Landscape Photography

Kauai - Hanalei Outlook Sunset

Outlook on the way from Princeville to Hanalei.

Kauai - Kalalau Lookout Pano

View down to Kalalu and Honopu Beach along Na Pali coast.

Colorado Mountain Pictures - Snowy Pink Sunrise Panorama

Boulder Flatirons morning. Most every morning, any clouds opposite the sunrise get a splash of pink. Here on a cold Winter morning, the clouds over the montains got painted with an exceptionally vibrant color.

Kauai - Road to Hanalei

Pausing along the way to Hanalei.

Flatirons Snow Dusting Landscape - Boulder Colorado Photos

This is one of my favorite photos of the beautiful Chautauqua Park and the Flatirons with a light snow in the spring. The Flatirons are part of Boulder Mountain Park. From a landscape perspective, the Flatirons are synonymous with Boulder. The park is part of the Western Mountain Parks Habitat Conservation area presenting us with over a billion years of geologic history. Imagine, this area used to be under a glacier.

St. Malo Chapel - Rocky Mountain Pictures

Here you see a great example of Rocky Mountain landscape. It is not the common wide view of high mountains and a lake; rather it shows how man can live in natural environments and blend in. St. Malo Chapel reflects in the pond and adds to the scenic picture rather than detracts from it. The chapel and the other buildings around it are now a Catholic retreat and conference center. Note the statue of Jesus rising above the trees to the right of the chapel. The chapel is named after Saint Malo, the Catholic saint, who lived around 550 A.D. On Nov 14, 2011 there was a fire at the retreat and the conference center is closed. The chapel wasn't damaged. Photo Notes: When I went up the mountain to capture images of the chapel, I brought with me my brand new (one-week old) Canon 1Ds II. The wind was blowing hard, but I decided to try anyway. The ground slopes down rather sharply from the road to this pond. I setup my tripod and made some adjustments on the camera. Before I could take a picture, the wind blew the tripod and camera over and it tumbled down the hill. I literally felt sick to my stomach. I could not do anything but just watch it fall. After going down and gathering it in my arms, I decided to abandon the attempt. The camera, the perfectly new camera, now had scratches and mud on it. Completely discouraged, I started down the mountain towards home. You probably know the feeling of regret and frustration in these situations. About half-way down the mountain, I noticed that the wind had stopped. I figured the only thing that would make the trip worthwhile is if I went back up and took the photos. This photo and the next one are the result. For me the lesson was to be aware of the weather, both good and bad, and make photo decisions that will result in the best possible image - while protecting my equipment of course. Fortunately the damage to the camera was only cosmetic.

Colorado Pics of Boulder Creek in the Fall

Not too far into the Rocky Mountains, driving up on Canyon Road from Boulder, you see this landscape of fall reflections and colors. Boulder Creek flows down Boulder Canyon, through Boulder and then joins with St. Vrain Creek. From there it eventually flows into the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico. Boulder Creek is a popular place for fly fishing, wading and tubing. During the Boulder floods of 2013, the rainfall during five days was 20-29 inches in Boulder, depending on the specific area. Boulder Creek overflowed and flooded much of the city of Boulder. Photo Tip - Adjusting Polarizer This image represents a good example of using a polarizer to accomplish two things. First, it removed much of the reflection on the water so the rocks at the bottom of the creek could be seen. Second, note that it did not completely remove the reflection of the autumn leaves. This was accomplished by adjusting the circular polarizer to a position that provided this compromise.

Pictures of Colorado - St. Malo Chapel

This picture is a different viewpoint of Saint Malo Chapel with Mt. Meeker in the background. The architecture is simply marvelous; looking like the chapel grew right out of the rocks. The architect was Jacques Benedict and it was built in 1936. Photographer Tips - Composition Good composition is about capturing a balance of features that are full of interesting detail in a manner that is pleasing to the sight. This image has a good number of features: mountains; wispy clouds against a clear blue sky, a bird, a beautiful chapel growing up out of a rock formation, a pond, snow, and green grass. Have you found the bird yet? I won’t spoil your hunt by revealing where it is. :-) A popular method among nature photographers for achieving an attractive composition is to divide the image area into thirds and locate the key elements near the intersection of the lines. Although I agree with this approach, especially for sun and moon shots, it is not the only way to attain the goal. You must know the feeling of looking through the shutter or at the back of the camera and suddenly seeing a composition that just feels right. Sometimes the best composition can only be found while cropping the image. Be patient and don’t give up until you know the scene is just right!

Sunrise over Bald Mountain at CU Campus - Boulder Photography

In the foreground landscape, you can see the CU Student Housing at sunrise. I love the pink, blue and layers of clouds. You can see a little bit of the first snow of this year in the peaks behind Bald Mountain. The coloring of the sky is actually fairly common in the Boulder, Colorado area. Students living in this housing have some of the best views in the county. Personally I always thought it was unfortunate that the windows are so skinny. Imagine the luxury of having a wide view every morning when waking up. But then maybe there would be many more photographers taking scenic pictures and competing with me. I am just kidding, although I would really like to have that view every day!

