I made this image on a new moon night in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It was the end of September and at that time of year the Milky way rises vertical in the sky a few hours after sunset. We were dry camping at an elevation of over 10,000’ and the air was clear and cool. I made a total of 24 exposures to make this image. I first made 12 exposures at f2.8 for 13 seconds, ISO 6400 of the night sky and then 12 dark frame exposures to record the sensor noise. I combined all these images in a software called Starry Landscape Stacker. In the processing of the image in Photoshop I used a blur technique to eliminate some of the stars to give more focus on the core of the Milky way. I love the times when I can get out in the night in nature and see the world differently than what we normally experience during our daytime living. We truly live in a beautiful world and we all need to remind ourselves to take the time and see the environment that was created for us. “ The heavens declare the glory of God” Ps. 19:1
Ice Caves
I traveled through Colorado last fall and stopped by an area that I had photographed at thirty years ago. It is just off of the continental divide when going over Independence Pass. The Grottos trail with the ice caves are located in the White River National Forest. I am always amazed when I return to an area that I had previously photographed, and realize how different it really looks as to what I remembered it to be. On my first trip many years ago I hiked down into this area with a heavy large format camera and a sturdy tripod. This time I was equipped with a lighter digital camera and tripod, but found the climb out much more strenuous than on the first visit. The area around the ice caves has some great hiking trails that take you to some wonderful waterfalls. When I first visited this location in 1990 there no people in the area when I was photographing. On this trip I couldn't find a place to park and decided to come back at a later time to have more quiet space to hike around and relive some old memories of a special place.