After a year and a half of including a ‘pic of the week’ at the end of my weekly training summary, I’ve decided to let it stand as a post of its own.  I’m also implementing a rule that the Friday Foto needs to have been taken sometime in the last week.  No recycling.  I am doing this to keep me engaged in building my photography skills, and to make me work harder to get fresh shots.  Click here to see my previous Friday Foto posts.

Roxborough State Park is on the small side for a state park, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in scenery.  The dramatic red rock formations are the highlight, rising like the spine of a prehistoric monster swimming beneath the earth’s crust.  Although the park is adjacent to a housing development and a golf course, it feels very remote and is noticeably quiet.  Horses and bikes are not allowed, this is a park for hiking with several trails of varying difficulty to choose from.  I run there fairly often, but it’s rare to spot another runner.

Wildlife is plentiful in the park.  There is a thriving deer population, and I have spotted two different black bears on two different evenings in just the past week.  Rattlesnakes are present, as well as raptors like owls, hawks, and Golden Eagles.

Roxborough in June
f/9, 55mm, 1/400 @ 100 ISO

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After a year and a half of including a ‘pic of the week’ at the end of my weekly training summary, I’ve decided to let it stand as a post of its own.  I’m also implementing a rule that the Friday Foto needs to have been taken sometime in the last week.  No recycling.  I am doing this to keep me engaged in building my photography skills, and to make me work harder to get fresh shots.  Click here to see my previous Friday Foto posts.

The high mountains of Colorado are a thunderstorm nursery.  Like the laboratory of a mad scientist, elements are combined and incubated until a monster is born.  In a routine that plays itself out almost every summer day, the monster – lurching along at first – gathers its strength and glides like a shadow out onto the plains.  Demonstrating domination over the land with lightning bolts, thunder, darkness, wind, rain, and hail.

We were fortunate to be observing this monster from a distance last Saturday.  Had we been a couple of miles further south, our enjoyable day together hiking Mt. Bierstadt would have been remembered for much different reasons.  This storm went on to rip the roofs off houses, snap power poles, and destroy the canopy over the pumps at a gas station.

Frankenstorm
f/9, 55mm, 1/400 @ 100 ISO

After a year and a half of including a ‘pic of the week’ at the end of my weekly training summary, I’ve decided to let it stand on its own.  I’m also implementing a rule that the Friday Foto needs to have been taken sometime in the last week.  No recycling.  I am doing this to keep me engaged in building my photography skills, and to make me work harder to get fresh shots.  Click here to see my previous Friday Foto posts.

Another week with over 800 photos taken.  There were some really nice ones to choose from, many of which I would be thrilled to use on a week where I’m struggling to get content.  I’m finding that my rule of having to take the shot during the current week is helping me to focus and work harder, but it makes it tough when there are plenty to choose from one week, and no so much on another.  This one made the cut for a few reasons.  It was taken Monday night @ 7:45 PM while descending from the 14,065′ summit of Mt. Bierstadt.  It was a great hike with my son, and I think the image does a good job of capturing my memories of the outing.  The composition is solid, with him being in the lower left quadrant and the line of the ridge leading your eye to the center of the frame.  His bent leg shows motion and adds to the story being told, which is – wrapping up a great day on the mountain and heading home in the waning light.  The lighting is what really did it for me.  The soft late evening glow in the foreground was fantastic, and the way it contrasts with the shadows in the distance sold me as soon as I saw it.

We made it about halfway down before darkness took over, prompting us to pull our lights out of our packs.  We never had to turn them on.  The moon was only half full, but it was very bright and we were able to make it back to the car without any problems to finish off Malcolm’s 7th 14er.

Lucky Number 7
f/9, 35mm, 1/125 @ 100 ISO