Sunrise – Sunset – Dan Bourque Photography

Archive by category "Sunrise – Sunset"

Pikes Peak in Pink

Stunning red, purple, and pink alpenglow illuminate Pikes Peak at sunrise on an autumn morning in Colorado.

Details: I love alpenglow on rocky peaks with a light coat of snow because it brings out all the amazing details in such incredible color. The alpenglow on this early November morning was accentuated by an amazing bank of brilliantly glowing clouds to the east, extending the alpenglow long enough to light up the foothills as well as the peak. The dark forest below was the perfect frame for this moment.

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Dawn Breaking at the Bend

The morning sun bathes the rim of Horseshoe Bend in orange light as the Colorado River passes by in the shadows below.

Details: Horseshoe Bend is an icon of the American West, and like many places, its glory is really on display at sunset and sunrise. After spending an evening here to catch the sun setting behind the bend, I set out before dawn the next morning to catch the sunrise. It was amazing watching the first beams of light break the horizon and turn the Vermillion Cliffs in the background a beautiful bright orange. I love how the still water reflects the sliver of the bright edges of the rim.

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Sun Through the Thumb

The rays of the rising sun shine through the thumb of the East Mitten in Monument Valley, Arizona as West Mitten looks on.

Details: This was an amazing morning. It was freezing cold, but the cloudless sky offered the promise of seeing the sun as it first broke the horizon. I picked my spot to catch the sun as it transited briefly between the thumb and fingers of East Mitten where it was visible for maybe a minute or two. I love the layered colors along the horizon that the sun illuminated in this image.

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Last Light Over Horseshoe Bend

The last rays of the setting sun retreat behind the vermillion cliffs surrounding iconic Horseshoe Bend.

Details: Horseshoe Bend, part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona, is an iconic American landmark for good reason. The bend in the Colorado River 1,000 feet below is dramatic, the cliffs are steep and carved, and the color is simply sublime. A couple times a year, in early spring and fall, the sun sets directly down the peninsula in the center of the horseshoe, and if you catch it at the perfect moment, it douses the camera with a perfect diminished light that still allows the details of the canyon to shine through. I felt blessed to be there at just such a time!

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Mittens Shadow

The shadow of the West Mitten rises against the East Mitten at sunset in this iconic western scene.

Details: Most are familiar with this iconic scene from the American Southwest, but there are only a few weeks a year where the setting sun places the shadow of West Mitten in the middle of East Mitten. A few days earlier, it would have covered almost the entirety of the mitten, but I love this view where the shadow is clear without blocking the beautiful red emanating from East Mitten.

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Walls of Mordor

The last rays of the setting sun illuminate the cloud-topped jagged peaks of the Teton Range.

Details: when my son first saw the Teton Range, he said “they look like fairy tale mountains,” and this image shows why. Like something out of an epic fable, the glacier-carved peaks of the range rise at dramatic angles showing off their jagged edges and deep valleys. This shot captures Teewinot, a cloud-topped Grand Teton, and Mount Owen on the far side of Cascade Canyon from Jenny Lake. The Ansel Adams inspired black-and-white just seemed fitting for this picture.

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Reflections of Light and Shadow

Glassy waters of a beaver pond reflect playful morning clouds painting the Teton Range in light and shadow.

Details: This image is a good reminder of why patience is required in photography. I joined three other photographers at Schwabachers Landing in Grand Teton National Park to catch the first light on the Tetons. Conditions were iffy as a layer of clouds threatened to block the sunrise, and sure enough, we got just a few seconds of pink alpenglow before the range was engulfed in shadow. The other three photographers packed up an left, but I thought “just maybe” as the clouds were rapidly shifting. It took about 30 minutes of waiting, but the sun peeked through, and soon the clouds were providing this amazing display of light and shadow on Grand Teton.

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Grand Prismatic Sunset

The shallow ridged pools surrounding Grand Prismatic Spring reflect the sunset in Yellowstone National Park.

Details: Grand Prismatic Spring is one of the main attractions of Yellowstone National Park. While its amazing colors (including the turquoise reflected in the steam in this image) can only truly be seen from above, a ground-level view reveals the intricate details in the colorful shallow pools surrounding the main spring. Sunset adds another layer of light and shadow that really brings out the details.

