Colorado is a photographer's paradise. From sprawling landscapes to the diverse wildlife, there are so many opportunities to capture wonderful images. When it comes to wildlife, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal is my go-to location. This beautiful blue heron was near one of the lakes. The shot was taken from my vehicle with a 400mm lens so as not to scare the bird. The wonderful contrast of the bird and its surroundings are very fitting for "Colorful" Colorado.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ARSENAL, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Doug Shatto

Every February, ice climbers from around the world challenge the unique ice walls of a narrow canyon outside Ouray. The curtain of ice clinging to the rock walls provides both an opportunity to test the physical stamina and skills of the climbers, and the ability of a photographer to "get the shot". In this photo, the pull of gravity on the climber’s hair is counter-balanced by the tenacious bite of the climber’s ice axes and crampon spikes, suspending time and space for a moment of awe and beauty surrounded by a tapestry of ice.

OURAY, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Jamie Zartman

The Colorado River is a precious water resource that supplies much of the west with water. The six gates across this roller dam in De Beque Canyon were designed and constructed over one hundred years ago to allow water to flow over the dam, while diverting some into a canal for irrigation. You can see from my photo that the water levels reduced by a mega drought are much lower than in previous decades, and are why we must all work harder to conserve this most precious resource to ensure that the Colorado will continue to roll in the future.

DE BEQUE CANYON NEAR PALISADE, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Jamie Zartman

This image is of a fly fisherman caught in his perfect motion during a casting at a Gold Medal water area on the Eagle River. The frozen curve line in mid-air depicts the art of angling. The Colorado Wildlife Commission designates rivers that provide great spots to catch large trout as ‘Gold Medal Waters.’ Only 322 miles of Colorado's 9000 miles carry this title.

EAGLE RIVER, EAGLE COUNTY, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Raj Manickam

Went to see the destruction of the Hayman Fire to take some photographs I could share with my class at Metro State University regarding wildland fire investigation, and came across this area that the fire had leapfrogged over, leaving this pristine oasis amongst the burn scars. I try to visit the creek at least twice a year to enjoy its calming and tranquil setting. It has a restorative effect where I find peace and joy. A hidden gem.

GOOSE CREEK, PIKE NATIONAL FOREST, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Thomas Netwal

I've lived on the Front Range for 9 years now. Brought here by a random road trip in 2010. I had a burgeoning love for the national parks, satiated with a terminus in Mesa Verde. I knew after that trip I wanted to be here, making subsequent summer excursions until committing to the final move in 2013. Years later a new passion, photography, crashed head-on with the desire to have a career in the outdoors. I found myself visiting a friend in Glenwood Springs with a side trip to the ghostly mountain town of Ashford. Discarding my digital camera for film, I took the picture you see now. Done so with a camera given to me by my mother, one she used to take snap shots of me and my brothers as children. Shooting that film negative was so important in that place and with that camera. It had taken nearly ten years, but capturing an image, on film, of such a preserved area has spurred me into a career where I can make a daily difference. I am now a park ranger on the Front Range. Last year I documented my first year as a ranger on a variety of films and digital cameras. But this is where it all started, a moment captured in time. Inspiring a man lost in what to do next, to make that next thing count.

ASHCROFT GHOST TOWN, PITKIN COUNTY, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Michael Caparbi

Ever since a trip through southwest Colorado in the 1960s with my parents, I have been entranced by "The Little Switzerland of America". We try to schedule a week-long visit to the area about every three years. Last year the changing aspens were probably the best I've ever seen, but sunrise and sunset mountain images just weren't materializing. After a day trip to Telluride, we stopped at the Dallas Divide overlook in hopes of one last chance at a sunset photo. I became engaged in a conversation with a young gentleman who also had been frustrated with sunset vistas and it was also his last day for photography, as the next day he was headed back to Thailand (after 12 years in NY) to care for his mother who was recently widowed. Just as we were parting, we turned and looked at Mount Sneffels and the last light of day managed to caress the peak. I will always remember that moment, and also hope that the young Thai embraces the day as well.

SAN JUAN MOUNTAIN RANGE, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Thomas Netwal

This is a photo of a prairie dog pup greeting its mother as she returns to the den from eating in a field of wildflowers.

