Happy New Year to all of you! As I begin this new year, I'm exploring ways to sharpen my focus on sharing my work and what I do. One way I'll be doing that is by relaunching my blog, to better connect with my customers and others who follow my work. I plan to give some behind the scenes looks into what goes in to making my art, as well as share the latest news from my photography business.

As a nature photographer, I have a confession to make. There's a lot of imperfection along the way that goes into making those seemingly perfect scenes in my artwork. Sometimes you find a great sunrise or sunset spot, but it take many attempts before the conditions finally come together to make that truly stunning image. The wildlife doesn't always cooperate by looking at the right moment or standing in the best light. Sometimes the clouds block out the sun at just the wrong moment, or perhaps the sun comes back out when you need a little more time with some diffused light. In a way though, that's part of the fun of being a nature photographer. The challenge in making great images is what seperates us from the average snapshooter. It often takes the persistence of giong back to a good spot over & over again to catch that perfect moment. The satisfaction when it does all come together often comes from that persistence.

I started this new year by trying out a new sunrise location at the Chapel on the Rock, a church along the Peak to Peak Highway near Allenspark, Colorado that sits at the base of Mount Meeker. I knew this spot had good potential, and the morning was supposed to be clear. However, this was not to be that perfect morning. A small band of cloud was guarding the horizon in the place where the sun rose, taking with it the deep red alpenglow when the sun first reaches the horizon. Once the sun rose above this cloud, the magical moment had passed. Although the light in this photo is still good, it is less than it could be.There's also a tarp hanging over the reailing of the stairs coming down from the door on the left side of the church. I think they are doing some construction in the area, and this was left behind by someone the week before. It is somewhat hidden in the shadows, and with some painstaking detail work in Photoshop I could probably make it go away, but that's not my style and hopefully next time I go here for a sunrise shoot it will just be gone.After the sunrise here I continued on for a showshoe hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Those of you who follow me on Facebook & Instagram have seen what an adventure that was.The weather was intense, with high winds, blowing snow, and menacing clouds as I trekked out to Lake Helene and back. This will be another place to revisit.

I'm looking forward to finding new favorite places in 2017, continuing to explore the ones I've already found, and finding more perfect moments to share with you all along the way. Happy New Year!