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Alpenglow at Oxbow Bend

Oxbow Bend of the Snake River reflects the early morning alpenglow of Mount Moran in the Teton Range.

Details: The Snake River meanders through Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Oxbow Bend is known for its wildlife, still waters and beautiful reflections of stunning Mount Moran, all of which can be seen in this image. An American white pelican swims lazily across the serene waters, and in the full-size image, a sandhill crane can be barely spotted against the flanks of Moran. The Tetons are distinctly gray, but for the first few minutes of sunrise, the red-shifted light of the sun on the horizon paints them a distinctive red, an effect known as “alpenglow.”

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Majesty Unveiled

Morning mists part to reveal the Teton Range in all its glory reflected in still waters.

Details: The Teton Range in Wyoming is one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in North America. The peaks rise 7,000 feet above plains dotted with lakes big and small. This image of Grand Teton was captured from an inlet of Jackson Lake near Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park just after dawn on a cool August morning. The prominent peak is Grand Teton with Teewinot to the left. The shoulder of Mount Moran climbs into the clouds on the right edge of the image. The lake water level was dropping, and just two days after this image was taken, this picture was no longer possible.

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Sunset Over Cathedral Spires

The setting sun illuminates purple storm clouds overlooking Colorado’s Cathedral Spires in the distance.

Details: Storms are always a mixed blessing in photography. They can literally rain on your parade, but they can also create immense drama and beauty. This storm rained on my camping trip near Bailey, Colorado, but its parting gift was a brilliant show of purples, pinks and oranges as the sun shone in the narrow window between the mountains and the storm. The layers of mountains crowned by the rugged peaks of the Cathedral Spires add more beauty to this incredible scene.

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Mirroring Heaven

Pastel hues of a brilliant summer sunset are reflected in a tranquil Rocky Mountain pool.

Details: Colorado is not known for large bodies of water, so reflections are generally captured in small, intimate settings like this one shot in Mueller State Park. While this image captures the amazing color and clouds, what you’re missing is the soft and small sights and sounds of life amidst the aspens and pines–dragonflies buzzing through the grass, tiny fish snapping at the surface, and a beautiful mule deer doe that wandered into the scene just a few minutes after this picture was snapped. This is why I love this place.

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Stepping Stones

Granite boulders form stepping stones into the perfect reflection of dramatic clouds at sunset in central Colorado.

Details: storms and perfect reflections don’t often mix because of the wind, but this peaceful summer evening near Monument, Colorado proved to be a worthy exception.

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Prairie Shadows

A herd of American bison graze on green grass as the long shadows of the South Dakota sunset settle in.

Details: Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a wonderful place to see American bison in their natural habitat of rolling hills and prairie grass. An unusually wet summer has made for greener prairies than normal for July making for some content bison and some amazing evening clouds.

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Black Hills Silhouettes

Sunset reveals purple layers of the Black Hills of South Dakota with the faces of Mount Rushmore looking on.

Details: the Black Hills are a beautiful place, and when you get a chance to sit high up on a ridge and enjoy the sunset, they get even more beautiful. This image was taken about 10 miles east of Mount Rushmore, and I love how the long lens accentuates the colorful layers of the hills.

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Sunset on the South Fork

A sunset of pink clouds is reflected off the smooth water and stones of the South Fork of the Rio Grande in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Details: even where it meets the main body of the Rio Grande, the South Fork is little more than a swiftly moving stream. This scene was captured near the town of South Fork at a spot where the river runs wide, shallow and mostly calm, especially where the stones that line the banks create still pools just made for reflections like these.

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Facing the Fire

A face of granite overlooks the remnants of a fiery sunset in the Tarryall Mountains of Colorado.

Details: The Tarryall Mountains in central Colorado are a collection of granite boulders of all sizes and shapes, many of which have personality like this ridge overlooking the Lizard Mountain Trail. I love the detail the lichen gives to the rocks, even in deep shadow.

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Granite Glow

The setting sun sets the top of an unnamed peak in the Tarryall Mountains of Colorado aglow in golden light.