I recently moved to Colorado from South Louisiana, and as a wildlife/nature photographer, was on the lookout for Colorado wildlife. While hiking with my camera one afternoon I found a large field with a prairie dog colony, and started taking pictures (this shot being my favorite from that day). Being that I'm originally from South Louisiana, I was got curious about prairie dogs, and was surprised to learn that these little mammals are quite unique in their own way. Some studies have shown that their communication is more advanced than that of dolphins and chimpanzees. Not only can prairie dogs warn other members of their colony when a person approaches, but they can also let them know what color shirt the person is wearing (or at least identify the person that way), and tell if the person is short or tall. They are also good engineers, and are known to create drainage systems in the colonies.

Being new to Colorado, I look forward to photographing and learning about the unique wildlife in the state.

BOULDER, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Joseph Hamner

One evening I was running one of the Boulder Valley Open Space trails, and on my way back toward my car I noticed the evening sun shining down on a field of dandelions. When I noticed the evening light reflecting off the white dandelions I knew it would make a great photo. Unfortunately, I had left my cameras at home since I was going running. The next evening I went back with my cameras, hoping that the wind hadn't blown the seed heads off of the dandelion stalks. Fortunately the seed heads were still intact, and I was able to get some great photos (such as this one).

One thing that is unique about the dandelions here in Colorado is that they are huge compared to the ones back in South Louisiana. Back in the south the dandelions are about the size of a golf ball, but out here in Colorado I've seen some as big as a softball.

BOULDER, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Joseph Hamner

I am blessed to see Pike's Peak and the range all the way to Cheyenne Mountain, from each of my west-facing windows and deck. So it is always on my mind and in my heart.

I wanted to spend the day up on the mountain just enjoying the beauty and to do my best to take a few good pictures. While up there, I drove out to the Catamount Reservoirs and took a hike on a trail between the two reservoirs.

As I was coming out of the woods I could see the mountains through the trees and over the water and I knew I was in paradise.

This is why I love living in Colorado.

SOUTH CATAMOUNT RESERVOIR AND PIKE’S PEAK, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Ken Carr

Colorado: A True Love Story

I’ve climbed mountains so high above the cloud’s that heaven’s gates seemed only a staircase away. Slept under the glistening petals of the Milky Way and woke to the horizon of God's fiery blaze - a reminder that darkness is impermanent. I've learned to speak the language of the earth through the soles of my feet; journeyed for hundreds of miles to be closer to her equanimity; her enormity of care; her fortress of solitude. I’ve met explorers, farmers, ranchers, hunters and anglers, environmental activists and outdoor enthusiasts. But NEVER have I met a love so potent, so forgiving and unscathed, righteous and true. Though I’ll be gone, I won’t forget you, Colorado; my first love and my forever dream come true.

GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Jason Swann

I moved to Colorado to start a new life away from repressed feelings of wrong-doings. In Nebraska, the judicial system temporarily imperiled me and awakened me to disparities of racial injustice. As I began to pick up the broken fragments of myself, I found respite in the melodic powers of nature. Having access to Colorado's outdoors afforded me opportunities to become intimate with my emotions, to calm the rage inside me, to seek out self-compassion and embellish moments of joy and comfort. It opened doors unimaginable and lifted me out of that dark place of heartache, shame and guilt. I began to appreciate my successes and my failures as moments to cherish. I stepped into each day knowing that life is impermanent and ever changing, and like the wind, I decided to flow in harmony with it.

This connection to nature led me to help propose policy recommendations for a coalition of more than 60 local, state, and national organizations to find solutions to the racial, economic, and demographic disparities in access to natural areas in Colorado. The Outdoor Equity Grant Program provides meaningful, proportional, and sustainable funding to entities providing conservation, environmental, and outdoor experiences and educational opportunities for underserved youths and families.

The tenuous link between equity and government has stifled upward mobility for persons we routinely exclude or discriminate against. The Outdoor Equity Grant Program has taken a needed step in reimagining a system that better meets the needs of our present and future generations.

