Photographing the prairies of Kansas one day, and the mountains of Colorado the next was an excellent and exhausting experience. For spring break I traveled with my photography buddy William, to Rocky Mountain National Park. Staying at a Super 8 in Estes Park, we were minutes from the gates of RMNP. Four days of photographing the landscapes led to some of my personal favorites, and some of my best images to date. I learned so much and know that I would only learn more with additional time.
Before I start my story, I want to touch on the equipment I brought. I often believe that photographers can lose themselves in all the gear we obtain, but much of it is crucial to success. My motto for gear is this, “Buy the best once, enabling you to focus on your photos and not your gear.” I am sure I am not the first to say it, but it is the truth and how I purchase my gear. So here is the list:
Camera: Canon 5D 12 mega pixel full frame sensor
Lens: Canon 17-40mm f/4L, Canon 70-200mm f/4L, Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS, Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro
Tripod: Manfrotto 3021 tripod w/ Manfrotto 488RCO ballhead, Gitzo carbon fiber monopod
Filters: Cokin “P” graduated neutral density (2 stops), 2 stop neutral density filter
Camera bag: Tenba Shootout Medium Backpack
Misc: Cable release(specifically used for night exposures), extra batteries, Kingston 266x CF card(4GB, 8GB)
I hope that helps, I stand by all this equipment. With this gear, I felt like I wasn’t limited in my photography. I could focus on composing and less on worrying if I had the right gear.
So on to my trip….
We started off on a Saturday morning towards Kansas. Our destination was the Flint Hills, more specifically the Tallgrass Prairie. We arrived too late for the sunrise, but were blessed with excellent cloud cover. Normally I would be quitting about the time we got there(11:00), but because the clouds were so great I was enthused to start shooting. Almost upon entering the gates to the “back-country trails”, I was greeted with the below image. This tree just begged to be shot! The scene reminded me of a Serengeti type landscape. Using a graduated neutral density filter allowed for a even exposure. (For those that don’t know what a GND is: A filter that enables a more even exposure when facing high contrast scenes. Specifically used for landscapes where the foreground is dark, and the sun is severely brighter.)
After that shot, the scenery was void of trees and only contained prairie grass and one small lake. I enjoyed shooting the lake because it added a third dimension to an otherwise simple prairie/sky combination. I felt the need to shoot a panorama of this scene due to the horizontal scale of the landscape.
After this, the challenge of creating an intriguing shot really presented itself. The prairie is beautiful, but can seem somewhat similar very quickly. None the less, it was a good hike around the area and good fellowship with fellow photographers. After finishing the hike we made our way to the Kanza Prairie, which is located very close to Manhattan, KS. The landscape was much more diverse than the Tallgrass Prairie. I was quite exhausted when we arrived and chose to take a nap before the magical show of the Sun setting. I am quite fond taking naps in natures arms. I find a sense of solitude and serenity that no mattress has ever brought me. Waking to a gentle breeze, I picked up my camera and began inspecting my surroundings. I chose my macro lens first. I was fascinated by the world of twigs and leaves that I lay upon. Such intricate detail and design! I took some exposures of the minute world, but nothing of any significance. Switching to my 17-40mm, I put my backpack on and moved up the hill of prairie grass. There I found a nice rock to set myself on and feeling no strong sense of motivation, I sat there until the sun disappeared. I took away one shot that I feel captures the beautiful hues and luminance of the sunset that evening. Using a GND once again, I composed and exposed.
Anxious to get to the Rockies, William and I chose to drive that night towards Colorado instead of waiting for sunrise. I found that driving Kansas in the dark is better than during daylight. You can’t see how flat and dull most of Kansas is! Okay….back more prudent information. I managed to get us into Colorado before stopping for a few hours of sleep. We stopped in Burlington, which is quite possibly the most depressing town I have seen. Nothing seemed open, in fact most everything seemed to be falling apart. Oh well, it wasn’t our destination anyway. Waking early Sunday morning, we headed for Estes Park. Arriving before noon, we checked into our hotel and were shooting in Rocky Mountain National Park within an hour. Absolutely splendid! We first shot in the Beaver Meadows area, but soon explored almost all of the open roads on the east side of the park. Unfortunately we were unable to see much of the park due to winter road closures still in effect. Here is one of my favorite shots from my first day in Colorado. Although you can’t see them, there were elk all over this stream.
