Genuinely can’t believe I missed writing this last year. The move and life in Colorado meant a lack of down-time towards the tail end of 2024 and this exercise slipped through the cracks. Truthfully though, I’m somewhat glad that I did miss it. I’ve now had time to revisit some of the work from Faroe and the list I have now is different than what it would have been had I published it at the end of last year.
Additionally, I’m going to do something I typically don’t do. I’m accepting that most of these images are from two distinct time periods. My trip to the Faroe Islands – and my first fall living in Colorado. Let me explain what life was like that year so you get an idea of where I was at and why these periods were where most of the images came from.
January
Life in Boston had been going great since I moved in years prior. Sophie had moved into the North End with me back in September and life was good. Winter was primarily spent skiing in Vermont and otherwise staying indoors.
That winter was particularly cold and wet in Boston. We were both feeling it. We decided to take time off in May and visit the Faroe Islands, a place Sophie learnt about a few months prior. We had time off saved and wanted to get a change of scenery. The trip was a delight and although it was rainy still – a rainy stunning landscape is more enjoyable than an urban environment in the rain. It made us think about how things could change.
June
After much deliberation when deciding where we ought to go next settling on Colorado. After finding a work opportunity in that area we were aligned that this would be our final Boston summer.
July
We had to make the most of it! That summer was pure cinema. Night after night spent on our rooftop watching the sunset, visiting with family and having friends visit. We did things we had been meaning to do since we started life in Boston!
I sailed the Charles. We biked the Rail Trail and the rest of the city and Charles. We completed the Freedom Trail, visited the Harbor Islands and even went swimming in the North End’s community pools! To top it all off we were staying fed along the way by hitting our favorite restaurants one more time.
On August 28th, our trip to Colorado began.With that move, came instant access to some of the premier landscapes our country has on offer. The work I got in the first fall was fueled by the excitement of a photographer in a new place – and it shows. Enjoy the glimpse into the work from the two most stunning landscapes I visited that year.
I. Faroe Islands
On one of our first evenings in Faroe we were treated to the above sunset. We didn’t expect much – it was cloudy as all hell and the color elsewhere on the island had faded fast. As we drove through the tunnel – it became abundantly clear we were going to be treated to a wonderful view.
The 8th was one of the worst days of weather we had while in Faroe. It was a thick gray fog with nary a glimpse of the sky above us. But it made for a captivating challenge as a photographer and served as a perfect atmosphere for the valleys and grasslands of the islands.
This picture was shot in the early afternoon but you wouldn’t know that looking at it. It was gray and flat all day, but I think it compliments this image more than it detracts from it. This landscape was made for this weather.
Later that day as Sophie and I were coming home from dinner, the fog had swallowed the islands even more. We were further towards the coast at this point and the fog was omnipresent in every direction – slowing our journey home. Slow going as it was – we noticed a herd of highland cows close to the side of the road. We found a park up not too far away – and began walking back. We watched them for a bit before I got this image of one of the adults out grazing on his own.
From a technical and compositional perspective, this image works on so many levels. I especially love the dramatic layering the scene has going from a cluttered and murky foreground to a calming and emptying mid-ground to an all but empty background (the peaks).
The next set of images all has to do with drama and mood. They’re not the most colorful images in the set – however the light and the way it played on the landscapes of the islands lent itself to exactly the kind of images I’d expect to have captured in this part of the world.
This next image was taken at Tjørnuvík. We had finally made it towards the part of the chain that had inspired the whole trip. This photograph was taken at the beach near the town that Sophie had originally seen a picture of which sparked the journey.
This following image from later in the day on Streymoy was as spur of the moment as it gets. There was light dappling the landscape of the fjords and the community in the distance. We found the first road we could turn down and took it. There was a place to pull off where we stopped and I hopped out of the car to take this shot.
Then we get this beauty of a capture – from the longest hike we had done the whole trip. The more I’ve looked at this image (while writing this article and other times) the more I’ve realized that I think this was the best image I got on the whole trip.
The scale of the scene is just jaw-dropping. The rivers at the base of the mountains flowing down and out towards the fjords crisscross the landscape in interesting ways, the way the light was hitting the middle of the scene but not the edges and the mountain side gives so much depth to the scene and the way the far off mountains and ocean fades off to blue is just the perfect compliment to the otherwise earthy and green-brown tones of the highlands at our feet.
A bit quieter of an image next – this image was taken on a wonderful hike towards a light house after taking a ferry and bus to the quiet village of Trøllanes. It was well worth it. The views were spectacular and there were pockets of light dappling the landscape and hills we were wandering through.
The small body of water in this scene works wonders for balancing the otherwise uniform bottom half of the scene.
This is the final image of Faroe. It was our final afternoon in the country and we had a walk to catch. We’d gone to the black sand beaches of Saksun to catch one final gorgeous view. As we were walking out towards the beach the view of the trail ahead of us was just unbelievable. The tones of the water, the ink black rocks and the green grass work together to create a wonderfully cohesive image that I’m proud to end the trip with.
II. First Fall In Colorado
My lord do I love this part of the country. When we got out here, I knew we were going to be in the peak Fall Foliage season (mid-fall) and we had no time to waste. As we explored the parks more and more – I managed to get several captures I love but these two were my favorites.
The first one was from the weekend of September 15th. We started the morning at one of the alpine lakes nearest the parking lot which was where I captured the image on the left. I adore the way the entire image is framed in leaves and the foliage of the nearby trees – acting as a frame within the frame for the far off mountains. After this sunrise we hiked up to Emerald Lake before heading back home. We didn’t know it at the time but the following weekend was when the real magic was set to happen.
Beginning on the 21st – we were treated to another picture perfect day of clear skies – cool temperatures and stunning foliage. I struggled to get a compelling image that morning – but it was still great to be out. As we left the park and went towards where we’d be staying that night a storm began rolling in. It battered us down in the valley with rain and wind but it was a different story up in the mountains.
As we drove into the park on the 22nd it became evident that there had been a dusting of snow. As we climbed higher towards the alpine lakes we’d be exploring that morning it became clear that we were in for a treat. The conditions at the lake were perfect. Stunning foliage – impossibly still water allowing pristine reflections and the hauntings of foliage to compliment it all.
Throw the bow of wonderful interest in the sky on and we had the makings of a truly exceptional image. Nature had done the hard part, taking the image was easy.
The following weekend I went for a hike in a nearby Aspen Grove where I managed to capture the below image.
I got there incredibly early, close to 0600 and managed to beat the crowds for my entire ascent up the pass. By the time it was time to head back towards the car they had caught up to me – but I didn’t mind. I had got what I wanted. I think the rock works as a wonderful weight in the scene balancing out the pure white sun breaking through on the opposite side of the diagonal.
The final favorite image of the year is a simple one – and the type that I find myself gravitating towards more and more as of late. Trying to pick out an abstract composition in the landscape at my feet. I love the colors and tonality of the image – with the bottom closer to the shade being ever so slightly cooler opposed to the warmth of the top near the sun and the grass and brown leaves throughout.
I don’t think this scene wold have worked as well had there not been a uniform and gentle bend in the grass up and towards the left of frame. It brings the tiniest bit of movement to the frame and makes it a compelling photograph.
