Tip 1: The Flatirons from Chautauqua Park and meadow is by far the most popular location to photograph in Boulder. This is the classic view of the Flatirons that you will see hanging in shops and galleries along Pearl Street. Chautauqua Park is a beautiful spot and the meadow allows one to photograph with short hiking distances and lots of interesting props to make strong near/far compositions.
Chautauqua Park is a great morning location all year. Just a short drive from downtown Boulder, one can expect the best light at sunrise. The Flatiron formation east facing orientation allows them to receive the earliest of light as the sun rises over the high plains. The Flatirons will typically glow an intense red as the first light of bathes the granite faces.
Chautauqua meadow provides ample amounts of interesting foreground subjects as well. Starting in the late Spring, wildflowers will begin to bloom over the meadow. Typically Golden Banner will begin to bloom in the meadow around the first week of May. Wild Iris, Silver Lupine and Sweet Pea will all follow along as temperatures warm. Depending on moisture and temperature you will typically find large groups of wildflowers in the meadow from early May through late June. The meadow also has interesting tree’s, boulders and Yucca’s that can be used all four season’s as foreground props.
Tip 2: Photographing the Flatirons does not begin and end at Chautauqua park. As stated above, Chautauqua park is by far the most popular place to photograph the Flatirons. This is partly because of its close proximity to downtown Boulder and easy access. While I love photographing from Chautauqua Park, I think there are some even better locations to photograph the Boulder Flatirons.
In particular, some of the Boulder County Open Space and Mountain Park’s properties south of Boulder offer some of the best vantages of the Flatiron formation. The area around Eldorado Springs offers some great vantage points of the Flatirons and South Boulder peak. Some hiking and exploration around the Doudy Draw trailhead as well as the Flatirons Vista trailhead will reveal some of my favorite vantage points for photographing the Flatirons.
Tip 3: There is much more to photograph in Boulder than just the Flatirons. While many photographers favor images of the Flatirons, exploring Gregory Canyon, Flagstaff Mountain, and trails such as the Mesa trail will all provide rewarding images of Ponderosa Pines, Yucca’s and other more intimate forest scenes. I personally find photographing these areas during or after a recent snowstorm to be the most rewarding time to hit the trails around Boulder.
Thanks for this article! I was going to head up early tomorrow morning and try to take a few shots at sunrise of the Flatirons and found your article very useful. I hope to capture some great shots!
Neal,
Good luck, hope you have a great sunrise.