Morning Blaze, Medicine Bow National Forest

Morning Blaze, Medicine Bow National Forest, originally uploaded by cultr.sun.

Early morning sunrise sets fire to the icy North Fork of the Little Laramie River. A fantastic hike with Loki over very dense snowpack meant I didn't even need snowshoes, and a mile or so up gave us a great angle of the sun across the water. The snowpack is still quite dense, creating bridges over some sections of river supported by thick ice below. In some spots the water set off across the snow causing translucent riverbeds.

It's been an interesting few weeks of shooting with the prolonged snows around here. I wonder how much this scene changes week to week with the melting and re-accumulation of snowpack.

Shot with cir-pol and 3-stop ND. Playing with luminosity masks on this and really enjoying the control.

The Ceiling

The Ceiling, originally uploaded by cultr.sun.

Having a very difficult time waiting for the road to open to get back to this place. This shot is about 3/4 of the way up Medicine Bow Peak, looking over the other prominent peaks and lakes of the Snowy Range.

Death Canyon Storms

Death Canyon Storms, originally uploaded by cultr.sun.

An incredible scene unfolding yet again before our eyes. We had to turn onto a private road in GTNP to witness this amalgamation of storm and sunset. I remember bolting out of the car as soon as it stopped and running over a small snow covered hill--then tumbling down the other side, coming to rest in perfect position to take this photo.

Also, in a rare departure from most of my nature shots, this is a single frame landscape. It had everything I wanted to represent in the frame already, no need for additional detail from an hdr conversion!

Looking for prints? www.crs-creative.com

New Studio

New Studio, originally uploaded by cultr.sun.

First shots with the new setup! Hopefully I'll have the time to put together a behind the scenes of my new studio setup.

Loki, as always, an immense help with my craft.

Brown's Peak Sunrise

Brown's Peak Sunrise, originally uploaded by cultr.sun.
Late Summer 2010, near the end of wildflower season, I backpacked up to Lost Lake in Medicine Bow National Forest with Loki and a few friends. After scouting around a bit, Loki and I decided on this spot for the next morning -- about a half mile away from camp and a few hundred feet higher. Brown's Peak is seen in the foreground, the rest of the Snowy Range arches out behind it.

Watching the sunlight strike upon the mountainside is an incredible experience -- this was one of my first. The air this early in the morning is always hushed, and still, and the only sounds to be heard are of wildlife just waking up (and a half-wild dog). Then a faint sliver of sunlight appears on the horizon, and a band of red runs down the mountainside, waking up the world.

Did I mention that I'm now selling prints? www.crs-creative.com

No Such Thing as Off-season

Taylor turns around to take in a breath-taking sunset while we were snowshoeing around Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park, WY. We came out very early to catch the first light of day striking upon Mt. Moran, but the clouds had other plans. Fortunately I still got some great shots and we enjoyed a very serene morning.

Revitalized

Fresh start after an incredible vacation to Jackson Hole. I submitted to the forces drawing me there, and it was for good reason as I came back with more than just incredible photos.

I'm working on a "roadtrip" post which will be up in a few (several) days. Lots of photos to go through!