Radiance

Maroon Bells Sunrise | Aspen, Colorado
A unique rendition of the Maroon Bells at sunrise – the most photographed place in Colorado. My plan was to capture a night shot with stars above the Maroon Bells peaks. Therefore, I arrived the evening before. However, the weather was cloudy and rainy, as it can unpredictably change in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. I decided to car-camp hoping that the clouds would clear later during the night. Therefore, I kept waking up about once an hour to check, but unfortunately the night sky never cleared. By early morning I gave up hope on my idea and decided to at least get some sleep.

For a reason I cannot explain I was suddenly awakened shortly after falling asleep. When I looked through the car window I saw the sunrise casting a radiant, saturated light on the Maroon Bells. These can be rather dramatic, yet magical light situations, especially in the mountains. The clouds are everywhere but while the sun is still low, it finds a hollow. Because the sun is low its light is very saturated with warm colors. Coming through the hollow it creates a colorful beam, illuminating the very object in front of the camera. At the same time, the clouds create a beautiful backdrop, adding to the quiet nature drama.

Wasting no time, I jumped out to capture this striking panoramic landscape, as quickly as possible. Fortunately, nature’s artwork lasted long enough for me to shoot it and end up with the image you see here. And then, just like that, it was gone. The sun had lifted above the hollow and everything was in the shadow again.

As a nature photographer I live for those short lived moments of natural splendor and beauty. Sometimes I can predict them and other times they appear completely out of the blue – just like this Maroon Bells sunrise. In any case, I need to be prepared at all times if I hope for any success.