Vibrant Spring

This post will be a bit old news now, but the end of the semester as both a student AND an instructor is madness. So, as is the trend it seems, I have a bit of a backlog of images to share. First up though a few images of spring.

Spring is probably my favorite time of the year. I am a bit obsessed with bright green landscapes, and the fresh, new green of spring never ceases to amaze me. Plus the flowers every where is an added bonus. Since I was so busy this spring I didn’t have a chance to shoot much, but here are the few I did manage to grab before the new green faded and the spring blossoms fell.

Have a happy weekend everyone (and be on the lookout for more posts)!

Spaces

The more I photograph, the more I realize that I am drawn to very intimate spaces. Grand spaces generally don’t intrigue me nearly as much, at least in terms of my photography. I also have the tendency to be drawn back to the same space over and over, witnessing how it changes depending on the light or the passage of time. These images are random ones from the past month or so, of various spaces that you may have seen before, but perhaps under different conditions. Some are just brief moments that I photographed in an attempt to hold on to them in my mind; I found them significant in some way at the time, and wanted that moment to stick.

 

And, meet Gwynn, who lives in my studio. The plant’s growth is explosive; these image were shot just a few weeks apart. I plan to keep documenting the growth, but it is slowly (or not so slowly) taking over my studio I think.

 

As a bit of a teaser for you all, I just returned from a trip to New York City, so images from that trip will be up in the (hopefully) near future. Also, more moments of light are on their way. Happy Monday everyone!

Disruption

It had been almost a full year since I last shot a self-portrait, despite the fact that I have had the itch to create one for months. Last Friday evening I finally had some time to kill, and someone to assist, so we went out into the woods and took advantage of the perfect light.

I’ve been going back and forth on the editing of this one, so I may potentially post the original in the near future, as well as some others from the shoot that turned out, and maybe even some behind the scenes images.

 

The Farm

Shortly after Thanksgiving Scott and I went to visit his parents’ beautiful farm. We were only there for a night, but the light that evening was stunning; richly golden with a low haze in the distance.

Also, to any Arabian horse fans out there, these beauties are for sale. Feel free to contact me for details.

Time in the pasture.

About a month ago Scott and I went to his parents’ farm for dove hunting season. We went out in the evening and sat in their pasture watching for birds. I, however, was very distracted by how beautiful it was out there.

We sat on buckets, low to the ground and surrounded by tall grass fronds catching the rich evening light as they swayed in the breeze. Not far away was a group of wild sunflowers in full bloom. A small pond was in front of us, and it was mesmerizing to watch the giant dragonflies swoop down to catch bugs in the low, golden sun. The only noises we heard were bugs buzzing, birds chirping, and the sound of the wind in the grass. It was almost dream like.

Colorado in July (Part 2)

Welcome back! Hopefully you all didn’t get bored with the first post since there are still more images to share. These are my favorite images of the trip, so in my opinion it was all worth it. Without further ado, enjoy part 2!

Friday morning we woke up early and drove to Golden, Colorado to try climbing at the Golden Cliffs area. The hike up to the cliff was incredibly beautiful, and the view once we got there was just as amazing. From the cliff side we could see almost all of Golden, including the Coors Brewery, mountains in almost every direction, and Denver in the distance; near perfection I would dare to say.

It is always interesting when going to a new climbing area; it tends to be a slow process to begin climbing as you try to get oriented according to the guide-book and figure out what routes are what. We ended up on some rather sketchy routes to begin the day, and encountered very polished rock (which we later read in about on mountain project). After finishing a particularly bad route Scott and I were both frustrated and angry, but he spontaneously decided to climb the route right next to it before we headed back to Denver. The route ended up being the hardest route he has ever lead climbed, and a terrific one to end the day on.

Saturday we managed to wake up even earlier, and again headed to the Golden Cliffs. Our friends that were in Colorado Springs drove up to climb with us for a bit, and despite some serious pain due to my elbow injury we had a great morning of climbing. A storm rolled in right as we were wrapping up a route, so I grabbed some photographs quick and then we sprinted down to our cars with thunder exploding around us the entire time.

The four of us grabbed lunch in Golden while the storm passed, and then Scott and I made a snap decision to drive up to the summit of Mt. Evans, a 14,000 foot mountain near by. It is a narrow, winding road to the top. I was driving and was terrified while doing so (you see, I terrify me despite the fact that I climb). We drove through a hail storm, some rain, along with some sunshine while driving up. When we got to the end of the road we hopped out of the car, noted the crazy effect of the altitude on us, and started to hike around. The road takes you nearly to the top; there is just a short hike to get to the actual summit. Near the parking lot there is an A-frame building where the first high altitude research ever done took place. Scott was all giddy since that is something he hopes to pursue, so we hiked around there for a bit and then headed up the short trail to the summit. While we were at the summit the clouds opened up just right, and I got some truly amazing light. I have never been in the alpine environment during golden hour before; it was one of the most magical things I have witnessed. I have already vowed to go back when I can spend more time there and explore a bit more for the perfect shot.

I had a guy at the summit snap a photograph of me and Scott quick, so that there would be proof of us being there together 🙂

Sadly this was our last night in Colorado. The next morning we woke up to drive back to Kansas; not nearly as exciting as finding a new place to climb and explore in the mountains.

Rise and Untitled (and behind the scenes)

Here are two others that I liked from the shoot a month ago. I have found a new obsession with fabric in my self-portraits, and have a couple more images in mind with it. Hopefully I can get those shot in the next few weeks.

Rise

Untitled

And a few behind the scenes shots for you all. And a chance for me to introduce you all to the greatest photo assistant of all time, Scott. He was willing to sit there wrapped in tulle while I figured out my composition and such, and still managed to look manly 🙂

355/366 – The Key

Today felt like a step backwards in terms of healing.

354/366 – The calm before the storm.

I have been busy planning for the class I will be teaching this semester, and so when I saw the beautiful light in the empty classroom this evening I had to grab a shot. Ironically enough the file number is the same as the course number I will be teaching. And, this is my first photograph in daylight in 4 days, so that is exciting.

335/366 – Shadows

I love my parents’ backyard. And I am constantly in awe of all the colors that appear on snow in the evening.