Lightning bolt striking in open fields

Your daily moment of Zen.

Photographed from nearly 60 miles away, a massive lightning bolt from the forward flank of a supercell thunderstorm.

I miss lightning. One of the +100 photos from this storm that I have yet to share. 2024.6.6 - Storm over North Platte Nebraska, photographed from nearly 60 miles away.

A night photo of ancient Puebloan ruins. In the background is the Milky Way and a streaking meteorite.

I intentionally took this photo with focus on the ancient ruins and blurring the background of the Milky Way. During this lucky shot, a meteorite streaked across the sky.

Painted Hand Pueblo, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.

Focus

Ancient Puebloan ruins. The rock overhang above gives a similar appearance to flames.

Alternative view of the House on Fire Puebloan ruins.

Looking upward towards a cliff. Under the overhang are multiple ancient stone/block ruins. Dark blue sky above. Streaks in the rock give the illusion of flames coming from the ruins.

Ruins of an ancient Puebloan granary. Mule Canyon, Bears Ears National Monument, Utah.

House on Fire

2 lightning bolts over a silhouetted desert foreground.

In October, I shot my first ever desert lightning bolts. Because it was at night, I really couldn't do much for the composition. It was still a really fun and unexpected capture.

Near Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah.

Remains of a block-walled building sitting in a small overgrown field. Snow capped mountains in the background.

Struggled editing this one; so this is what I'm going with for now. I was shooting in sub-optimal lighting conditions. Eventually, I'll need to return and give this another try.

Zamara, Colorado

A vivid blue Chevy Deluxe car sits in front of a garage.

Located in Stonewall Gap Colorado, sitting a few feet from the road and flanked by a tall spine of rock, this old Chevy Deluxe sits beside a house. Its brilliant blue made it an easy find and a great photo.

Old flatbed truck sitting in an open field with mountains in the background.

Near perfect setting for an abandoned truck; almost like it was left there and waiting just for me to find. I have worked several edits of this shot, but I think this more natural tone is my current favorite.

As much as I wanted to see the inside, I did not inquire. A person does not move to Model Colorado because they want to socialize. Content with the exterior shot, I moved on.

I replied that they were just doing a great job at alerting their owner and all was good. "Far out man," was the unexpected liberal reply and the figure moved back inside.

Adobe style building that once housed the general store in Model Colorado. Partially abandoned and surrounded by unkept brush.

The Model General Store
I was surprised to find someone was living here. As I approached for the shot, several dogs ran up in defense of the property. Though they were all friendly, a skinny, lengthy figure shouted apologies from a doorway. "Sorry Dude", said the man. (Continued ⬇️)

2-photo-collage of old abandoned houses.

Some of the old houses still remaining in the nearly abandoned town of Model, CO.

Red House & Blue House

An old 2-story school house surrounded by prairie grasses drying in the fall air.

Soaking up the Sun

Mountain top covered with clouds. A light dusting of snow along the flanks of the mountain. In the foreground is a golden-colored grass field with tress at the edge.

Landscape photography is definitely not my strongpoint, but I do enjoy it. Cloudy Fall afternoon in La Veta Colorado.

A rusted old vehicle sitting in tall grass. A building and second vehicle visible to the left and upper left.

Hiding in the grass

Black and white photo of a restored old truck.

Happy Friday! I'll go into more detail about this shot in another week or two. Great story behind the owner!

Black and White photo of an old adobe-style building on the empty prairie.

I will always love minimalist style photography. Making the viewer and the subject seem like they are alone in the world.

Tyrone Colorado

Red and Green Aurora glowing with silhouetted prairie grass in the foreground.

My favorite shot from last week's Aurora. Simple and to the point.

Prairie Fire

Aurora in the night sky above a propeller plane parked on an airport tarmac.

Shot from Tuesday night. Even with the intense floodlights on an airport tarmac, the aurora was still visible!

Old road-side diner. Parking lot is overgrown with plants. Clear blue sky above.

Dusty's

As an avid Twister fan, I can only assume this place was awesome.

Black and white photo of the ancient Puebloan structure named the Doll House. Above are sandstone cliffs and darkened sky.

Over the next few weeks I'll be posting photos from a recent trip to southern CO and UT. Lots of landscapes, abandoned buildings, old vehicles, ancient Puebloan structures, astrophotography, and a little lightning.

The Doll House - Dark Canyon Wilderness - Bears Ears National Monument

Setting Sun Illuminating clouds over mountains.

Beautiful sunset on the first night of vacation.

Aurora over an abandoned church with the milky way visible.

1 year ago today - the October 10th aurora. Been a while since I shot the aurora. Timing has just not been working out lately. I'll need to find some more creative foreground for the next show.

A comet viewed through a desert sandstone arch with the Milky Way in the background.

About a year ago, I planned one of the best non-storm photos I have ever taken. Now, we have another potentially visible comet! Making plans for another southwest trip in the next week or two, and hopefully, another comet shot!

Storm clouds over a pasture with a few cows. Purple wildflowers in the foreground.

B-Roll Photo

View down a dirt road looking at a sculpted storm.

Path to the Storm

Massive lightning bolt with silhouetted foreground.

Midnight Madness

Supercell thunderstorm above a field with the sun shining through.

Yesterday's chase was very grungy, but I was able to sneak in a few clear shots. Little structure north of Culbertson Nebraska.

Yup! I'll be out chasing today!