Trails in the Laramie Foothills

Trails in the Laramie Foothills, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

I recently went for a drive north of Fort Collins with a friend to do some night photography. We found below freezing temperatures and 35+ mph winds. Knowing the odds were stacked against me I persisted and came up with this result.

I used an SB-800 strobe handheld and manually popped off a few on full power to illuminate the foreground a bit and hopefully add some definition to combat blur from the wind. I am glad we stayed, it was an invigorating and fun wind! ;-)))

Gazing GBH at Bosque

Gazing GBH at Bosque, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

A photograph from my new Nikon D300 of a Great Blue Heron at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. If it's been awhile since I've posted to my blog and you wonder what I've been up to be sure to check my photostream on flickr where I update most often.

Through the Seasons at the Colorado State University Oval

I've finally finished my year long project to take a photo at the same location once for each season. Here's the result:


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Everything is flowing--going somewhere.

Snow flows fast or slow in grand beauty; the air in majestic floods of fragrance.

Rocks flow from volcanoes like water from springs; animals flock together and flow in currents, while the stars go streaming through space.

Everything is flowing--going somewhere.

How lavish is Nature; Nature always building, Nature always pulling down, creating, destroying, chasing every material particle from form to form, ever changing, ever beautiful.

-John Muir

Vanishing Point

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On Flickr



On Flickr

Another entry for the flickr group The Dictionary of Image.


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Something Different

On flickr there is a really cool new group called The Dictionary of Image. The only rule is your submission should include a definition as part of the finished piece which is appropriate to the image. What a fun concept! Here's my first entry.


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Lark Bunting Triangulation

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Today this is being featured on the front page of the New West Network, an excellent source for news of culture, economy, politics, environment and lifestyle in the Rocky Mountain West.

Open Mic Night at the Pawnee

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Advancing On To Peace

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I love you Papa.

This is dedicated to Papa (my grandfather). Papa passed on last Wednesday night after a struggle that has seen him taking multiple ambulance rides to the hospital in the past months. He lived a long, loving and kind life that is an example on how to live I will always treasure. Some of you might remember he is who originally turned me onto photography and who taught me how to use my first 35 mm SLR camera. I am eternally blessed and better for having known Papa.

I wanted to share a few quotes that I've found some meaning in at this time:

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. ~From a headstone in Ireland

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran

Oh heart, if one should say to you that the soul perishes like the body, answer that the flower withers, but the seed remains. ~Kahlil Gibran

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. ~Author Unknown

While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil. ~John Taylor

Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life. ~John Muir

Colorado State University Nightscapes

After our recent gully-washer of a rain storm I hopped in the car to go do some wet night photography and ended up at the Colorado State University's Oval. Here's some of the results I liked. Very little post-processing was used for either image.

After Dark at the Halls of Justice


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The Enchanted Paseo


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1936 Chevy Farm Truck & Friends

Reaching for the Stars

This ancient juniper tree yearning for the stars is brought to you courtesy of some of the lowest light pollution I've seen in Colorado. The image is completely natural, with no manipulation in photoshop. The tree was illuminated with my white LED headlamp, basically a paint with light experiment. The exposure was 63 seconds.

The Beauty of Age

Ancient Mesatop Sentinels



Twisted History

Composite

Night of the Cranes



I decided to have some fun making a composite. The crane silhouettes were created based on my photos of Sandhill Cranes in flight at Bosque National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico (some of which I've shared here). The sunset is from this past week in the mountains above Fort Collins, Colorado. And finally the full moon was borrowed from my Phases of a Total Lunar Eclipse image featured here long ago. It was fun making this, I hope you enjoy.

Forest Ripples

Red Mountain Falls

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If you enjoy my photography could you please think good thoughts for my grandfather? He is who I can most credit for giving me a passion for photography and who taught me how to use my first 35mm SLR. Today at near 90 years old he is recovering from a really tough fall and high fever in a 24 hr nursing care center. He really wants to return to his independent life. I appreciate all of your good thoughts and prayers for him, thanks a million.

Rural Decay

Can't Get Clean

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The Portal

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Skylarking

Aermotor Cloud Storm



I Spy Sky Eyes

Sundown at Rivendell

Sundown at Rivendell, originally uploaded by Fort Photo.

Try viewing large on black.

This image is a digitally-enhanced composite of a five frame HDR and portions of two of the frames used to make the HDR (mostly sky and some of the reflection). I've also removed a small portion of road on the middle right.

In the past when I posted from this series someone commented that they felt it was almost prehistoric in feel. So tonight I went for broke to reach Jurassic Park, and maybe it's just the coffee and beer, but I feel I've ended up in Middle-Earth. ;-)

Round Trinidad

A whimsical round house found in Trinidad, Colorado. This image is digitally enhanced.