Me, Dad, and a Blue Sky

No one else really wanted to get up early that morning. Maybe it was the fact that it was vacation and you are supposed to sleep in, but my dad and I had other plans. Both being fans of photography, we knew the best light is in the morning and evening. But beyond that, I think we both knew it was the most dramatic part of the day as well. Like a symphony starting with a tap of the sun's wand on the pedestal. Then a slow addition of instruments as new corners of nature came to light with each wave of the conductor's arms. Why would we miss it for a few more hours of warmth and rest?

When we got on the road, we could see the sun was already on its way up, as if approaching the stage. So we took off up the mountain and when we realized we were high enough and the and sun was ready, we pulled off and gazed at the shadowed valley floor with the thin silver stream weaving like a serpeant toward the town below. The morning light peaked over the jagged horizon, catching a glimpse of who was willing to sacrifice their bed for the start of the show. And there we were, with no regrets for our beds, but enjoying a little father-son time...and the best show money can buy. I actually think I remember the rapping of the conductor's wand on the music stand.

The following picture is not the symphony, but two happy concert goers reveling in the brilliance of the show. And we weren't even thinking about our beds.

An Early Morning Symphony

Rocky Mountain National Park

The Redemptive Chipmunk

When we were kids, my family took a couple of vacations out west. But one in particular sticks out in my mind: we visited Rocky Mountain National Park. I was young and not the accomplished, world-class photographer I am now, and my dad let me try taking some photos with his camera. Now this was the fully manual kind. No auto-focus... or auto anything for that matter. And keep in mind I was young.

So as I was learning with my dad's SLR, I saw a chipmunk sitting right beneath me on a rock. I had him through the viewfinder, I set the exposure, I focused, I focused, I focused. I couldn't get what I thought was 'in focus'.
And then...he ran away.
I missed the shot.
What makes matters worse is that my sister has not let me forget about it for these almost 20 years.

But a couple years ago, I was back in Rocky Mountain National Park, with my own camera and quite a bit more experience.And what do you think happened to be sitting on the side of the trail? That's right, a chipmunk. (Probably a distant relative of the chipmunk of my childhood.) So what did I do? Did I panic and waste the shot? Did I break down and cry under the pressure? No, I snapped 20+ photos of that thing. And though my sister still likes to make fun of me every now and then...I have been redeemed!!

The Redemptive Chipmunk

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

465 mm, 1/400 sec, f/5.6

Unafraid Over Breakfast

As mentioned in a previous blog, A Morning With My Dad on the Mountain, my dad and I arose early one morning on vacation and set off in search of photographs, wildlife, and breakfast. As we reached the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park, we decided to search around the back roads of Grand Lake, CO. In theory we were searching for moose, but I think we both knew it was futile. So we went on another little side adventure, unsure about what exactly we were going to find.

As we turned around a bend, we were no more than 5 feet from a deer standing beside the road. Now remember, we were in a 15-passenger van which is neither quiet nor calming to wildlife. So I was shocked to see the deer stand perfectly still and gaze at us with indifference. It seemed we were just another couple of mildly annoying observers who stopped to gawk at her enjoying breakfast.

While staring at each other, I was able to take a few pictures, actually having to zoom out a little because we were so close. When we had our fill, we drove on discovering a dead end and nothing else very eventful. I am not a biologist or animal psychologist, but I thought about that deer as we drove back over the mountains to our cabin. Maybe she had become accustomed to people, maybe they had fed her before, or maybe she was simply fearless. Either way, this deer was no longer frightened by 15-passenger vans and men with zoom lenses.

But it was peaceful, the light was still soft, backlighting the deer as it munched happily on grass. So with pink ears and deep brown eyes, the deer enjoyed her breakfast with a little entertainment for her viewing pleasure; us. There was nothing but the soft hum of our engine even though houses were within viewing distance. There were no lawn mowers cutting the grass, no passing cars in the early morning, and no dogs barking. We simply had time to enjoy nature and one of God's creatures close up.