LONG LAKE, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Jason Swann

I've always been drawn to water, and until moving to Colorado, I spent a lot of my time at the ocean. Standing on a beach trying to comprehend the expansiveness and sheer size of the ocean makes you feel small, and it's a very numinous and humbling experience. For me, nothing has come close to matching that same feeling until moving to Colorado and spending time in the vastness of the Rocky Mountains. I have driven across the state and past the Blue Mesa Reservoir dozens of times, but on this day, there was a storm rolling through. Between the wind and the rain, some nice waves started to come in and I was able to sit and relax for a short while before the storm came in and swallowed up the view. It wasn't the same as staring off at the ocean, but I did feel humbled by the experience and having this photograph to look back is a good reminder for me to always appreciate water and the natural world, and more importantly, to stay humble.

BLUE MESA RESERVOIR, CURECANTI NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Patrick Gardner

As an avid reader, I always stop at little libraries when I see one. I never know what books I'm going to come across, but I'm always excited to see what's in store. They give me a glimpse into what people in the area read and spark an interest in a topic that might not have otherwise crossed my mind. They also remind me how important community is to people and how something as simple as a little library can be effective at connecting people in a fairly rugged and remote corner of the state. I came across this one in McElmo Canyon on the way to a hike in the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, and it is one of my all-time favorites. You can tell by the sign, the hardware, the woodwork, and even the lights strung up around it that the community put some time in to it and it was taken care of. I also liked how it sat upon a rock to protect it. I couldn't stick around until dark, but I've always wanted to go back and get a photograph of it when it was lit up.

MCELMO CANYON, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Patrick Gardner

Colorado has so many icon spots to visit, and Hanging Lake is certainly one of those. But, just as in life, where much of the joy is in the journey and not just the destination, so it is with the hike to Hanging Lake.

The trail itself is relatively short, but it is steep. Fortunately, there are many places along the trail to stop and rest, with many of those beside Dead Horse Creek. There, the lush water invites, and is often accompanied by a cooling breeze as well. For those like me who are often looking for an excuse to stop and rest that is more than just the admission that "I'm tired", this is all the excuse I need to stop, rest, and drink in the beauty that we find along the path. This makes Dead Horse Creek one of my favorite places in Colorado.

DEAD HORSE CREEK, ON THE TRAIL TO HANGING LAKE, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Todd Warnke

People have been coming to Colorado for over 10,000 years. East of Colorado Springs, just outside Calhan, on the edge of the prairie, sits one of those reasons people have been drawn to Colorado, Paint Mines Interpretive Park.

Here, the earth is gashed open to reveal brightly colored clays. These clays, filled with oxidized iron, were gathered by Indigenous peoples over 9,000 years ago, and used to make decorative paints.

The approach to the site in no way prepares you for what you find there. The town of Calhan is a local farm and ranching gathering spot. If you come into town from the north, via the Calhan Highway, besides seeing achingly beautiful prairie vistas, you'll pass by an Orthodox church, complete with an onion dome steeple. This charming building shows the history of 19th and early 20th century immigration to the Colorado plains from eastern Europe.

As you drive south of Calhan on Paint Mines Road, you pass by Calhan High School, an El Paso County Fairground, and El Paso County Raceway, a quarter-mile dirt track that has races twice a month throughout the summer. And yet, the most visible thing in the area is a true 21st century item, the windmills of an electricity-generating wind farm.

If you park in the first lot at the park, you still cannot see the reason for the park. However, a short hike around a bluff or two, and then you see it, acres of eroded hoodoos in the most amazing, rich tints of purple, ochre, buff yellow, bright white, and deep brown. In places, the hoodoos reach 20 to 25 feet above your head. This is truly a magical place, and even without the need to gather these clays for use, it's easy to see why this location has drawn people to it for over nine millennia.

On one of my most recent trips to Paint Mines I was casually shooting, not to take any great pictures, but shooting mostly to force myself to look closely and pay attention to the details of the clays. And then, by chance, I looked up and saw that besides the striking colors Mother Earth was sharing with me, Father Sky decided to join the chorus of beauty and so lit up the sky with an equally dazzling, if ephemeral set of complementary colors. I grabbed a quick shot, and then put the camera away and just sat and enjoyed the beauty of the moment. A beauty that I shared with people for at least 10,000 years.

PAINT MINE INTERPRETIVE PARK, NEAR CALHAN, COLORADO

Photo Credit: Todd Warnke