Long's Peak and Mount Meeker After the Storm

Long's Peak and Mount Meeker After the Storm, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

We had quite the spring blizzard up at Rocky Mountain National Park, here's a view as the storm finally cleared this past weekend.

A Steam Devil Cyclone at Yellowstone!

A Steam Devil Cyclone at Yellowstone!, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

I wanted to post something special for my third flickrversary and became overjoyed when I realized I had captured a real steam devil (on right, like a cyclonic dust devil but with steam) at Grand Prismatic Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park! How I missed this earlier is beyond me, I have five total shots showing it that confirmed it was indeed one spinning away. Thanks all for three amazing years of friendship, growth and fun!

Some anniversary statistics for your viewing pleasure:

First uploaded photo: April 16, 2006 · 3 years ago
962 public photos (almost averaging one posting a day)
All Time Photo View Count: 2,004,001
Photostream View Count: 267,309
Most Viewed Photo: 35,279 views
Most Faved Photo: 767 faves
Most Commented Photo: 311 comments
Number of Photos in Explore per Scout: 333
3,414 call me a contact
Images with 100+ Faves = 99
Images with 50+ Faves = 272

Trailing Above North Cascades National Park in a Meteor Shower

Trailing Above North Cascades National Park in a Meteor Shower, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

This image was created with 65 consecutive 30 second exposures stacked for the trails and 2 dark frames for noise reduction and 2 frames for the foreground detail. If you look carefully you can see Perseid meteors zooming through the frame as this was taken at the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower pointing towards the radiant. One my favorite yearly astronomical events!

Images were stacked with Max Lyon's stacker program and then merged in PS. If I had my superwide Tokina 11-16 for this I could have included the N. Star, that would have rocked.

Woo Hoo Hoo!

Woo Hoo Hoo!, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

A Short-eared Owl takes flight at the Wellington State Wildlife Area located just north of Fort Collins, Colorado yesterday. I am pleased to finally get a flight capture of one of these grassland owls.

Teton Serenity on Jackson Lake

Teton Serenity on Jackson Lake, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

Strait of Juan de Fuca Chromatic Sunset Gradation

Strait of Juan de Fuca Chromatic Sunset Gradation, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

The Ever-So-Elegant Great Blue Heron

The Ever-So-Elegant Great Blue Heron, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

Anti-crepuscular Rays on Colorado Plains

Anti-crepuscular Rays on Colorado Plains, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

Anti-crepuscular rays form in the opposite direction of a sunset (in the east) converging to an antisolar point. They are caused by beams of sunlight passing though holes in clouds.

One Good Berry Deserves Another

One Good Berry Deserves Another, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

A Cedar Waxwing in snow gorges on our neighbor's Mountain Ash tree berries. It's been a nonstop drunken party over there for going on solid for a couple weeks (the birds, not my neighbors, hah), these guys know how to have fun! ;-)))

Edit: this image was selected as post of day for both the Karma and Spectacular Animals groups, thanks so much I am honored!

Lunar Flyby

Lunar Flyby, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

The Solitude of Self Nocturnality

The Solitude of Self Nocturnality, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

A self-portrait of me "piering out" over East Lake at Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument in central Oregon (I'm the shadow figure at the end of the pier, easier to see on the large view).

I often spend hours after dark perfecting settings for my night photography, that time gives me plenty of opportunity to experience a pure feeling of solitude. I virtually never see another person (save for my patiently sleeping wife off to the side on our cot) and am left to soak in the sensory elements of sensations from the night.

Christmas With the Snow!

Christmas With the Snow!, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

We got our first real snow in Fort Collins, yay!!!

From our snow globe home to yours, wishing you a very warm & happy holiday season!

Strobist Notes: handheld bare SB800 with a warming gel. I fired the strobe at full power twice pointed at the falling snow once and once bouncing off a snowy bank. All of our xmas lights are LED. I also double-processed the RAW file.

And if you want to listen to one of my favorite Christmas tunes, check out "Christmas With the Snow" by Marah, great stuff! ;-)))

Here on Earth

Here on Earth, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

A light pollution glow from the city lights of Pueblo, CO competes for attention with the stars of Orion and others (46 min exposure). Speaking of which, this month's National Geographic has a fantastic light pollution article entitled, Our Vanishing Night. Check it out!

Penetrating Through the Fog

Penetrating Through the Fog, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

I was so excited when the moon finally broke through the fog helping to create this dreamy ethereal mood. The show was over minutes later with the moon fading back into invisibility once more.

Morning Rounds

Morning Rounds, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

This impressive bull elk at Rocky Mountain National Park seems to have some grasses caught up in the ole' antlers. He had quite the harem close by.

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----------------------------->---, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

I guess we could say that this Bear Lake scene from Rocky Mountain National Park points out it's fall. ;-)))

Tetonic Moonshine

Tetonic Moonshine, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

And here is my third night take on Jackson Lake at Grand Teton National Park.

Native Flow

Native Flow, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

I am a native Coloradoan that found my passion for nature at an early age thanks to beautiful spots like this. West Creek Falls are just inside Rocky Mountain National Park and also are within the West Creek State Natural Area. West Creek below the falls serves as habitat for populations of the threatened native greenback cutthroat trout (Onorhychus clarki stomias).

Olympic Pacific Coast Last Light Catchers

Olympic Pacific Coast Last Light Catchers, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

A 30 second exposure (f/5.6 @ ISO 400) captures a purple fog produced by the lapping waves ephemeral presence along the line of an advancing tide. The longer exposure also allows the last of an already set sun to paint rocks on the beach with a warm glow. Colorado rules, but these here ocean things sure seem pretty nifty....

Reflecting on Grand Prismatic

Reflecting on Grand Prismatic, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

Clouds reflect in the foreground while Grand Prismatic Spring's rising steam picks up a rainbow of Rasta colors. It was so hard to leave Yellowstone to continue on our trip to the Pacific Northwest when gifted such perfect conditions! ;-)

Those fantastical colors are completely natural. The vivid colors result from pigmented bacteria in microbial mats that line the edge of this third largest hot spring in the world. The blues come in part thanks to how deep and pure the water is here.