Details: There are many out-of-the-way locations in Colorado that offer amazing beauty. The Tarryall Mountains in the center of the state are a collection of whimsically formed granite boulders towering above beautiful pine forests. When the sun is on the horizon, the grayish peaks turn an amazing hue of gold for just a short window.

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Fire Behind Eagle Mountain

A fiery sunset, reflected in a grassy pool, sets behind a rocky butte in central Colorado.

Details: there are many magical places in Colorado both big and small. One of my favorite small places is Spruce Mountain near Larkspur where a series of flat-top buttes spring up from the plains on the edge of the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. Bodies of water aren’t that common in Colorado, but this calm pond, full from recent snow melt, provided the perfect vantage point to double the amazing sunset over the jutting promontory of a butte known by locals as “Eagle Mountain.”

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Monument Rock Reflections

A colorful sunset provides a perfect backdrop for reflections of Monument Rock in Colorado.

Details: sometimes we find hidden gems tucked away in nearby places. One of those places I discovered recently was Monument Rock on the eastern edge of Pike National Forest near Monument, Colorado. Despite the beautiful evening, I had the trail nearly to myself, and the experience was just as peaceful as this photo looks.

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Springs Sunset Skyline

The lights of Colorado Springs come to life as evening clouds make way for the last light of sunset

Details: I wanted to explore a new vista overlooking Colorado Springs, Colorado, so I chose to hike the High Chaparral Open Space. I got rained on for most of the hike, and the clouds hid the best of the sunset, but it was still a nice hike. As the light was fading to almost nothing, I was able to grab this long-exposure shot which allowed the lights of town and details of the moving clouds to really shine with the silhouette of Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain as a great backdrop.

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Alpenglow on Antero

The first rays of red light illuminate the snowy peak of Mount Antero in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado.

Details: it was only 9 degrees where I was standing on this cold but clear February morning in Colorado, but the view was certainly worth it as a series of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks were basked in the red-shifted first light, a phenomenon called “alpenglow.” It only lasts for a few minutes, so you’ve got to know what you want to shoot and be ready. The contrast on the cliffs and colorful clouds behind Antero made it the perfect subject this day.

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Potomac Peace

The sun sets behind a clearing storm over a peaceful and reflective Potomac River.

Details: The Potomac River, which divides Virginia from Maryland can be a very peaceful place even a few miles from downtown Washington, D.C. This image was captured from Piscataway Park, a National Park Service site on the Maryland side of the river. Conditions just an hour earlier were horrendous for photography with complete overcast and walls of rain, but this image is evidence that sticking it out through the bad weather sometimes (not always) yields the most spectacular results.

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Pier on the Potomac

Wispy evening clouds paint the skies above a calm Potomac River and the fishing pier at Piscataway Park.

Details: many things I love combined to get this image – water, sunset, and a National Park site. This pier, found in Piscataway Park (a National Park Service site in Maryland) is a popular fishing spot for locals, and the calmness of the water and big, open skies make it a great place for photographers as well. A storm had rained on me just an hour before, and photos seemed doubtful, but the skies began clearing just before sunset. Yet another chance to learn the lesson “just stick with it!”

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Purple Mountain Majesty

The last rays of the setting sun paint Colorado’s Front Range in hues of orange and purple.

Details: Pikes Peak in Colorado rises starkly from the plains with only the lower hills of the Rampart Range before it. The sight of this mountain inspired the words to “America the Beautiful.” Both can be seen here as the sun is just about to go behind the Rockies. This view is only possible in summer when the sun is far enough north to light the northern faces of Pikes Peak and the lower Blodgett Peak as seen near the town of Monument Colorado.

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Sun Under the Storm

The setting sun peeks under ominous clouds to light up “America’s Mountain” in central Colorado.

Details: It was an overcast evening, but I saw this scene forming when a little blue sky started opening up on the horizon which would give the sun just a little space to get under the building storm clouds. Sure enough, a few minutes after I’d set the camera up, the sun poured through for just a few brief moments illuminating Pikes Peak and nearby Blodgett Peak near Colorado Springs.

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Alpenglow Reflections

A crystal clear pond reflects the first rays of sun on Sheep Mountain on a winter morning in the Colorado Rockies.

