By Rudy Lopez, on August 26th, 2009
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It was a remarkable year for severe weather in Colorado. There would be many chances to follow large storms and hopefully capture dramatic, unique shots of the great power of nature. On this particular day in late August, I followed a large band of severe thunderstorms that began brewing over Denver then raced northeast along the Interstate 76 corridor. Powerful cells dotted the landscape, I captured this monstrous storm near the small town of Akron, Colorado. I found an abandoned structure that worked beautifully as foreground to the massive storm. The storm was still growing, but it moving away from me very quickly. I felt I only had a few minutes to capture this incredible scene. I ended up with nearly 30 minutes of fantastic light, the images made from this location were remarkable. It was a very special day.
These images are all HDR, 5 images over two stops. Nikon D300, various lenses. HDR processing by PhotomatixPro.
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By Rudy Lopez, on August 23rd, 2009
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I drove thousands of miles during this shooting season, hour after hour on quiet country roads. The geology changes, the foliage and vegetation change, the weather and lighting change, but one thing that is ubiquitous is the stuff that just gets left behind to rot in the elements. It doesn’t matter if it is a treacherous mountain road or the most remote farm road on the eastern plains, people abandon appliances and cars out in the middle of nowhere. This is a collection of abandoned vehicles I came across this year, it is only a fraction of the material I have on this subject.
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By Rudy Lopez, on March 21st, 2009
Following Storms
Watching a storm build from tiny popcorn clouds to an enormous rain maker is an amazing sight that can take hours and cover hundreds of miles. During the journey, you are likely to encounter small communities and other interesting stuff that would have remained a mystery to you, had the storm not been followed. It is Nature as a tour guide, in a way.
From a photography standpoint, a thunderstorm adds a dramatic element to an otherwise featureless landscape. It is important, for many reasons, to keep a safe distance from any large storm. For one, you want to have as much of the storm in the photo as possible. There are storms so large that you may need to be 50 miles away or more to get good scaling. Also, these storms can be extremely dangerous. Keeping an eye on the weather radar along with making smart choices will lead to an adventure that does not end with a car stuck in the mud or with a hail battered windshield.
Saturday, March 21. Eastern Colorado
I was in Castle Rock shooting a house in Castle Pines Village. I figured since I was further south than my usual starting point, I would take advantage of the situation and follow the large storm that had begin brewing over the southern metro area while I was shooting the house. After refueling, I headed east to Parker then south to Franktown. From Franktown I headed east trying to stay on the southern flank of the storm, which was heading northeast very quickly. It took me a couple of hours before I was in a position to get a good angle for photos, it was 530pm and light was beginning it’s dip into golden hour. I had made my way northeast past I-70, was now heading east on HWY 36, near Deer Trail. I was equipped with my standard rig: Nikon D300, 12-24mm lens, 18-70mm lens, Garmin eTrex GPS, and iPhone to check weather radar. I took farm roads looking for interesting subjects to include as foreground for the dramatic storm. There were various abandoned silos and old natural gas wells that provided amazing texture the scenes. I found a deserted Conoco transfer station with an enormous radio tower and huge above ground storage tanks. I took several shots at this area and moved on. By now, the storm was beginning to weaken and the light was beginning to fail. I decided it was time to turn towards home.
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I was probably only 30 minutes behind the storm, which had dumped a large amount of rain in a very short time. The roads were uncomfortably muddy. Visions of a short slide off the road and a long, muddy walk to find help kept my speed down and my nerves up. It was four miles of muddy, slick roads. I could drive no faster than 15 mph or else the tires would begin to lose traction and the car would lean sickeningly to the side. The air smelled like new growth and fertilizer, probably a smell that is very familiar to the folks that live near farms but to a city boy it smelled new and it smelled great. I eventually made my way to HWY 71, then HWY 36, then I-70 to Denver. I had a good set of photos and an exciting escape. It was a good day.
By Rudy Lopez, on March 20th, 2009
I headed up to the mountains after completing a couple of morning appointments and some playground time with ERL. It has been very warm lately and I was hoping that the stream ice has melted enough to provide a couple of fishing areas. I arrived at the bridge (where I park) at around 3:30p, and to my amazement the river was virtually ice free. As an added bonus there was enough of a current to allow for some decent early season fishing. The sky was overcast, a light downstream breeze, the temperature was 52 degrees. During the summer, the small trout that occupy the stream go CRAZY for a well-presented #16 elk hair caddis. On some summer days you can practically catch a trout on every singe cast. However, in the early spring the fish rarely rise for a meal. They seem content to slurp up anything that floats by, while they wait for spring and think their fish thoughts. The stream also fishes differently in the spring than it does in the summer, the path is narrower and the seams and runs are crystal clear. During the summer, the water is fast and twice as deep. The holes are dark and full of big fish.
