reflections

Alpine Camping + Fishing

Last October, Scott and I packed up the car and headed up to one our favorite camping areas (Guanella Pass) for a weekend of mountain air and hiking. We set up camp quickly and he put together his fly rod as soon as we finished. Our camp was right next to a set of ponds, and since we could see the tiny fish jumping away as we set up, he was anxious to throw his line in the water. 

Scott managed to hook a little Brook Trout (what I'm guessing/have been told it is) within a few casts. He was extremely excited, dare I say giddy even, as it was the first fish he'd hooked on the fly in Colorado. He spent the rest of the evening fishing, pulling in quite a few of the tiny fish. As usual, I was content snapping away the entire time. 

When the sun went down, we bundled up in our tent (it was quite the cool night) and read for a bit, before going full mummy mode in the sleeping bags and going to bed. I was about to settle in myself on that night, but noticed how perfect the light from Scott's headlamp was lighting the scene, and had to get a few images before calling it a night. 

Next up: day two of this trip which involved more fishing, and more time in the tent. I promise, the images are more exciting than that sounds (or at least I think they are). As always, thanks for stopping by! Feel free to share via the links below, and say hello as well! 

Farm Light

Yikes. Life has been a complete whirlwind lately, making it basically impossible to get things edited, let alone posted to this blog. In the past month I have made three separate trips to Denver, had my last day of work as a nanny, moved to Denver, started a new job, climbed a few times, camped in an epic location, and hiked the tallest mountain in Colorado. It's been madness I tell you. I am sort of starting to settle into something vaguely resembling a routine, which has given me a few minutes of down time and allowed me to spend some time editing and writing. That said, it's catch up time, folks. 

This first post will be short and sweet, with a focus on one of my obsessions: light and shadow. The images below were taken the night before Scott, his dad, and I drove out to Denver with the moving trailer. We stayed at Scott's parents' farm that night, and the light was mesmerizing. Dinner was ready, but I ran outside with my camera, snapping away furiously, hoping some would turn out. Luckily I was not disappointed. 

Bug Swarms and Fly Casting

I suppose this post could almost go under the Flashback Friday category, as these images are from back in April. They were nearly lost as well, though luckily I checked what was on the SD card before going forward and reformatting it.

Back towards the end of April, Scott and I were fishing on a fairly regular basis (as I'm sure you noticed if you have been following my blog). Since things had started to warm up, the bugs were starting to get bad around this time, and I had swarms of them around my head most of the evening. I can't recall if we caught anything that evening, though I do remember it being a beautiful night, despite the swarms of bugs. 

This past weekend I drove up to Minnesota to surprise my mom for her birthday (which is why there were no posts on Friday or Monday), which means that soon I will be sharing some images from that trip. Be sure to check back on Monday to see those!  I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Milford Lake

One of my favorite aspects about the outdoor pursuits I participate in, things like fishing and climbing, is simply where those activities bring me. It isn't necessarily about the actual activity (even though I do enjoy those), but through each sport I am brought to absolutely beautiful locations.

This time was no different. At the beginning of May, Scott and I decided to try out a new fishing location, venturing out to Milford Lake. It was a beautiful day with wonderful, almost summer like temperatures. We spent the afternoon wading around in the water trying to catch some fish. As per the usual we didn't catch a thing. For me though, getting my feet wet in the cool water with the warm, spring sun coming down on me was enough to make it a perfect afternoon. 

Also as usual, I mostly just wandered around near Scott, snapping away. The water was extremely clear, and shallow for quite a ways out so I was able to just hover and follow as he moved around the shore. The water temperature was surprisingly warm, and wading around in the water reminded me of being home in Minnesota during the summer. 

I had a smile plastered on my face the entire afternoon. Even though neither of us had even a bite on our hooks, the weather, the water, and the company made things perfect, despite the lack of fish. 

I have reached the end of the fishing posts (for now at least). Scott is busy preparing for his PhD dissertation, and I am busy working, so fishing has taken a back seat for the time being. I haven't had a chance to get out and photograph much lately, but I'm hoping that changes soon. 

Have a happy start to your week everyone!

Farm Pond Fishing

I mentioned it in one of the last posts, but prepare yourselves for lots of fishing images. This is the second post of the unofficial fishing series, with many more on the way.

This particular time we went to one of my favorite fishing spots in the Manhattan area. We haven't caught much here, other than some really tiny bass, so in terms of fishing it isn't the greatest (at least it hasn't been for us). But, it is beautiful. The pond is located outside of Manhattan on ranch land, and is stocked and made available to the public by the land owner. It is nestled into some rolling hills, away from the traffic noise, which is tough to escape in Manhattan it seems. We have yet to see another person fishing there as well, so it is sort of like our own private fishing hole.