The sunset that evening was one of the most memorable moments of the trip for me. I was immersed in beauty! The mountains to one side, the elk to the other. Anywhere I pointed my camera would have deserved a photo. Something interesting happened though. I found myself utterly content just sitting in one place, periodically snapping a photo. I have found this happening more and more. The previous night I had the same feeling when shooting the sunset at the Kanza Prairie. I don’t regret it, I got some awesome images still. The next photo is my favorite self portrait. If you click on the image, you will be redirected to my flickr where I talk about the idea behind this image.
That Sunday was one of the longest days of my life. William and I did not stop at sunset, we waited for the stars. Let me say, it was well worth it! Never have I seen so many stars in my life. Truly breathtaking! I think that the photo speaks for itself.
Okay so that puts a wrap on day one. How exhausted but content I felt. I shot over 400 hundred image that day. Of course, I am only happy with about a dozen. Good thing its free.
Day two started off with the best sunrise one could ask for. I am totally convinced that William and I had some of the best weather a photographer could have asked for. It should be noted, that doesn’t mean it was warm or that it wasn’t ridiculously windy. As soon as we arrived at Moraine Park, which is in RMNP, the sun came alive and lit up the sky. I used the GND filter extensively to neutralize the high contrast between sky and foreground. The following image is one of my ultimate favorite shots I have ever taken. I believe this is partially due to my success in representing the scene accurately with little processing needed. Rarely can one say, “That’s exactly how it looked standing there”. I think this image is how I saw it standing there.
Another shot from the same day is this one of Dream Lake. Let me tell you, it is what I would dream of. Shown here is Hallet Peak, with an elevation of 12,713 feet. To get to Dream Lake in the winter is nothing less than a chore. William and I did not have snowshoes, which didn’t help in the strenuous hike up to it. For someone who has exercise induced asthma, this was a feat for me. I felt totally spent afterwards, but totally exhilarated at the same time.
The next day we slept in. Too much to do and so little time. Sleep is essential no matter what, although I would prefer to never sleep if I didn’t have to. This next image was taken on the top of an outcropping of rocks, above Bear Lake. I find this to be a more personal shot more than anything else. I just felt this sudden connection to this Aspen. I can’t explain why though. Perhaps it is the solitude seen here, or maybe it is the stark contrast. I will leave it up for contemplation just as I sat there in front of it contemplating.
The next day William and I hiked up a steep hill in order to gain a better vantage point of the mountains. Unfortunately, the sky was overcast and the trip resulted in a better workout than anything else. We did however luck out that night with some dramatic clouds over the Stanley Hotel. Needless to say, I was going for drama and an eerie feel when photographing the famous hotel. William and I found the hotel not quite as eerie when we found out the true history of the building. But I won’t ruin it for you.
Later that night, I felt compelled to shoot the Rockies one more time before we departed in the morning. To our surprise, the stars were visible. William and I both found endless opportunities and managed a few great shots. A side not to the final night was when a pack of what I believe were coyotes, let out there best howling. Being in the same field as they were, we both felt a little uneasy for a few minutes. Pitch dark and unarmed made me feel somewhat helpless. Oh well, I guess it would have been one heck of a story if I would have lived through an attack. This last image is another top favorites of mine. This was a long exposure towards the light pollution of Denver and Boulder. In certain circumstances, light pollution actually aids in a better image. I had to say goodbye to Rocky Mountain National Park that night, but it won’t be forgotten. That was kinda cheesy…oh well.
William and I left the next morning, photographing along the way. I could add more images to this photo story, but I feel like the best have already been shown. I hope you enjoyed this little chronological account of our trip. I sure will remember this trip for a long time. I am planning another trip this August, in a different area of Colorado. In the mean time, there are plenty of images to be made closer to home. Until my next post, have a great day.
MT
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AWWESOME JOURNAL BUD, REALLY PUTS ME ON THE ROAD WITH YOU, MOM MISSIN YOU
Nice stuff man. Keep it up. Got here randomly. Check out my blog sometime (www.parkerparker.info/studio/blog). I especially love that image of Moraine Park with the ice lit up with sunrise reflection in the stream. Beautiful. Your efforts definitely paid off.