Moab

Week One

I have a more extensive post about this trip here, Photographing The Stunning Sandstone Of Moab. This will be an abridged version.

At the beginning of February I had a bit of time to kill, so I went to Moab to clear my head. My first morning in the park was spent photographing a spectacular overlook in Canyonlands which I’d not visited when I first explored this park in 2022.

The glow of the rising sun was perfect on the opposing side of the canyon – and the foreground was fascinating with the canyon within the canyon.

That evening I explored a part of Arches which I did visit in 2022 again for sunset. It was as gorgeous as last time, and equally open for exploration and discovery. I explored a different part of the area then I had gone to last time, and the results were great. Though my favorite photograph from that night was this shot as I was leaving the park.

The following morning – I didn’t do much hiking. The destination I went to was the overlook and from there I was able to get the vista pretty easy, I think total I clocked about a half mile walking around the location looking for different perspectives on the scene.

That evening I spent one final sunset in Arches and it delivered a wallop of a final light show.

Alamosa

Weekend Two

I have a more extensive post about this trip here, Alamosan Getaway. This will be an abridged version.

For Valentine’s Day Sophie and I explored Great Sand Dunes National Park – a place neither of us had gone before. It was gorgeous – and that beauty was elevated by the rare snowfall we got to experience within the park.

The morning after we had arrived we went into park for our only sunrise of the trip. I anticipated that the mountains would be blocking the sun from hitting the dunes early in the morning (which they did). However, I managed to get this image of the mountains on our ride in which I’m quite pleased with.

We were back in the park for sunset the following day and honestly I got the best photo of the trip. While it’s not the most dramatic sky – it works for the scene. It compliments the uniform tones of the blown out sky and shadow dunes as a solid mass of depth. The sun barely poking through on the left third and then illuminating the sand is perfection.

On our final morning in the area we photographed a frozen waterfall. I wasn’t expecting much but it was stunning and incredibly worth the short hike we took to get there.

Powder Daze

Week Three

On the third week of February we finally got a true storm system moving through Colorado! With it, I went up to the mountains where I got this absolute heater of a photo.

The next day I was back in the area (skiing this time) and I got a few nice shots, but my favorite was this one from the chairlift. I like the soft colors of the sky and the cool tones of the shadows cast by the trees on the snow below.

In Summary

What a phenomenal month.

But at the same time I wonder what I could have done differently. I feel at odds – one direction pulling me to retreat to nature, another pulling me to stay close to home. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer, but I plan on going into March considering and pondering this question.