Details: a mild winter has left only a dusting of snow on the lower peaks, but it has also kept this pond from freezing and preserved a perfect reflection on this crisp morning. Sheep Mountain is normally the same color gray as the rock on the right side of the photo, but the alpenglow from the just risen sun has lit it up in brilliant orange.

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Under the Weather

A storm rolls over the Continental Divide at sunset in Colorado.

Details: this winter hasn’t been very cooperative for photography in Colorado (very little snow), but if you look in the right place at the right time, you can still catch some of winters glory at the higher elevations. This is the Sawatch Range near Monarch Pass in central Colorado in January. The clouds were just right to obscure the peaks but still reflect some of the sun’s dwindling light onto the snowy flanks of the Continental Divide. It was sublime!

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Portal in the Pines

The last rays of the setting sun bathe the needles of a twisted ponderosa pine in gold.

Details: this twisted tree is not far from my home in Colorado. I don’t know its history or why it’s twisted and still living, but on the longest days of summer, the sun sets perfectly between its limbs. What I love is how for a few minutes each night the sun catches the underside of the needles and completely changes the look of the scene.

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Sunset Sky over Salida

The setting sun lights up the clouds of a passing storm above the western edge of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

Details: Sometimes you have to look behind you to find the amazing. While most sunset photos look west, this was the view to the east on a stormy evening near Salida, Colorado when the sun peeked through and lit up the passing storm beautifully.

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Eye over Aetna

The setting sun pierces brilliantly through the clouds over the peaks of central Colorado.

Details: This image was taken from a field near Poncha Springs, Colorado on a May evening when the sun was perched perfectly atop the twin peaks of Mount Aetna and Taylor Mountain in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains. Three “fourteeners” are present in this view as well, from left to right, Mount Shavano, Mount Antero and Mount Princeton in the distance.

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Colorado Sky on Fire

The last flames of a brilliant sunset light up the sky above Mount Princeton in central Colorado.

Details: Colorado is one of the best places in the country to view sunsets because the air is clear and you can see for miles and miles. This view was taken near Poncha Springs, Colorado looking northwest toward Mount Antero and Mount Princeton, framed between the trees.

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Moon Through the Looking Glass

The waning moon is perfectly reflected beside Rocky Mountain peaks glowing in the first light of morning.

Details: This pristine little pond lies below Cottonwood Pass just north of Mount Princeton in central Colorado in a place called Spring Canyon. Most years, there would be no reflection because this pond would still be frozen over in mid-March, but an unseasonably warm winter made this beautiful reflection possible. The peak in the background is a part of Mount Princeton called “the Hook,” which has a unique curved peak.

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View of the Twisted Tree

An ancient, twisted juniper looks on at a glorious sunset over Garden of the Gods, Colorado.

Details: I could spend 100 years in Garden of the Gods, Colorado and still not find every photo worthy spot. The park is known for its massive red rock fins and spires, the biggest of which are seen in the background here, but it’s also home to ancient juniper trees that have been twisted and gnarled by centuries of wind, sun and snow. This is one such example, and this small image doesn’t do justice to the intricate grain of the trunk visible in the full-size image. This is actually a panorama of 7 vertical images carefully stitched together to get this entire gorgeous scene at sunset.

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Grand Canyon Gold

The setting sun turns the Grand Canyon into shadows and streaks of rocky gold.

Details: The Grand Canyon is absolutely incredible. It’s even more incredible at sunrise and sunset. It’s even more incredible with unique streaking clouds. Patience paid off, and I was fortunate enough to have all the elements for this shot from the south rim just before sunset. The Colorado River is just visible in the shadows.

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Desert Contrast

A desert storm leaves a contrast of colors and climates at sunset over Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Details: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada is one of my favorite places in the west because it’s a land of contrasts. In this scene, a storm has just covered the tall mountains on the right with a layer of snow, while the desert floor remains warm with color. This is a composite carefully stitched from six individual photos to capture this entire dramatic scene from east to west.

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Beach Bum at Sunset

A large piece of driftwood stands tall against a beautiful sunset over an empty beach along the Florida panhandle.

Details: Normally when I’m at the beach photographing, my focus is on the water, but on this outing, a large piece of driftwood caught my eye. This piece of wood had personality that begged to be a part of the composition. I love the way the setting sun illuminates just the edges of the wood.

