As 2018 drew to a close I looked to the years adventures and obligations and had a mixture of emotions.
Throughout the year I have created a lot of great memories, however the challenges mixed in between have been burdensome (naturally). The obvious challenge would be the chronic health condition I live with, but the less obvious challenges have been the pressures and endless drive that a day job and a photography business have been to maintain.
It has been no small feat to accept that the photography side of my life must take a back seat at times to more important work, leaving me wanting more of something I simply cannot yet have. There is a growing amount of images and adventures and things I want to accomplish. A never ending stream of things I want to share with all of you, and the pressure to create content, have me at times wondering if I should continue to share or if I should continue to push.
With that said I needed some time to reset.
At the end of the year I reflected again on the images I took in Sandwash Basin last May. A big open expanse of Northern Colorado where bands of wild horses run free under the stars. It reminded me of the nights spent there alone in my tent, the amazing vistas, and the ever present feeling of freedom.
I simply had to return.
In order to be safe in the basin, one of the most important things is to ensure you go when the roads are dry. Once the roads become wet, they turn into a very slippery clay mud that is impassible. Since the main photography goal was to capture the horses in snow and frost I needed to ensure there was both snow coverage, and that the roads would be cold enough to stay frozen and not wet.
Thankfully snow fell at the end of 2018, and the first 2 days of 2019 brought temperatures of -22 degrees!! More than enough to provide all the conditions I was looking for.
On my way up to the basin I stopped by a very frozen Dillon Reservoir for some quick captures.
The images were not turning out quite right and I needed more time to work the scene, however the extreme cold and late hour made me move on.
I did however want to share at least one, regardless of perfection.
Icy Dylan Reservoir taken in early January during a snap freeze. Temperatures were as low as -10 degrees that night in the nearby town of Silverthorne Colorado. Canon 80D @ 18mm f/3.5 30s ISO 1250. Two images were blended together to decrease noise and introduce multiple lighting elements.
Continuing on to my destination was a dark and cold drive, but surprisingly still beautiful. The roads late at night in winter have more elk than cars, and the factories between Steamboat and Maybell made mountains out of the clouds rising from the steam generators. Yet another beautiful sight I needed to pass up to ensure I got at least a small amount of sleep in the basin before the sun rose.
Upon arriving at Sandwash Basin I was able to continue through the central roads without issues and spent a few hours sleeping under the stars in my truck. Alternating between dreams, and brief engine starts for warmth as the basin got as cold as -30 degrees that night, preparation kept me warm and safe.
As dawn began to break I pulled my head from my sleeping bag and awoke to see this view of the basin beyond. The sense of freedom was instant and getting out of my warm truck to take the shot was well worth it.
Moon Rising over Sandwash Basin Canon 80D @ 22mm f/9 15s ISO 100
With the sun rising it was now a rush to follow the light.
The goal of the trip was to photograph the wild horses in this basin, and particularly in special lighting and weather conditions, so I had to hurry to track the horses with what little light I had.
With 160,000 acres to cover I had to rely on my knowledge of the basin from previous trips, but no photographer can pass up good opportunities along the way. It was no surprise I stopped several times for some quick landscape images.
There were so many incredibly beautiful sights to see in the basin. I know I’ll soon return for another, more calculated, chance at landscape photography. With the light rising and the colors fading I needed to find my main subject.
The majestic Stallions of Sandwash Basin
And just as the sun split in half on the horizon. There he was.
A wild stallion stands as free as the sun. This image was captured during an early morning winter sunrise, as a wild stallion stood above on the ridge watching the sky. Canon 80D 400mm f/5.6 1/800s ISO 100
If I were to tell you that was the highlight of my trip, I think many would nod and agree. It was an amazing moment one that was fleeting and gone as quick as it came, the power of the camera takes that moment and makes it forever and one I am so happy to share with others.
However, as I traveled on to another band of horses I was treated again to yet another of those fleeting moments…
Just on a neighboring hillside slinking through the sage brush I thought I saw a baby pronghorn… or perhaps a mule deer?
I quickly trained my camera on the subject, grabbed focus, and began clicking off shots. This was definitely something I’d never before seen. Catlike…
And then just before the animal slipped over the ridge it stopped right in (what I’d swear) was the only beam of light in the entire basin, and gave me the typical cat like proud pose you’d expect from any house cat before disappearing over the ridge, never to be seen again.
I had just seen and photographed my first wild bobcat!!!
A wild bobcat sitting in a morning ray of light in Sandwash Basin Colorado. Canon 80D 400mm f/5.6 1/1250s ISO 1000.
I now hope to rest on moments like this through 2019. Fleeting, beautiful, and free moments like this will surely slip between the trials of the year, but I stand ready to face them.
Soon I hope to write about the continuing journey of our summer road trip in Canada and also share more of the beautiful horses I saw in the expanse of Sandwash Basin