SMOOTH CREEK

This photo was taken in the same spot as the video I posted last week. I love the look of the smooth water caused by dragging out the shutter.

Dennis

CHOKOLOSKEE SUNSET

I spent a lot of time fishing around Chokoloskee as a kid. I have a ton of great memories of the area.

I hadn’t been back in over 20 years until this past February when I went back for a night sky program that was being put on by the National Parks Service.

While I waited for night to fall, I captured a sunset time-lapse. The clouds didn’t cooperate but it was still fun to be back in a place that had such a large impact on my childhood.

Dennis

South Beach Miami Sunrise Time-Lapse

This was a windy January morning. I’ve always loved this part of South Beach. It feels very different from the restaurant and club area that is just a few blocks away.

Pulling up at 6am, you pass the last of the club goers from the night before on their way home. You walk out onto the jetty in the pitch black and the ocean seems to go on forever.

Aside from the birds which are ever present thorn in my side, the only thing I would have changed is the cloud line. The clouds at the horizon crushed the moment of sunrise. Other than that I enjoyed the people moving in and out of frame, the ship that came into port and the wind that continuously swept the clouds from right to left.

Dennis

First Light at South Beach

I was running a touch late after making the 45 minute drive down to South Beach so I didn’t get the very first light. Still, the orange blending to dark blue was incredibly beautiful on this early January morning.

Dennis

TOP OF THE WORLD

The hike to this spot from the Alpine Visitor Center isn’t long but man did the elevation kick my butt. It was worth it though. You really do feel like you are on top of the world. It’s not the highest point in the area but it feels like you can see forever.

Dennis

TRAIL RIDGE ROAD

This was such an incredible July day. A beautiful blue sky, dotted with puffy white clouds. And of course, snow on the ground in the summer. Still can’t get over that.

The most incredible thing about this photo though, is that I took it from a parking lot just feet away from Trail Ridge Road.

Dennis

MY PANTS FROZE!!!!!

We had a couple week long cold snap in Nashville which led to the waterfalls in the area freezing over. Cummins Falls is my favorite waterfall so when I heard it was frozen I had to go check it out. 

The hike in wasn't too bad, besides my pants freezing. All of the ice gave the fall and the surrounding area a winter wonderland feel. 

- Dennis

Frozen Waterfall Timelapse

Frozen Cummins Falls is like a winter wonderland. Large icicles reaching down from the top of the falls cover the many ledges and levels. The ever present water continues to flow over the pure white ice which pops off of the brown rock surrounding it. 

Have you ever been to a frozen waterfall? 

- Dennis  

The Road Goes On Forever...

This stretch of Route 66 in California is flat and fast. The newly paved and painted road not only makes for nice photos, its makes for a flying sensation as you speed across the desert. 

A pass on the Oatman Highway

Oatman Highway is rocky and rough. The curves are fun to drive, with just a touch of fear from the sheer cliffs. Off to the side are these rocky outcrops. 

Curvy fun

This is a short but extremely fun portion of Route 66. I love the combination of the road going downhill, curving, then disappearing around the bend. 

Rocky Distance

This is my favorite photo from the entire trip. The road provides an interesting foreground. The rocky outcrop in the middle leads to the mountain range and the clouds in the background. 

- Dennis

Orange to Blue

Right after I stopped the time lapse, I wanted to grab one more photo. My goal was to smooth out the water some and concentrate of the deep orange right at the horizon. I grabbed my camera, quickly repositioned it (missing the streak of seawall on the right) and really dragged the shutter.

It didn't come out perfectly but I really like how deep the orange is and how it lightens as it goes up until it starts to darken again into a deep blue.

In retrospect I should have taken a beat longer and focused more on the foreground. Live and learn.

- Dennis