooked, the patterns in nature whispering, not screaming for you to photograph. Look to create a more personal and unique body of work on days like these. Most of all enjoy your time and efforts in the field regardless of the conditions.