Estes Park

This was the scene that took my breath away early Sunday morning as I crested the hill into Estes Park, CO. A glint of gold in the aspen trees, and a dusting of snow in the mountains ahead completely captivated me. Unfortunately, as I gaped at this overwhelming beauty, my attention wasn't on the speed of my vehicle as I coasted down the hill, and I was jarred back to reality by the unpleasant sight of flashing lights in my rearview mirror. The officer was merciful and let me off with just a warning, despite the quota he is under along with other Larimer County law enforcement to generate $115k/mo. in speeding ticket revenues. He understood my unintentional distraction, and even advised me on the best spots for taking in the unique beauty in Estes. My intention was to photograph the aspen turning, but the weather was overcast and did nothing to enhance their golden splendor.

Instead, my morning was spent photographing the elk. Make no mistake, these guys are HUGE. I can understand why people hunt them; it almost feels necessary to carry a gun in self defense. They are protective of their herd, and

will let you know when you've gotten too close to their females by lowering their heads and coming directly at you. There were several buck in the large group I was photographing behind the Estes Park Visitors Center, on the golf course. The clashing of their racks as they jockeyed for dominant position rang out through the crisp morning air, as did their bugling. There were many people on the pedestrian path with cameras, mostly digital point & shoots. There were, however, 3 or 4 people with serious lenses, much larger than my 70 - 200mm lens, that required a monopod just to support the weight.

This image of the Big Thompson River was shot using a very slow shutter speed of 1/5 of a second in an attempt to blur the water as it rushed down the canyon. I had neither my mono nor tri-pod to prevent camera shake, so I braced myself on a rock and held my breath as I depressed the shutter release. Upon close examination in PhotoShop once home, it was clear I wasn't very successful in being completely still. Because of the overcast skies, the colors weren't very vibrant either. I'm hopeful I can make another trip into the mountains in the next few days and capture the beauty of our Rocky Mountain fall before it's gone for the season. Because of our warm temps, the turning of the aspen is much later this year than normal.