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I started with a #8 beadhead hare’s ear, with a very small lead weight approx 8″ up from the nymph, with a yarn strike indicator 6ft from the nymph. I approached the first seam quietly and began to cast. Achieving a good drift was proving difficult due to the cross currents and my rusty skills. I felt like a bit like a bull in a china shop, the line flailing madly and the fly slapping loudly on the water.
After frightening the fish in that area for a few minutes while I got my groove back, I moved to a little riffle. I removed the weight and adjusted the strike indicator down to compensate for the shallower water. The casts were getting better, but no strikes.
Over the next two hours, I moved from seam, to run, to riffle. The weather was beautiful and the sound of the stream is exaclty what the doctor ordered for my frayed nerves. I was having no luck catching fish, but the meditative quality of fly fishing was in full effect and I was feeling about as balanced as I can be. I had switched to a #6 beadhead prince nymph a little earlier and I was fishing a relatively deep run along a grassy overhang. I felt good about this area because I was getting a good drift and easy casts. I cast four times before the first strike. And I missed. I cast 25 more times before the next strike. Got him. Photographed. Released.
I was letting the water rest and just as I was about to make a note in the journal, I heard what I thought was my car alarm going off in the distance. I clumsily splashed to the bank and ran like a wild man towards the car (what a sight I must have been). I finally reached the car to discover that it was not my car with the alarm issue. I was pleased that my car was undamaged, but the meditative vibe was gone. I was done fishing. I removed my vest and placed it along with the rod into the car. I left my waders on because I had a feeling the sunset was going to be spectacular, and I wanted to be on the river with my camera in case I was right.
For twenty minutes the river and forest became filled with light and color. Bright yellow clouds reflected the low angle light onto the ground, making the river glow with what looks like its own inner light. I snapped shots and walked, hearing the stream and my own breath. By the time the sun was down, I was back into my meditative groove, back in balance.
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By Rudy Lopez, on March 14th, 2009
This is the first MONW post to implement a live map with the locations and shooting data for the photos. I am also working on a page that will have the photos from all MONW trips on a large map. Other future improvements will add GPS tracks to the map and other geo related info (weather, etc). Eventually, there will be a Middle of Nowhere site separate from Picherthis.
This MONW excursion covered 505 miles, including the towns of Limon, Hugo, Genoa, Cope, and Lindon. I left Denver at 11 am, arrived in Limon at 12:30. I found a deserted motel and quickly snapped a few shots of the slowly deteriorating structures. From Limon, I headed to Hugo where I found a few prime subjects. Heading Northeast from Hugo (with the sun behind me), I traveled the county roads, looking for abandoned structures. On HWY 71 near Last Chance, I found an old farm. The house was creepy (as most abandoned houses in the middle of nowhere are). All of the furniture was overturned and falling apart. Every surface was covered with bird shit, and there were more appliances scattered inside and out than the house originally was equipped with. This is clearly where people discard old, large objects when they don’t want to go to the landfill. Up a hill to the west of the house was the farm. An old truck, slowly rusting farm implements, and several ruined grain silos covered the large grassy area. The photos of the old truck are definitely my favorite images from this trip. I hit several other areas over the next few hours, eventually finding myself in Edson, Kansas. From Edson, I returned to Denver on I-70 arriving home at 830pm. It was a fun trip, allowing for plenty of time to reflect on the week that had just passed, and the week that was coming. The experience left me feeling relaxed, focused, and centered. There is nothing better than a freshly scrubbed brain.
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By Rudy Lopez, on March 9th, 2009
There is definitely a personal history with this particular location. My friends from Albuquerque will recognize this area as ‘The Volcanoes’. It is a place where my friends and I would go at night to drink beer, listen to music, and raise hell. It is also a great place to get a fantastic photographic perspective on the city of Albuquerque and the stunning Sandia mountains. Ordinarily, the Sandias would be un-obscured by clouds. But on this day a rare, late winter rain storm rushed across the West mesa and settled on the peaks as the sun set. As I approached the parking area, the rain was falling hard and I had the feeling that the sunset might be a washout. Undaunted, I gathered my gear (making sure the waterproof camera bag was zipped up tight), and headed towards the trail head. My persistence paid off as the rain cell moved east, providing a dramatic sky. The clouds hugged the 10k ft Sandias and the sun glinted off the buildings of Albuquerque. I had to hustle to reach a good vantage point, so by the time I had to press the shutter release my breath was heavy from the mad scramble up the hill. After a few deep breaths I was able to settle and shoot.
