If you have lived in Denver or along the front range of Colorado for any period of time you know snow in May is not uncommon at all.  So on the morning of May 1st two years ago looking out the window while working I decided to grab the camera and explore while the snow was falling.  As the weather had been warm the past few days there was not much snow sticking to the pavement however the grass was starting to get some accumulation.  I drove towards Washington Park and I had a location in my mind which I had photographed a few months earlier.  Driving south towards the park I noticed the steam coming off of Smith Lake at the north end of park and quickly changed my destination.  I started to walk around the lake and capture the elements of the snow and steam coming off the lake.  I had almost walked the entire lake when I found an interesting tree which I didn’t recall the other times I was in the park.  Walking back from the tree I liked how it framed the scene of the lake and light post and made the Snowy May Day photograph.

One comment I get with this image when someone looks closely is that the photo itself is color.  Depending on the size of the image, the first thought which goes to their mind is that the image is black and white until they notice the grass in the image.

This is not the last you will see of this tree in the Behind the Picture series.

The first question I get when someone looks at my photograph of Rainbow Curve is always, “Were you in an airplane?”.  When I let them know my feet were on solid ground for the photograph, I then get the follow-up question of “What time did you have to start climbing the mountain”?  Almost always they are surprised to know that my car is probably five feet away from where I was taking the picture.

The image of Rainbow Curve in Rocky Mountain National Park is one where I was in the right spot at the right time.  In September 2008, I was in Estes Park for the finale hike of the Team in Training season where I hiked Flattop Mountain.  Already being in the area, I decided to stay an extra day and photograph prior to heading home.  While planning the morning I was thinking of a few places which I could head to near Bear Lake and prior to sunrise started to make the drive up Bear Lake Road.  I was about halfway up the road when I just thought to myself that it would be difficult to clear the cloud cover you could start to see in the pre-dawn light.  In a split second, I found myself at a turnout and making a 180 for the risk of going up Trail Ridge Road for sunrise.  I knew from where I was it would be about 30 minutes to get up Trail Ridge Road, and that sunrise would occur in around 40 minutes.

As I backtracked and drove up Trail Ridge Road, I was wondering to myself if I had made the right decision.  That was until just around treeline when I climbed out of the clouds to clear skies.  The first thought was where could I pull off to capture this sunrise and that Rainbow Curve was maybe a 1/2 mile away.  The area at Rainbow Curve looks back towards the east and on a clear day you can see Estes Park and out to the front range of Colorado.  This morning it was just clouds.  Starting to set-up for sunrise with about 10 minutes to spare other people stopped as well to see the view.  Some of these people stayed for sunrise, while others continued up the road and towards Grand Lake.

As the sun started to rise above the clouds, I looked for different compositions using the mountains rising through the clouds to give a perspective that I was indeed close to earth and not flying across country in an aircraft.

A few weeks ago, gallery nrc and the other galleries at Tennyson Studios hosted the Art for Wapiyapi fundraiser.  This fundraiser was a silent auction featuring art created by the kids who attended Camp Wapiyapi this summer.  Camp Wapiyapi is for kids in families where there is a member of the family with childhood cancer.  The campers are partnered with an adult volunteer where they can build a unique one-on-one relationship during the week. The campers also develop a deep camaraderie with the other children at Camp Wapiyapi. Through these bonds they are able to draw strength, courage, and peace in addition to knowing they do not have to face their challenges alone.

There is no cost for the children to attend the camp, and through fundraising events like Art for Wapiyapi, the Wapiyapi Classic and various others throughout the year, Wapiyapi is continuing to grow the number of spaces they have available each summer.

During the four hour event in the galleries and parking lot at Tennyson Studios, I captured some images highlighting the event.

Silent Auction

View of the outdoor events

Music

Playing at the Bubble Machine

Counselors and kids playing, showing the end result of Camp Wapiyapi

In the end the event raised close to $10,000.

On February 27, 2009 the Rocky Mountain News published the final edition of the newspaper.  Knowing it would be a memorable day in Colorado history as the paper had been in existence for almost 150 years, I woke up before dawn in the pursuit of some copies of the paper.  I guess I was going a little overboard since the first location I stopped at to get the paper did not have their copies yet at 6am.  I finally found a stack of the News at a nearby 7-11 and purchased a handful as well as an edition of the Denver Post, which was the main competitor to the News.

While walking home I was thinking of how many people over the years had received the paper on the front door step of their home and that it could be an interesting photograph.  The one problem was that the sun was just starting to rise and where my porch is located it needs to be about an hour after sunrise for the light to hit the porch at that time of the year.  Once I was home I took a little nap, and woke up seeing the light was just about right at that time.  Placing the paper on the porch with a slight toss I worked to get the image I was thinking of on the walk home.  The front of the paper was quite unique for this final edition and I wanted to focus on the the memorable words “Goodbye, Colorado” gracing the cover.  This meant using a shallow depth of field for the images I took that morning.  While there is some color in the wood on the porch, I also changed the image to a pure black and white image as I felt this was appropriate for the story I was telling.

I picked the one image which I felt told the story best, and this is one of the more popular images which I have sold in the past year.

Camera settings: 1/3000 @ f/4, ISO 200.

If you have lived in Denver for any period of time, you most likely know March is the snowiest month of the year in the city.  While we will alternate between 60 degree days and snow during the month, this allows for the snow to melt quite quickly.

