The Images I Wish I’d Captured
Estes Park's Outstanding Photographers
We, in Estes Park, are surrounded by outstanding photographers. So many have an eye for leading lines, striking color, a sharp focus, complementary background, compelling moments, and unique wildlife experiences. Thus, they capture incredible images in RMNP.
Recently, exceptional photographer Dawn Wilson captured an image that was so striking, I could not look away. Her fall sunrise at Sprague Lake was highlighted by a bull elk and cows striding in the water as the morning fog lifted. I truly appreciate the creative eye, visual talent, and determination of Dawn Wilson Photography to capture such an amazing image, and I was envious, wishing I’d taken the picture.
Dawn’s image made me think about other images captured by photographers I admire, photographs I wished I’d taken. Here are a few I remember as especially beautiful or dynamic, images by talented area photographers.
Aaron Cox is a bushwacking photographer. He goes where most of us won’t. In his boots and jeans, he travels by foot through RMNP’s valleys and over mountain tops into the great unknown where he captures images we all hope for. Often, they are of his favorite subject, moose, and in particular, Frank the Tank.
I met Darlene Bushue for the first time in Yellowstone National Park as she waited for a grizzly bear and her two cubs to cross Lamar Valley. An incredible photographer, my favorite image of hers was the capture of three large bull moose posing in the wild, a lake in the background as they surveyed the surroundings.
Hilary Bralove is a truly exceptional photographer, often capturing images from throughout the country, but especially the incredible colors of Utah’s rock formations. Every summer I see her in RMNP at Rock Cut, spending hours and days photographing pika. With their speed among the rock, they are a challenge to capture, but she does it better than anyone. She is a champion pika photographer.
Tami Roberts loves scenics, and she has taken me out, helping me with my eye for landscapes, flowers, and sunrises. Truly gifted, her images of mountainsides covered in wildflowers are captivating. But one of my favorite Tami Roberts images is of the Chapel on the Rocks, taken from a perspective that few recognize, the back of the chapel.
Determined photographer Jessica Payne Betti was standing beside me in RMNP as we both photographed a reddish black bear and her two cubs. It was a special moment, and while I liked my pictures, the clarity, coloring, and personality she captured was exceptional. I appreciated her talent in creating the image she did. She clearly “one-upped me” with her exceptional photo.
Alaine Nicole always captures colors. I love the contrast she photographed of aspen’s white bark with the fall leaves in yellow, orange, and red. Her capture was unique with the slight curvature of the tree trunks leading from yellow to orange leaves with a spot of red in the middle. It is a beautiful reflection of fall in Colorado.
Spending so much time in RMNP, Mark Altmeyer often captures the beauty of sunrises. One of my favorites is a stunning morning of sharp yellows and bright orange light in the clouds over Sprague Lake. This is an incredible image made spectacular by the cow moose standing tranquil in the middle of the lake.
Marsha Hobert has been a friend for many years, and I admire her hiking determination. Often, she is out trekking the trails of RMNP with her friends. As she does, she takes wonderful images of mountain streams. Always, she captures the mystical blur of water falling over rocks as the stream moves down the mountainside. Her images reflect the peacefulness of nature.
My friend Paul J. Marcotte, co-photographer in our recently released Colorado Wildlife Impression book, has impressed me for so many years prior to the publication of our collaborative book. One of my favorite images captured by Paul is of a mother racoon and her three kits. The image has always given me a feeling of a mother’s sweetness while protecting her young.
While these local photographers are exceptional, there are so many more in our community that are talented in capturing the world we walk in and the animals we walk among. Appreciating their talents, many have appeared on the cover of Estes Park News. Thank you to the photographers in our community for bringing these images to us and to Estes Park News for their ongoing support.