Boulder Colorado Pictures - Partial Eclipse against the Flatirons

This partial eclipse provides a surrealistic looking moon photo - the slight shadow in the lower left makes the normally flat looking moon appear 3D. The Flatirons provide the landscape foreground that completes the picture. It was taken on October 17, 2005 with a long lens from Louisville.

Colorado Images - Snowy Spring Moonset

This mountain picture was the official 2010 BolderBoulder Poster. The beautiful landscape includes a Moon setting over the Flatirons after a light snow in May. Boulder is famous for scenic pictures like this one and it is not uncommon to have snow in the foothills even when the green of spring arrives. The area in front of the Flatirons is known as Chautauqua Park. The rock formation is sandstone and is similar to the Red Rocks and Garden of the Gods, also in Colorado. Photographer Tips - Moon Cycles The Flatirons are indeed beautiful all year round; however there are some weeks that are better than others for great landscape photography. This image is a good example. It was taken in early May just after a light snow in the foothills. The grass had just become green during the previous couple weeks and the trees add new and fresh light green leaves to the scene. This is the time to watch the weather forecasts. If snow is near, be ready to find that moment at sunrise or sunset when there is enough snow to highlight the mountains. In addition to all the above, to get the best moon pictures, you should keep an eye on the moon cycles. In this case the moon was not full; however, I actually like the fact that it was not. Why? Two reasons. First, I don’t want the moon to steal the beauty of the scene away from the Flatirons and Chautauqua Park. Second, here the moon is setting 10-20 minutes after sunrise and that enables the foreground to be captured with full light. If the moon had been full, the sun would not have risen yet and much of this scene would have been in the shadows. A landscape photographer needs to consider all of these elements and more when capturing landscape photos like this.

Sunset Rays Landscape with CU and Boulder

View of Colorado University campus on left and city of Boulder on right with the sun setting behind the Continental Divide. The primary mountains in the center are the Indian Peaks. Sunsets like this are not so unusual. They complete the landscape, adding unbelievable color.

Colorado Nature Photographers - Sunset with Flatirons Silhouette

Nearly every day the Flatirons and the Front Range provide us with marvelous sunsets. This image was taken from a location near Baseline and Mohawk Drive using a long lens. Getting the birds was just luck. But "right place at the right time" isn't about luck as most experienced photographers will tell. It is a lot about preparation. If you see a view that looks appealing, put it in the back of your mind and when the weather cooperates with some glorious setting, go to that spot and capture it in all its glory! Beautiful landscape pictures take preparation and time. A lot of that time passes while waiting for the right moment.

Rocky Mountain Images - Sunset Brilliance

This picture presents a terrific lightshow over Continental Divide. The mountain range is the Indian Peaks. I love how the sunset rays mix with the cloud patterns. Boulder is such a beautiful place to take photos!

Lenticular Clouds Sunset - Rocky Mountain Photos

This kind of lenticular cloud is not so rare in the Front Range. After I posted this picture on a photo forum site, I had a reply from someone in Oklahoma who said, "I have waited all my life to see a lenticular cloud." I had to smile; those of us in the Boulder Front Range area are blessed to have this scenery often. The weather here in Colorado is great!

Colorado Landscape Photography - Garden of the Gods Pano

View looking south.

Flatirons, Meeker, NCAR Panorama Landscape Photography

You can also see Long's Peak from this viewpoint. In the Spring, the mountains retain their snow and the grass, trees and plants of the plains come out. Those of us here in the Boulder area are once again reminded that Winter does indeed end each year. As we shed our layers of clothes, put away our winter gear and marvel at the beauty, we cycle into our warm-weather activities.

NCAR, Flatirons, Twin Peaks Landscape - Rocky Mountain Pictures

This landscape picture was taken from an extreme southern angle, near the National Wind Technology Center. It is unusual to get the Twin Peaks Mountains shown in the background of the Flatirons; however, it can be done with this angle. When this image was displayed at Art Mart in Boulder, I was told that many people doubt that this scenery is real because how could the Twin Peaks possibly be seen behind the Flatirons? Clearly it is not possible if you are looking from the East; but if you are looking from the South, it is possible. Of course, to photograph an image like this with significant detail, you will need a rather big lens. Photography Tips - View Angle In mountain landscape pictures like this, the angle of view can change the image composition dramatically. I recall reading a commentary by the famous landscape photographer, Ansel Adams, about his photography. In one adventure, he went into Yosemite Valley and setup to take a photo, I believe of El Capitan. He placed the tripod, with his view camera on top, at a location he thought would capture the best image. He was not totally satisfied with the composition, but did not fully realize why until after using the last of his plates. Then he saw that one tree was not in the “right” place and understood if he had moved over just a little bit, it would have been perfect. But he had no more film. Every time he looked at that photo, he was reminded that it could have been better. Few nature photographers have the ability to see as Ansel Adams did to obtain his perfection; neither are we likely to have his kind of patience and skill to act on that vision. Nevertheless, we should appreciate effects of angle, distance and perspective and move around the scene in order to find what appears to us to be a landscape that fully captures our own hearts.