As the Grand Prize winner of the 2014 calendar contest, I was appproached a few months ago to fill a volunteer position in leading a group of photographers around the trails of Roxborough State Park.  I immediately accepted and started making plans for how I could share this beautiful area with my fellow camera-geeks.  The meetup would act as a fund-raiser for the Friends of Roxborough State Park, and all proceeds go to support the educational and interpretive mission of Roxborough State Park.

We settled on three dates for the first half of the year; February 22, April 5, and May 17.  I was plenty nervous about the February date, but we lucked out and had a super morning.

I put a fair amount of time into a concept I thought would be fun to try.  I created a tri-fold brochure with some of my shots on the outside, and a map on the inside.  The map showed small images that I had taken on the trail we would be hiking as a group (Fountain Valley).  I included the exact location for each photo, along with the date/time and camera settings.  This gave us opportunities to discuss certain ones as we went, and also served as a little take-home item for the participants.  They were also treated to a complimentary calendar by the park at the conclusion of our hike.

I’m normally a fairly shy and reserved person, so the task of playing host for 3+ hours with a large group of strangers was a bit daunting.  I had to remind myself that I was there because of the recognition my photographs received.  Own it.  I also reminded myself that the group was there to enjoy the morning, see some cool things, and maybe learn a little bit.  My job was to lead and inform, but also stay out of the way.  That is a delicate balance at times.

Check out this beautiful flower shot from Russ.  I was too busy yapping and didn’t notice it, luckily he was paying attention.  I love how everything in the background is brown and dead, and the flower is springing forth out of the decay.  Plus – it’s February!!!!

Photo Credit: Russell Colletta

What a nice group of folks to spend my Saturday with.  It was great to break out of my shell for a bit and interact with them.

I consider the day a great success, and I hope the participants do as well.  I’m looking forward to doing it again!

Here is a link to get more information or to sign up for the next one:

April 5

I have been working very hard this week to get my new little venture off the ground.

I will have a LOT more to say about that in the near future, but 2014 is looking great!  I’m already on target to shoot as many as fourteen races this year, and have scheduled 2 workshops with 15 people each that I will be announcing soon.  I’m just hoping to find a free weekend to actually run a race or two!

I launched a Facebook page for the company today, and have been blown away by the support and encouragement I’ve received.  People can be pretty darn cool sometimes.  Who knew? 🙂

Head on over to the Colorado Photo Company page on Facebook and please like it if you care to.

Once you have liked the page, leave a numeric prediction about some big sporting event on the contest thread for a chance to win a framed print.

For those of you not on Facebook, I will post the contest details below.  Leave a comment on this post with your guess and you’re set!

Thank you all for reading and giving me such great support over the years.  I really appreciate it!

Let’s have ourselves a little contest!

In order to steer clear of copyright/infringement issues, I am calling this my water-loving raptor vs. hoofed high-country beast point prediction stunt.

1. Like the Colorado Photo Company page.

2. Leave a comment below with a number that represents your guess for the total combined score of a certain sporting event taking place this weekend. The person with the closest guess will receive a framed print of the winning team’s likeness shown below.

Please share and pass along!

Chris Boyack | Colorado Photo Company