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Twilight in Gothic Valley

The setting sun bathes 12,000 foot peaks in red above the lazy folds of the East River in Gothic Valley, Colorado.

Details: Gothic Valley, near Crested Butte, Colorado, is known for its wildflowers, but it has much more to offer including majestic mountain peaks and the East River winding its way through the middle. One of the things I wasn’t prepared for was the sound of this scene. The wind was still, and the valley completely calm except for the distinct sound of. . . mooing. The lower end of the valley is prime pastureland, and I could just make out the tiny dots across the river as they made their way back to the ranch.

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Glorious Symphony of Earth and Sky

An incredible sunset unfolds over two natural icons of central Colorado, Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak.

Details: this was one of those amazing evenings when you’re glad you took a chance on the weather. I was driving through rain to get to this spot, and after hiking down into this field, the skies opened up and soon displayed this masterpiece. A wide-angle lens was essential to getting this big sky into a single frame. This image is captured in HDR to preserve the delicate details in the sky and shadows.

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Goldenbanner Sunset

An incredible sunset over the Rocky Mountains blankets a field of beautiful goldenbanner flowers in central Colorado.

Details: A wet spring means an early season for Colorado wildflowers. This field, near the South Arkansas River in central Colorado, is full of brilliant goldenbanner on a beautiful evening in late May. The sun is setting behind 14,000 foot Mount Antero which flanks Monarch Pass along the continental divide. The challenge with this shot was getting just the right exposure in a single shot to bring the flowers out without blowing out the intricate highlight detail in the sky.

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Spruce Mountain Sunset

Sunset glows above the rampart of Spruce Mountain in central Colorado.

Details: On a free evening, I decided to go for a hike on a trail I’d never been on before. Spruce Mountain lies just east of the Front Range of the Rockies near Palmer Lake, Colorado, and after a winding climb up many switchbacks, I was rewarded with a great view of the mountain’s rocky rampart near its peak. In the distance is Pikes Peak with the rolling plains abutting the foothills visible to the right.

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Last Light in the Canyon

The last rays of the setting sun set the walls of the Grand Canyon ablaze in orange.

Details: The Grand Canyon is beautiful anytime but mesmerizing at sunset. As the sun sinks to the horizon, it turns the canyon walls from reddish white into brilliant orange and gold. This was taken about two minutes before the sun went below the horizon with the rim painted orange while the deep parts of the canyon fade into hues of blue and purple. A few small patches of snow in the foreground reveal that even though the scene is warm, it is still winter in the high Arizona desert. This is one of my favorite photos I’ve taken because of the great colors in the sky and canyon, the stark contrasts between light and shadow, and the composition of the walls, foreground and the line of the deep canyon far below.

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Canyon After Sunset

A pink sky overlooks the Grand Canyon filled with blue and red hues after a winter sunset.

Details: The Grand Canyon is a magical place any time of day in any season–it’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world for good reason! This image was taken on a February evening about 20 minutes after sunset. Just after the last light departed from the low clouds, the canyon turned from oranges to deep shades of purple and blue. At the center of the photo, a tiny reflection can be seen from the Colorado River far below. A tiny bit of snow still clings to the eastern wall of Pima Point to the left.

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Fence Post at Sunset

A twisted wooden fence post stands vigil in the Arkansas River Valley in central Colorado as the sky is bathed in sunset.

Details: I don’t go around taking many photos of fence posts, but this one just struck me, especially the way it was silhouetted against the beautiful sky and just the tip was lit in soft reflected sun. This scene, near the small town of Poncha Springs, Colorado, is typical of the Arkansas River Valley in central Colorado with low pinions, tall grasses and ranch land surrounded by mountain peaks. The sunset had mostly passed, but it left behind a few high pink clouds that bathed the land in a reddish hue.

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Promise of the Parting Storm

A parting evening storm leaves a rainbow dividing blue sky from rain over Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado.

Details: a thunderstorm is generally not the best time to be out with the camera and a metal tripod, but right after the storm clears is usually an awesome time to photograph the majesty and power of nature. This storm was intense and left me huddling under the overhang of a park bathroom, but after it moved past, it left some incredible clouds and a rainbow. Being up on Cheyenne Mountain offered the perfect vantage point to capture everything, and the unseasonable green of the landscape testifies to the unusual amount of rain we had in late spring.

