Look Up

I went out that evening with a photograph in mind. The wildflowers were blooming along the foothills, and I was hoping for a good sunset behind them with Horsetooth somewhere in the background.

I started walking around, looking for a composition. Then one flower caught my attention.

It stood by itself, reaching up toward the sky.

I got down on the ground to see what it might look like from below, and everything changed. The yellow flower separated beautifully against the soft blue sky, and I knew I’d found the photograph.

Or at least the beginning of it.

There was a patch of pink from the sunset that I wanted in the frame, so I kept shifting my position until everything lined up. Then there was the wind. Every time the flower moved, I had to wait for it to settle again.

So I stayed there.

Adjust a little. Wait for the wind. Try again.

Eventually the flower, the color, and the stillness all came together.

I had gone out looking for a much bigger landscape.

Instead, I found this.