Last week we had one of these spring storms which brought some heavy wet snow to the city.  I took advantage of this and went out to photograph during the storm and also the morning after.  While I was out photographing I planned to be in the same area of Denver, lower downtown, during and after the storm.

Union Station during a spring snow storm.

Union Station and the light rail station the morning after the snow.

Even with April just around the corner I don’t think this will be the last of the spring snow in the city 2010.

During the month of February, these were the top iPhone pictures as indicated by your on Facebook and Twitter.

Shadow on the Ground

Walking down the sidewalk from the library to drop off some books, I noticed the morning light creating a nice shadow from the angled light.  Overlapping the gaps in the sidewalk it more for the image above.

Car Door Handle

On a cold morning a light frost gathered on some cars, and as I took out the garbage I noticed the frost on an old car across the way.  Playing with the angle, I wanted to capture part of the car but also the element of frost to help tell the story of the object.  It took a few times to get the angle I was look for, but the result was the whole car handle and just enough of the car and frost.

Inside a Light Bulb

On the windows at gallery nrc there are a set of cafe lights.  While playing with the phone, I was able to change the exposure and through the clear bulb have the camera meter on the filament which was generating the light.  The result was the hot light of the power being generated from the small bulb.

Check back in April for the top images from March.  You may view these images as they are posted on Twitter or our Facebook Fan Page.  Your comments and retweets help pick the top images for the month.

Two new offerings are available as note cards from Neil Corman Photography.  Both of these 5×7 cards are printed on an art linen paper and blank inside so you may add your own message.  Whether you use the cards as a thank you note, a special occasion or anything else it will indeed be something special for the individual receiving the card.

Rocky Mountain News – Goodbye, Colorado

On Friday February 27, 2009 the Rocky Mountain News published their final edition. The News has been a part of Denver for almost as long as Denver was a city and this final edition marked the end of an era.  While the newspaper industry has been down the past few years, in the year since the final edition, this has been the most popular image sold at gallery nrc.  To help people remember the newspaper, it is now possible to the image as a note card.

Columbine Along the Trail

The columbine is the State Flower of Colorado, and in the early summer months they come out in full force in the mountains.  Due to the fragile status of this rare flower it is protected by state law on public and private lands.  While hiking as part of Team in Training in the summer of 2009, I found this columbine right along the trail in almost perfect form.  The fact that one petal is a little off drew me to capture this photograph.

While a little late, the top images for the month of January have been picked from the daily posts and are now a part of the Along the Journey… gallery.

You may recall, Along the Journey… is a collection of images taken with an iPhone during the normal course of the day.  Inspired from the work of Chase Jarvis and others it is a creative outlet to explore new ideas while using a mobile phone.  Editing of the photos is done “in camera” with an iPhone application keeping to the goal of creativity and composition.

Gate at Denver Art Museum

I had walked past the Denver Art Museum many times, however this was the first time I noticed this gate on the older building which makes up the museum.  With the strong colors of the gate, I wanted to keep those the main part of the image in addition to keeping it known that it was indeed a gate.

Fence Post Along Tennyson

Walking along Tennyson Street in the Berkeley District of Denver, I noticed a few properties which had fence posts and chains on them.  This one had the added element of grass near it which caught my eye on a cold January day.

Pipes on a Building

I was taking out the garbage at gallery nrc, and noticed the pipes on the back of the building and how they were mirroring the plant growth.  With the combining of the two, I used the morning light to grab an image to bring both aspects into the frame.

Check back next week for the February 2010 Along the Journey images.

It has been one year since the final Rocky Mountain News was published.  The following image was taken the morning of the final edition of the News.

Since I first had this image at Denver Photography Gallery – gallery nrc, it has quickly become the top seller due to the emotion and connection to the image and newspaper.  You may also find the Final Edition image on the Images from Neil Corman Photography website.

Now that Denver is a one newspaper town, have you noticed any changes in print news?

The images for the month of December have been picked from the daily posts and are now a part of the Along the Journey… gallery.

Along the Journey… is a collection of images taken with an iPhone during the normal course of the day.  Inspired from the work of Chase Jarvis and others it is a creative outlet to explore new ideas while using a mobile phone.  Editing of the photos is done “in camera” with an iPhone application keeping to the goal of creativity and composition.

Telephone Poles in the Snow

This image was taken while on Amtrak in October 2009, but was posted as a daily picture in December.  Photographing while traveling in a train was quite a challenge.  The key is to be aware of the lag time in your camera as well as what is approaching.  Seeing what is approaching may not be always the same as what is in front of you, but that adds to the challenge.

Railing in the Snow

December brought some snow to Denver early in the month.  With the warmer pavement the snow melted quickly, allowing for the contrast of white and dark to stand out especially when adjusting the contrast levels.

Colma BART Station

Using what was learned from the Amtrak trip in October, I applied this to a trip to the Bay Area.  Taking BART from the San Francisco airport, I explored some of the same techniques and the sense of motion.

Suitcase

At the airport everyone is waiting in line.  While getting breakfast, this suitcase stood in front of me in line (yes the owner was next to it).  Grabbing a picture of the suitcase on it’s own took a creative angle on my side.  But the goal of getting the suitcase in an open space was achieved.

Walking through the Airport

At the airport, everyone is in a state of movement.  While waiting for a flight at the end of November, I noticed that and from my chair tried to grab some of these images.  This idea of people of movement at the airport was inspired by a series of work done by Missoula photographer Bob McGowan.

Be sure to visit the Along the Journey… gallery to see work from prior months.