Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Autumn in the Rockies



I've been going to my "special secret spots" for nearly 20 years, but this autumn it seems everyone caught on more than ever! I've never seen so many tripods everywhere I went in Southwestern Colorado last week. That's why it's still important to get off road and hike, hike, hike as much as possible for unique perspectives on popular areas and to just get away from the crowds.

I've been fortunate to live in beautiful places, but more and more, I see all my pictures, so to speak, in magazines every month. I don't want to compete in landscape photography anymore, I just want to do it for the love of doing it and for the love of being in the great outdoors. I'm not one to race around from spot to spot, shot to shot. I prefer to became familiar with an area and get to know it and really experience it and become connected. Just like I did with the Grand Canyon.

Ecstatic about getting out again while coming back from my injuries, this is the first time I've hiked with trekking poles to help me keep my balance. I also bought a Cotton Carrier. I wish I had found this product years ago! It's basically a vest that sits on my chest where I can carry my camera and still have instant release. It keeps the camera from pulling and swinging on my neck, making it enormously more comfortable to hike and shoot...and much more safe!

These photos are of the Grenadier mountains, which are part of the San Juan range about 7 miles south of Silverton, Colorado. One of my very favorite spots in the state.

Enjoy this wondrous time of year! Get out there, wherever you are and soak up the color, the sun, and thank God for this beautiful planet.