This time of year is my favorite time of year in Kansas, since it is one of the brief windows where the landscape is extremely green here. We've had a wonderfully rainy, cool spring, so things are extra green, and it seems to be greener later than I remember it being the past few years. This area was filled with dandelions gone to seed and other wildflowers when we were there, so I gave up fishing and just wandered taking photographs. 

One of the great things about our fishing adventures is that we are generally out right when the light is at its best. That low, richly golden sunshine makes everything look spectacular. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! Check back on Wednesday for another round of images! 

Flashback Friday: Plant Collection

This week's Flashback Friday is a brief one, comes from September of last year. 

I have a problem. I am a bit of a hoarder when it come to plants. I have an end table that is just for plants; it doesn't actually function as an end table should. Basically every surface in my apartment that gets light is occupied by plants. This little table is my favorite though. It sits right next to the window, and so when the sunlight comes in, light is bounced around all my little planters, making beautiful patterns and designs on the table. 

I also have a garage sale coffee table that I spray painted silver in my undergrad days (I know, a questionable decision). It houses a few plants as well, of course, and on the same evening as the images above there was a perfect little spotlight on some of the plants there.

In case you haven't noticed, I have opened up a store here on my website! I finally got the store set up in order to get together some money for a brief trip to the United Kingdom this summer. It is my first real chance to travel abroad, and I cannot wait! I don't have set plans as of yet, but I will likely be in Dublin for a few days, and Exeter for a few days as well. So, if you would like to see some (hopefully) stunning pictures of those areas, consider purchasing a print to help me get there (and eat while I am there). Just click on the "Purchase" link on the left to see what I have listed. There aren't many images up as of yet, but essentially any image you see on my website is for sale. If there is an image you are interested in purchasing but don't see listed in the store please let me know. Also, the sizes listed in the store are just some of the options available. If you have another size in mind, please email me. Below there is also a link to donate, which will get you a randomly chosen 4x6" print. Thank you everyone for any and all support. It is so appreciated!

Travel Fund

Daffodils + Light

Just a simple and quick post today. I know I just recently posted photographs of flowers and light, but I have some more to share. When the light is this good, and I have daffodils on hand, how do you expect me to resist? 

And finally, a single portrait from the evening as well; because my man is handsome and again the light was too perfect to resist. He was working on his fly fishing setup while I was running around chasing the light, and right when I thought I was done I turned around to notice the near perfect spotlight on his hat and face. 

There will likely be more flowers in the coming posts, so hopefully you all don't get sick of them. I've also been trying to decide on some themes to my posts for certain days, so if anyone has any suggestions or requests for particular content types please leave a comment below to let me know!

Tulips + Light

For those who have been to my website before, or who follow me on Instagram, you likely already know that I am rather obsessed with light (and I suppose shadows as well). When I see nice light and shadows, no matter what I am doing for the most part, I stop to take photographs. I perhaps shouldn't admit this, but I have been taking pictures of light (some might call it getting distracted) while cooking and burned meals before. Slightly embarrassing, yes, but I just had to get the shot (other photographers understand, right?).

Tulips are another favorite of mine, and when there are great shadows combined with beautiful white tulips, I absolutely cannot resist taking photos; too many photos in fact. The green walls of Scott's living room behind the crisp, white flowers, combined with the shadows from the blinds, created the perfect combination. It also never fails to surprise me how quickly the light can change in the evening. The images below were taken just about minutes minutes apart, and yet the light is drastically different. In just five minutes it went from bright and fairly harsh, to warm and soft. I couldn't decide which I preferred, and I would be interested to know some of your thoughts. Let me know in the comments below!

After obsessing over the tulips, I noticed the incredible light streaming in the front door. I have taken pictures of that light on a different day with my phone before, and was excited that I had my camera with me to get some better images. This may comment on just how far my obsession has gone, but even though I see the light streaming through Scott's door on nearly a daily basis I am continuously in awe of it. I almost always stop to just look and enjoy, often drawing laughs from Scott as I do so.  

Just when I thought I was done taking pictures, I went down to the basement to grab something, and noticed a quieter moment of light happening down there. It felt like a little painting to me, and I really loved how the simplicity of it contrasted the light happening upstairs.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to stop by. Feel free to share, and it would be lovely to hear from you! Happy Monday everyone!