To get this picture, I used my Nikon VR 70-200mm, f/2.8 lense with my Nikon teleconverter TC-20E II. Even though the teleconverter stops down the f-stop a few notches, it was much cheaper to purchase than another telephoto lense with a longer focal length.

320mm, f/5.6, 1/800 s
Deer In Morning Light, Near Grand Lake, CO

A Morning With My Dad On the Mountain

The day before, the whole family had decided to get up early to try and spot wildlife. We were awake before sunrise and set our sights on Bear Lake inside Rocky Mountain National Park. It was great to get up there before the crowds flooded the paths and cluttered the otherwise pristine landscape. But in the end, we did not spot any wildlife. Everyone was a little disappointed, but spirits were still high and we all enjoyed ourselves. In our hurry to get to the lake, we had passed up photo opportunities of incredible views in the emerging sunlight. So my dad and I decided it would be worth another pre-dawn excursion to catch these images we missed the first morning.

Alone in our enthusiasm, we hopped in the van the next morning, while the rest of the crew continued to slumber. We set off with a specific picture in mind. There was a valley on our side of the mountain that would be perfect as the sun rose just behind it. After reaching our destination and snapping as many pictures as we could rattle off in the the rapidly brightening scene, we realized we were plenty awake and already halfway toward the other side of the mountain. So we took the opportunity to travel over Trail Ridge Road, into the western half of the park. We wanted to try and spot any moose that might be lingering around the marshy area outside Grand Lake, CO. And even if we did not see any moose, we figured breakfast would be a great consolation prize.

While driving over the mountains, a large group of elk distracted us for a short while. Being up so early, traffic was slow and we were able to take our leisure in admiring the landscape and the elk herd. The photo that follows is a picture of my dad taking a picture of the elk. In the background you can see the mountains, almost eye level to us.

I know that the picture below will not win any photo contests and there is nothing extremely striking about the scene, but it is still special none the less. You see, to me it is not just a man sitting by the side of the road taking a picture. To me it is a reminder of a morning spent exploring with my dad. In this picture, I see a man who, like myself, was enjoying the morning sun, the solitude of nature, and the joy of capturing the landscape and moment around us. My dad and I are alike in many ways, as is evidenced by the fact that we were the only ones willing to sacrifice sleep to look at the mountains. And that morning was a time of sharing in the experience as much as anything else. These times have become more important as of late because they are actually soon going to be very rare. In the not too distant future, my wife and I will be moving out of the country for several years. We won't be making any trips to see family over Christmas or Thanksgiving. No extended weekend trips for family get togethers. And simple memories like a morning drive over a mountain and searching for moose will be much more precious than others might be able to understand.

Dad on the Mountain Top, Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park

Looking Out My Window

If anyone reading this has ever traveled to Colorado, you will admit, as I do, that it is a beautiful state. So while vacationing in Estes Park with my family, one of the main things I enjoyed was the scenery. The towering mountains against a blue sky with a forest at their base. It is majestic to say the least. I was also pleased with the location of our cabin. It sat just outside of the busy area of Estes Park up on a hill so that it was away from the noise and above the lights of the town.

Our days were usually packed full activity. So naturally at the end of each day, I would crawl into bed and enjoy the comfort of a good night's sleep and a soft mattress. It wasn't until about the third night that I looked out my window at the starry scene. It was incredible, a starry sky set against dark mountains with a few lights emitting from the houses below. It was as if someone had make the scene to fit the window. So from that night on, I would, if nothing else, glance out my window before nodding off to sleep.

I didn't realize this until later, but I had subconsciously sectioned off when the good views and and landscapes would be. I guess I thought it was only when we were out and about. I had almost forgotten that the beauty was right outside my window the whole time.

The Sky Through My Window, Estes Park, CO
Nikkor DX 18-70mm, 18mm, f/3.5, 30 sec