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Cabin Reflection After the Storm

Storm clouds part to reveal an idyllic Colorado cabin reflected in an alpine lake.

Details: I love photographing water, especially the peaceful look of lakes with subtle ripples and great reflections. This scene was captured at Sawmill Reservoir near the town of Breckenridge in the Colorado Rockies. Ten minutes before, there was no sky and sun, but the clouds parted just as the sunset was beginning, and the winds from the evening storm died down to create the calm waters. This image was captured in HDR to preserve the detail in the shadows and highlights in the scene.

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First Light on Breckenridge

The rising sun lights up a perfectly reflected Peak 8 of the Tenmile Range and the ski slopes of Breckenridge, Colorado.

Details: This is a photo that can only be captured a few weeks out of the year when the mountains are still white with snow but the waters of Sawmill Reservoir are unfrozen. Just three days before this photo, there were still large chunks of ice in the water. The reddish alpenglow on the mountains is only visible for a couple minutes just after the sun clears the horizon. The ski slopes of Breckenridge Resort are clearly seen on Peak 9 to the left.

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Sunrise on Sawmill Reservoir

A pristine sunrise glows over a small alpine lake in the Colorado Rockies.

Details: I don’t like getting up at 5AM any more than the next guy, but sometimes it’s worth it. This image was taken near Breckenridge, Colorado on a fine May morning. It rained every day I was there, but the mornings provided a nice respite from the rain while still keeping enough clouds around to keep the skies interesting. Just the tiniest breeze was blowing making for a mirror-like reflection. A sublime experience!

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High Desert Sunset

A world of contrasts is captured at sunset in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.

Details: This is one of my personal favorites because it captures the extremes of the high desert in beautiful Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada. The passing storm has left a layer of snow over the peaks of the Red Rock Escarpment, but down below, the desert is still warm and dry. The sky seems to reflect this transition with the peaks covered in deep blues and the desert in the pinks and purples of sunset.

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Gathering Storm over the Desert

Brooding storm clouds reflect the setting sun over Red Rock Canyon in Nevada.

Details: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is an amazing place, especially when there’s a storm nearby adding an amazing sky to the amazing rocks. This one was moving fast, and the scattered clouds were an incredible mix of light and dark as they shadowed each other and reflected the sun with the red cast of sunset. The colorful rock formation is the area known as “Calico” for obvious reasons.

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Winter Sunset Reflections

Winter trees and Pikes Peak reflected in a pond and framed by a spectacular sunset.

Details: Colorado is a beautiful place, but one thing it’s lacking is bodies of water. This duck pond lies in a park near Colorado Springs and stays frozen most of the winter, but after two days of unseasonable 60 degree temperatures in February, much of the ice had melted. A slight breeze added the perfect amount of ripple, and the clouds just kept turning redder and redder. This image was taken right at the peak of the color and light.

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Peak Panorama at Sunrise

The red light of dawn illuminates pikes peak between the massive red rock formations of Garden of the Gods in Colorado

Details: Every clear morning just at sunrise, the sun’s first rays make 14,000 foot Pikes Peak glow brilliant red. This lasts for only a couple minutes before the peak returns to its normal gray, and it’s tough to catch a day where both the peak and clouds light up (normally clouds obscure the rays lighting the peak), but this was just such a morning caught from the eastern side of Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs on a clear September morning.

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Evening Storm Approaching

An old twisted tree on a mountaintop stands boldly in the face of an approaching storm after sunset in the Rocky Mountains.

Details: Just after sunset is an awesome time for photography as you can extend the exposures and open up some awesome possibilities for an image. In this case, an approaching thunderstorm brings fast moving clouds lit purple from the day’s last light, and a lightning bolt adds the glow behind the tree. This scene was captured on top of Grouse Mountain in Mueller State Park, Colorado.

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Vibrant Reflections

Brooding sunset clouds are perfectly reflected through bare trees at Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Colorado.

