The Height Of Heaven

Milky Way | Crested Butte, Colorado
This image, showcasing the Milky Way over Colorado, took me two years from concept to capture. Much of my artwork is accomplished through some visualization and planning. However, only a handful of my limited edition pieces have required years of waiting. The Height of Heaven is one of them.

One late summer evening I was in Crested Butte with a mission to capture an old wood house and a mountain backdrop, under the stars. The result of that effort became a stunning, and best seller, masterpiece called Moonlight Dreaming. Being a landscape photographer I knew that I had to return during a different season. Here is why. Moonlight Dreaming was captured with stars and the moon, when the aspen leaf colors were green. My intention for returning was to capture the same scene, but with golden color Colorado aspens, and the Milky Way in the sky instead of the moon.

Fortunately what I wanted to accomplish was doable from an astronomical perspective. The reason is that in the Northern Hemisphere, where Colorado is located, the Milky Way galaxy is visible in the Fall. In addition, this particular location is south facing, which meant that the Milky Way would appear above the mountains in the Fall. That also coincided with the time when the Fall color aspen leaves are at their peak. Finally, the timing also worked well with the moon phases in order to have a moonless night. Everything seemed to align in my favor.

Therefore, I began visualizing and daydreaming about this landscape. I imagined exactly how it would look. Golden aspen trees, bright stars unaffected by light pollution, and the magnificent Milky Way dominating the Colorado night sky. All I needed was to return at the right time on a cloudless night. Yes, it took two years before I was able to return but the result was incredible. I am grateful for the privilege to have captured this view. This almost never happens, but the image ended up exactly how I had pictured it in my mind for two years.