With 2016 coming to a close, it's time to reflect on the last year and look forward to the next. On top of that, it's time to show my personal favorite images from the last year!
As I continue to grow with summer art shows, it was yet another year of quick backpacking trips and adventures sandwiched between weekends running the art show booth in mountain towns. It's not a bad schedule to be honest and I'm beginning to adapt well to it. I did make sure to take a couple weekends off so Amy and I could do a full week of backpacking in Canada, which was a wonderful break from the summer shows. I was also able to take my first (of many, I'm sure) trips into the Wind River Range of Wyoming, one of the more epic backpacking destinations in the states.
As the summer ended, I decided to take a trip out east to see the deeper red autumn colors instead of focusing on Colorado. It's quite wonderful to see the contrast of landscapes throughout the country. I've been wanting to see the autumn out there for years so it was well worth the drive and something I would do again in a heartbeat. Colorado's mountains have become increasingly busier in the brief autumn weeks, so the Appalachians made for a nice break from the crowds which is how I work best. I still have some images that I'm working on from that trip, but more than anything I came back with a lot of inspiration from the completely different landscape. I can't wait to get back for another autumn!
Some of you may know that I also had a part-time job during the last several years to make some income in between the art shows. Well in the spring of 2016 I was finally able to break the shackles of employment and I'm now surviving completely on photography. This has been a goal of mine for many years and seeing it finally come true is nothing short of incredible. This gives me the freedom to set my own schedule and really grow over the next few years, a big goal for 2017 is to learn the perfect harmony between producing income at art shows and having the time and trip-planning gumption to make it a very successful year for new images. Thank you all for your support, I couldn't do it without you!
Without any more talk, it's time for the images! Here are my best images of 2016, in no particular order. These aren't necessarily my most popular, but rather the ones I feel are my strongest and my personal favorites. Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment and let me know!
"Assiniboine Snow" - Amy and I woke up to a half foot of snow while backpacking in the Canadian Rockies. The late afternoon light that day was wonderful. Prints available.
"Painted Forest" - Vibrant autumn aspen stand out against a backdrop of snow-dusted pines in the San Juan Mountains. Prints Available. Prints Available.
"Autumn on the Rocks" - A lone maple leaf on the wet multicolored stones of the Lake Erie shore. My favorite from my trip out east. Prints Available.
"Granite Flow" - An epic sunrise over the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. The unusual waterfall flows over a slab on granite in front of the rocky crags and peaks. Prints Available.
"Deep Red Autumn" - Autumn colors in the Appalachian forests of Pennsylvania. Prints Available.
"Windmill on Fire" - Between art shows on the prairie, I had some time to explore the landscape of the Kansas Flint Hills. A wonderful places with open views and hardly any people. Prints available.
"Enchanted Temples" - Storms over the Temples of the Sun and Moon create a moody black and white scene in Utah's Capitol Reef National Park. Handmade black and white prints available.
"Winter's Warm Glow" - Snow falls lightly at sunrise on my favorite mountain slope, creating a warm glow from the rising sun before the storm moved in and started a blizzard. Prints Available.
"Sandstone Flow" - An entire creek rushes through a narrow crack in the deep red sandstone. Sunlight reflected on a canyon wall makes the whole image glow brilliantly. Prints Available.
"Fern Creek Sunrise" - A wild sunrise lights up the sky near Odessa Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Prints Available.
"Twilight Dunes" - A set of three images taken from different days at twilight show the magic of White Sands, New Mexico.
"Flint and Windmill" - Another view from the Flint Hills, with the namesake rock sticking out from the prairie in patches like this. Prints Available.
"Autumn in Motion" - Leaves swirl about near a waterfall in Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania. Prints Available.
"Alpine Wonder" - A few days after the snowstorm, the high peaks of Assiniboine were still covered in deep snow but the lower ponds were pleasant to kick back and enjoy an afternoon. Prints Available.
If you would like any of these images on you walls as prints, please contact me by email or by calling me at (970)412-0679
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