My "Twelve Days of Christmas"
My "Twelve Days of Christmas" images were all taken during a trip to Denver, Colorado and where posted on my Facebook and Instagram accounts. Days one, five, nine and twelve were taken at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Chatfield Farms, Trail of Lights. Disclaimer: I've been accused of stealing the "Day Nine" image from Vickie, you be the judge. Days two, four, seven, eight, and eleven, were taken at the Denver Botanic Gardens York Street, Blossoms of Light. Day three was taken at the Rocky Mountain National Park. And days six and ten were taken at the Colorado Railroad Museum. If your in the area I would highly recommend visiting these sites. Except for the Rocky Mountain NP it was my first time visiting.
Equipment in my camera bag is a Nikon D750 with a Nikkor 24-70, f/2.8 and a Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 lenses, Manfrotto Carbon Fiber tripod with a ball head. Post processing was with Microsoft Surface Pro 3, Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Topaz Labs.
As a photographer I'm always looking and imagining what a subject would look like if you captured and process it in a particular way. Some images are planned while others just happen. Sometimes there are regrets that I should have done it different. Or you lack that one piece of equipment to capture that one shot. Thank god that I don't have to worry about putting film in the camera anymore. And yes it did happen back in the day, any photographer who says it didn't happen to them, is lying.
The biggest challenge was the weather, all of the images were taken when the temperature was in the teens or single digits. It was reported that the wind chill would bottom out at 10-20 below. Images from the Blossoms of Light are from a second visit, after the temperatures had dropped and it snowed. It did take on different look. At the Trail of Lights my preview screen was frozen with ice from breathing on it while looking thru the viewfinder. The one good thing about shooting in cold weather is you don't have to worry about the crowds, you'll have the whole place to yourself. It's a matter of how long can you take the cold. On average I spent about 3-4 hours out in the elements at each site. When someone comes up to you and says "Isn't it a little cold to be taking pictures", it's a reality check that you might be a little crazy. This was the case while I was at the Colorado Railroad Museum where workers were going from one building to another. All had that look of, what an idiot. But it was OK, I love what I do and will continue to seek out those images that challenge the mind, body and spirit. So there you have it, "My Twelve Days Christmas". I hope you enjoyed as I enjoyed capturing them and sharing the time with wife Vickie. Happy Holiday and all the best for the New Years.
Day Twelve
Day Eleven
Day Ten
Day Nine
Day Eight
Day Seven
Day Six
Day Five
Day Four
Day Three
Day Two
Day One