Rustler Gulch Wildflowers

The wildflowers in the Colorado high country are in full swing! Rustler Gulch is perhaps one of the finest wildflower hikes in Colorado (among many). At the end of an incredibly scenic hike is a waterfall spilling through lush meadows of wildflowers. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon! Tweet

Bisti – A Different Sort of Egg

The cracked sandstone “egg” boulders of the Bisti Wilderness are famously photogenic. But while I was exploring the endless expanse of dry washes, I stumbled upon a different sort of egg. Well… I think its an egg – a fossilized egg. It sure looks like one, anyway. The geology of the area seems right. Dinosaur fossils have been found here. And I’d like (love) to think I found a fossilized dinosaur egg. That would be just plain cool! But I’m no expert. What do you think? And by lying on my belly and a friend casting his shadow on the area, I ...

Bisti Egg Garden

At first glance, the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness in Northwest New Mexico is just a dry, barren and harsh landscape – the very definition of badlands. But a little exploration reveals innumerable treasures for both the mind and eye. Its a photographers paradise, with interesting forms and unique features. With some planning, you can visit the highlights in a couple days. But you could easily spend several weeks, or more, exploring the vast eroded washes. The Egg Garden, or Egg Factory, or Cracked Eggs are perhaps Bisti’s most famously photographed feature. Large, colorful, egg-shaped sandstone boulders in various states or erosion align ...

Google Earth 5.2

I’ve been a long time fan of Google Earth. I believe it is one of the most valuable tools for planning photo trips and sharing images. The new Google Earth v5.2 release has some great enhancements for all types of outdoor activities. It adds support for GPS tracks and elevation profiles. Check out the nice write-up at the Google Lat Long Blog. You can bet that I’ll be playing with these new features – importing past trips and planning new ones! Tweet

Chautauqua Wild Iris

The wildflowers are starting to bloom at the lower elevations in Colorado. One of my favorite places is Chautauqua City Park at the base of the Boulder Flatirons. Here is an image from this morning… Summer has arrived! Tweet

Running Again

Somewhat off-topic, but… Personal fitness is an important part of my photography pursuits. I love finding remote locations and hiking far into the mountains, sometimes 15-20 miles a day, is not for the faint of heart or weak of leg. So I try to eat right (with help from my wonderful wife) and stay fit. 3 weeks ago I strained a calf muscle, so I’ve been resting, stretching and rehabilitating – and worrying about losing my cardiovascular fitness. But Sunday I completed a short, slow run and today I ran my 6 mile lunch-time loop. I felt great! Not particularly fast, but ...

GoLite VO24 Review

I’ve been looking for a new daypack with features to perform a very specific function – carrying gear on forays away from an overnight base camp. I need something that can easily stow away in my overnight backpack (without adding too much bulk and weight) and then be pulled out, expanded, filled with gear and be used comfortably/conveniently for sunrise/sunset shoots and all-day exploring. After researching the specifications of over 50 packs, the GoLite VO24 had risen into the top 3 on my short list. So when the 2009 version popped up on SteepAndCheap for a mere $40, I couldn’t resist. ...

Your Picture Frames Featured Artist

I’m honored to be the current featured artist on the Your Picture Frames Blog. Thanks to Alisha for selecting me and featuring my images, ideas, and inspirations! Also check out Alisha’s previous featured artist, Jesse Speer – a friend, very talented photographer and designer, and a hard act to follow. Tweet

Taming Contrast Follow-up

The very talented photographer and writer, Darwin Wigget, has a great article in this month’s edition of NaturePhotographers.net – Taming Contrast in Landscape Photography: The Tools We Used Then and Now. He provides great background information of why photographers need to deal with extreme contrast in lighting and a little history and technique. Definitely check it out… Tweet

Paint Mines Interpretive Site

Ya, I know. Its been quite a while since my last post. What can I say? I’ve been busy with things other than photography – work, family, house – it happens. But… I spent Easter Sunday riding the backroads of Colorado and did a little shooting in the field. I wanted to practice with my TS-E lenses and also work on taking multiple exposures with intent of blending images on the computer during post processing. This can be a tricky technique to do well, and I need practice. The location/destination? A cool little spot on the Eastern plains near Calhan, Colorado called ...