Highway 59
There were days this summer where a 12 hour day of driving would yield zero great locations. Yesterday was a different story. The section of Hwy 59 between US 36 and HWY 34 in eastern Colorado was rich with photographic opportunities. The first location was one of the best I have ever seen, a large crumbling home separated from the road by large trees. It was colorful and cluttered. There were textures and contrasts everywhere, and lots of old, funky objects were strewn about. It is as dangerous as it was fascinating, barbed wire is hiding in the grass, and large sinkholes are just waiting to gobble up a careless person. I spent 30 minutes shooting and trying not to fall in the holes.
The next location was only a few miles north on HWY 59, a small house in a dense stand of trees. This location is of the type that needs a dramatic sky to get a good wide shot. The cloudless sky meant no pop from far away. The true beauty was discovered when I moved close in. The cows that roam this ranch clearly use this house for shelter (or maybe parties, Gary Larson comes to mind). Anyway, the floor of the home was covered in manure, making the human touches of the room strangely out of place. The coat hooks were at child height, and the colorful walls give the sense of cheeriness that simply felt creepy in the late afternoon light. I would like to visit this location again during the storm season.
There is a third location that I arrived at a little bit too late to get any good shots. The shots I did get from there will be part of a later post on creating HDR photos. The opportunities for me to get out on the Colorado plains before the move to Seattle will be few, but I hope to make the most of them. Jen and I are planning to hit the road on Saturday, to cover the area north of Ft. Collins to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
All photos captured as HDR, five shots over two stops. Processed by PhotomatixPro. Nikon D300, 12-18mm and 18-70mm lenses.
The completed shots:
[slideshow id=24]