Details: I had been telling my 10-year-old son I’d take him out on Friday night to get some pictures. By the time Friday night rolled around, I was exhausted from a long week, and it was raining. While my son understood when I told him “not tonight,” I could tell he was pretty disappointed. It gave me a second wind, and we went out despite the lingering rain clouds, and I owe this picture all to him! The sun snuck under the clearing clouds for just a few minutes after sunset, and we were lucky enough to have the perfect spot at Red Rock Canyon Open Space to catch it and a great reflection among the red rocks. As evidenced by the trees, this area is not normally covered in water, but a rainier-than-normal summer made this scene possible.

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Valley of Fire and Lightning

A lightning bolt adds powerful color to the sunset over Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.

Details: Shooting lightning is an exercise in both speed and patience, but the results can be very rewarding. Because of the low light, I was able to take long exposures and hope for a good strike. There were many failures before this success! Believe it or not, there is very little color manipulation in the image–the lightning was indeed pink which made it a perfect compliment to the sunset! This scene was captured on a July evening at Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park near Lake Mead.

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Rays over Ridgway

A magnificent summer sunset lights up the sky over Ridgway State Park in Colorado.

Details: This vista is high up on a cliff above Ridgway Reservoir in southwestern Colorado. I was hoping for a shot into the direct sun, but it stayed hidden making for some beautiful rays and colors shining out from the fast-moving clouds. To get this view, my camera was perched precariously on a rock jutting out from the cliff, and I spent a lot of time not looking down! This image was captured in HDR to preserve the scene’s delicate details in the highlights and shadows.

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Ranges over Ridgway

The last light of the setting sun illuminates the San Juan Mountains over Ridgway Reservoir in Colorado.

Details: Ridgway State Park, in southwestern Colorado, is a magnificent place surrounded by Colorado’s most beautiful mountain ranges. In this August sunset view, the Cimarrons to the east (left) are lit up brilliant red as are the the edges of the San Juans to the south as an evening storm delivers a bit of rain behind the peaks. To get this shot, I climbed out onto the edge of a cliff with my tripod just barely hanging on. This red glow on the otherwise gray mountains lasts only a few minutes each day.

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Sunset over the Air Force Academy

A stormy sunset illuminates the summer sky above the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Details: The United States Air Force Academy is a beautiful place set up against the mountains. This view is from a trail overlooking the 11th fairway of the Eisenhower Golf Course’s Silver Course, and the cadet area and distinctive chapel can be seen on the ridge. A wetter-than-usual summer brought a lot more green than brown to this scene, and the purple and orange sky provides a perfect compliment to the beautiful landscape.

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Summer Evening

Late evening clouds silhouette a beckoning hammock on a summer night in Colorado.

Details: I was at a friend’s home near Colorado Springs, and we were talking about photography and playing around with cameras in his backyard. The sun had just set behind low storm clouds giving them a surreal orange and purple coloration, and the intricate silhouette of the hammock against the sky was too much to resist. Despite the recent rain and occasional roll of thunder in the distance, this scene speaks of serenity, just like a lazy summer evening should.

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Tranquility Basin

Wisps of pink clouds at sunrise frame a perfect reflection of Red Rocks in Colorado.

Details: This scene was captured on a July morning at Red Rock Canyon Open Space near Manitou Springs, Colorado. A combination of snow melt and summer rains filled this small lake, and the unusual calm of this morning left it glassy for a perfect reflection of park’s geologic features which are reminiscent of nearby Garden of the Gods. The moon in the upper right adds an extra little detail to the scene, and it gave me inspiration for this image’s name–“Tranquility Base” was the name of the spot where the astronauts of Apollo 11 first stepped on the moon almost exactly 45 years before this photo as taken.

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Purple Mountains Amber Waves

Rays from the evening sun illuminate waves of grain in Colorado as Pikes Peak looks on in the distance.

Details: I imagine a scene like this is what inspired Katharine Lee Bates to pen the words to “America the Beautiful” here in Colorado. I’ve been wanting to catch this photo for over a year, but it’s tough to get the right conditions in Colorado. This year had more rain than most through June allowing the fields of hay to grow unusually thick, and the afternoon storms of this July day cleared off just enough to catch the sun’s rays backlighting this field near Falcon, Colorado. Sublime!

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Surreal Skies over Death Valley

Brilliant pink and purple clouds illuminate the skies at sunset over Death Valley National Park, California.

