NCAR (Boulder, CO)
“Love brother sister hikes! One of our favorite ways to catch up, plot out our dreams, and relieve stress.”
“I always love revisiting NYC, the quintessential ever-bustling city, always pulsating with life day and night. There are so many ways to capture especially the night-life, and the iconic Brooklyn Bridge provides one of the best spots at evening & night to view the city from afar, when the traffic is streaming underneath and creates what photographers call “light trails” during long exposures (a few seconds or longer). I set this as a 25-second exposure to ensure that I’d get wide, streaking light trails.”
“On this particular venture out to Rocky Mountain National Park, I thought I’d try shooting sunset somewhere around the top of Trail Ridge Road (the highest-elevation continuous paved road in the USA). I parked my car at the Tundra Communities trailhead and walked along the well-paved path, and as I got to the end, I saw that the sun was going to light up all of the large rocks around me. I quickly looked around for an optimal spot to stake my tripod and waited for the sun to light up this scene as it dipped lower to the horizon.”
“Continuing on from my previous photo location, I kept chasing the fall colors around Colorado hoping for great conditions somewhere. It was late in the day as I approached Crested Butte, and I could see dark, stormy clouds looming way out in the distance, so a bit of disappointment set in. But as I looked around, I noticed this aspen-dotted hillside that was just beginning to receive some sunlight, so I stopped and quickly got out of the car, hoping that the sun would fully light up the trees. I had to wait only a couple of minutes for this brilliant illumination.”
Fall colors in Leadville, CO
“I always look forward to seeing the fall colors in the Colorado mountains every year, and this year the color was so amazing everywhere I went that I had to pick up my jaw from the ground more than once. Truly an unforgettable fall season. This photo provides just a small glimpse of what I saw. More fall photos to come later, because it would be criminal to post only one photo when there’s so much awesome scenery that I want to share!”
“Closing out another beautiful evening in Colorado. I can’t help but take a calming breath when I see this picture. It immediately relaxes me and makes me feel that everything is going to be alright despite all the craziness that life sometimes holds. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!”
“Like the old saying goes, ‘There is no place like home.’ I have certainly found this to be true. The more I travel around the world, the more I appreciate being able to come home, relax, and rejuvenate. I now find even the simplest things in my sleepy hometown profoundly beautiful. This particular piece was taken at sunrise during a recent trip to Chautauqua Park¹ before an early morning hike.”
¹Chautauqua Park is a portion of an iconic historic landmark dating back to when the City of Boulder began preserving wild lands over 100 years ago.
“In my quest last year to start exploring more trails within Rocky Mountain National Park, I discovered the trail to Loch Vale (loosely translated as “lake valley”). The weather on the day of the hike started out sunny & warm, but as usually happens in Colorado, by afternoon it turned overcast and it was beginning to rain as I got close to the lake. Despite the weather, the scene was so captivating that I had to take this shot and I knew that this would be the first of many trips back to the serene lake.” – Stephen Ham
Trail Rating: I highly recommend this scenic hike. Even though the final ascent is steep, for the most part the hike is flat with a slow incline that is manageable for even novice hikers. I particularly liked the fact that the terrain is varied and offers so many beautiful scenic views.
Difficulty Level: Moderate (3 hours / 6 miles round-trip)
“As I made my way south on California’s world-famous Highway 1, the drive became especially treacherous due to a high amount of fog coming in that obscured the road to the point where I could barely see 30 feet ahead, so I stopped at a pullover to wait for the fog to retreat. As the sun burned off the fog, this scene slowly revealed itself.”
Torrey Pines State Beach
“As the sun went down on a cool evening in San Diego, I saw the rays bursting through the clouds in an unforgettable scene from where I was perched on the rocky beach.”
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