I was equipped with my standard rig: Nikon D300, 3 lenses, and Garmin eTrex GPS. I arrived at the location with rain falling at 630 pm, allowing approximately 30 minutes to hike and shoot.
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By Rudy Lopez, on March 8th, 2009
Santa Fe is unlike any other place on earth. Anyone that has spent more than a few minutes walking the winding roads of this old city understands the indescribable life and power the town possesses. I took an afternoon recently to explore the Palace Road and Canyon Road areas of the city. Palace Road is a residential area roughly 1/2 mile East of the main plaza, the homes are offset from the road and many are buffered by adobe and stucco walls. The doors on these walls are often old and very colorful. Canyon Road is one mile Southeast of the main plaza and is famous for its numerous art galleries and wonderful location.
I was equipped with my standard rig: Nikon D300, 3 lenses, Garmin eTrex GPS. I arrived at roughly 5pm, allowing approximately 2 hours of walking and shooting. The weather was clear with scattered clouds, no wind and mild temps. It was Sunday afternoon in early March, the throngs of tourists that usually crowd the streets are still three months away. I parked at the PERA building and walked to the plaza. From the plaza, I headed east into the neighborhood adjacent to the downtown area. My goal was to photograph as many interesting textures as possible, I was thinking mostly about windows and doors. After a nice walk and plenty of strong images on my CF cards, I left Santa Fe. It was a fantastic afternoon.
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By Rudy Lopez, on March 6th, 2009
The Paint Mines are located East of Colorado Springs and South of Kiowa, about 100 miles Southeast of Denver. The nearest town is Calhan. The Paint Mines are among my favorite places to take landscape photos, I am drawn to the smooth, wind whipped rock formations. This was the first visit that had good weather and good light, my previous visits were socked in with low clouds. I arrived at 4pm, allowing 90 minutes to shoot. It was cool and the wind was light, making the two mile hike very pleasant. The sunlight was slightly diffused by a thin scud of clouds, softening shadows without fading the color. I was equipped with a Nikon D300 , three lenses (12-24,24-70,telephoto 400), and a Garmin eTrex GPS
(for geotagging the images). I shot RAW at 14bits. Geoencoding of the images is accomplished by synchronizing the GPS unit and the camera. I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 with Jeffrey Friedl’s GPS Support plugin to fuse the .gpx file from the GPS to the metadata of the image files. The geocoded files are mapped automatically on my Flickr page, and get placed (eventually) on Google Earth through Panaramio.
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By Rudy Lopez, on December 28th, 2008
This weekend I shot a beautiful wedding in the Colorado foothills. I’ve always enjoyed photographing weddings because happy people make for better photos.
Gear
Nikon D300 and Nikon D200. Sigma 12-24mm, and Nikkor 18-70mm. Twin Speedlight SB-800 flash units. 32″ Gold reflector. Edited in Aperture 2 with Tiffen Filtering.
Contact me if you need a photographer for weddings, parties or any kind of event.
By Rudy Lopez, on September 18th, 2008
North facing structures are notoriously hard to photograph. A beautiful home can look like a mash of very dark shadows and harsh angles if it faces north. This home in Westminster, Colorado has fantastic curb appeal, but it’s north facing front door and large garage doors make it a challenge to convey the drama contained inside.
 Properly exposed north facing exterior
 Exposure settings chosen by camera
Quick tips
- Don’t worry about blowing out the sky, adjust the exposure until you can just barely begin to make out detail on the front of the building. You can boost the levels (slightly) in Adobe Photoshop or Apple Aperture 2 later.
- Use your free hand to block the sun. Compose the shot until the sun is just barely out of frame. Look through the eyepiece while simultaneously moving your hand above the camera until your hand blocks the lens flare. Take the photo once the lens flare is obscured by your hand.
- Stand in the shade of a tree or other structure. Even the shadow cast by a narrow light pole is enough to keep the lens in the shade.
Adding Artificial light to show detail:
- Compose the shot so the sun is barely out of frame. Or, if you choose to have the sun in the frame, make sure it is fully in the scene.
- Set your flash to sync with the shutter at 1/250 (the fastest flash sync speed for many cameras), adjust the aperture to accommodate lighting conditions. It’s not unusual to have aperture settings of 11 or higher. Note: the smaller the aperture, the more light required by your flash to compensate. The trick is to find the right balance.
- Set your flash unit to Manual mode and fire at full strength (1/1) to start, then adjust down from there.
 Courtyard scene with natural lighting only.
 Courtyard scene with added lighting 
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