Details: Sometimes I have a hard time believing the beauty of what I’m seeing, and this June evening in Death Valley National Park was one of them. Looking at the skies an hour before, I didn’t think it was going to be a good sunset, but once the sun got under the clouds, it just kept illuminating more of them in brilliant pinks and oranges all around (this is looking south). My jaw was dropped for nearly 20 minutes before the color finally departed. The “rocks” in the foreground are actually salt formations in the area known as the Devils Golf Course which lies below sea level.

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Colorful Death Valley

The setting sun momentarily transforms mountain peaks and skies with splashes of bold color in Death Valley National Park, California.

Details: Just an hour before, the clouds completely obscured the sun (which was nice on such a hot day in June), but just before setting, rays of the sun lit the Death Valley’s eastern mountains in red and painted the clouds. The unique salt formations in the foreground belong to the so-called Devils Golf Course near Badwater, the lowest point in North America. This image was captured in HDR to preserve the delicate highlight and shadow detail in this scene.

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Heavens Rolled Back

Rolling clouds burst over the setting sun and Garden of the Gods.

Details: In Colorado, there’s a saying “if you don’t like the weather, just wait 10 minutes.” Only an hour before this shot was taken on a June evening in Colorado Springs, the sky was completely overcast, and I was hunkered down in my car in a parking lot in Garden of the Gods to escape the rain and lightning. I was just beginning to think this evening was a lost cause, but as so often happens in Colorado, in a matter of minutes the sun came out, the clouds began to clear, and after a little hiking, I was able to catch this amazing sunset! This image was captured in HDR to preserve the delicate highlight and shadow detail in this scene.

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Harmony on the Cliffs

A couple watches the setting sun from the top of the Sunset Cliffs in California.

Details: This is one of my favorites because it captures so many elements in one photo. The brooding sky and waters add contrast to the light peeking through on the horizon, a wave leaves its soft trail at the base of the cliffs, and a couple perched perfectly on the rocks gives an accurate sense of scale to this scene at Sunset Cliffs near San Diego, California. I was perched precariously at the top of a 60-foot cliff, and the wind made it feel all the more tenuous, but I love the scene!

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Edge of Sunset

The edge of a cliff provides the perfect vista to watch the sun’s rays peeking from behind clouds as the sun sets over a sea stack on the Pacific coast.

Details: This scene was captured at the Sunset Cliffs near San Diego, California in late spring. I love how the ice plant in the foreground gives the rocky scene some softness and how the sun’s rays peer expectantly through the sunset clouds. This picture doesn’t do justice to the 40-foot drop off just beyond the ice plant!

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Last Drop of Sun

The last tiny pinprick of sun illuminates the surf and sky over a California tide pool.

Details: This photo was taken at Sunset Cliffs near San Diego, California. What I love is that it was taken right at the moment of sunset just as a wave crashes against the rocks. A longish (1/2 sec) exposure softens the pounding surf which is just far enough away to avoid disturbing the tide pools reflecting the darkening sky.

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Moving Color

Retreating waves reflect the bold orange, pink and purples of sunset over Point Loma, California.

Details: Sunset had just faded on the low clouds, and I was just about ready to pack up my camera when the sun caught the higher clouds above illuminating them in brilliant pinks and oranges creating this scene. A long exposure time lent a softness to the water and clouds. This image was captured in HDR to preserve the delicate highlight and shadow detail in the scene.

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Pools of Time

A gathering of tide pools reflects the fast-moving skies of a Pacific sunset.

Details: Low tide means lots of tide pools at the Sunset Cliffs area near San Diego, California. The low light after sunset allowed for a 30-second exposure which turned the rough seas calm and gave time for the colorful clouds to move across the sky. This is one of my favorite images!

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Sunset Surf Surreal

Frothy white ghosts of recent waves glow pink under a sunset sky near California’s Sunset Cliffs.

Details: Just after sundown is a great time for long-exposure photography. This scene was created by capturing a crashing wave over a 6-second exposure. The rocks appear solid, but the water’s movements leave only the ghost-like trails of the wave’s white foam as it hits and recedes. I love taking pictures on the coast!

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All images and graphics are the property of the photographer and should not be used without permission. All Images copyright Dan Bourque

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