Collection: The Night Sky: Fine Art Landscape Photography

After months of waiting, the weather, snow, moon, and the Milky Way all aligned for an image I'd been planning for quite some time: the full arc of the Milky Way over a snow-bejeweled Hornbeck Homestead lit by the setting moon. I can't say it was an easy shot: getting up before 2 AM for an hour drive, then several hours shooting at 4 degrees F; But at least there wasn't a wind! The final result makes the icy fingers and toes well worth it. This fine art astro-image really takes me back: back to the peaceful awe that night, soaking in the the splendor of the night sky as the exposures ticked by; the reflected moon in snowflakes that mirrored the stars festooning the sky; and, perhaps, a simpler time living within nature on the frontier when the homestead was a home to a vibrant family and ranch hands. There is wonderful detail in this image that social media - or even web postings - cannot show, so I've included a zoom-in of the homestead upper window as an example. I can imagine children, a century ago, peering through that window at night, lost in awe at the night sky and the beauty surrounding them.

The first time we visited the Florissant Fossil beds, I knew I had to photograph the homestead with the Milky Way overhead. I planned the shoot for several weeks, timing the weather, position of the moon for subtle lighting, and location of the Milky Way. We arrived ... to mostly cloudy skies. They provided a great sunset shot, but I had to wait until long after the moon set to make this nature photography image. I think my patience paid off for this fine art print!

The setting moon illuminated the foreground in this shot.  I was amazed how well the tree silhouette matches the core of the Milky Way.  It makes for a striking shot.

Lilly Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park is beautiful.  Add the glowing Milky Way ... perfection! 

The dramatic cliffs, valleys, and rock formations at Capitol Reef National Park are perfect for taking night landscape photos.  The air is so clear that I was able to take this image even as the moon approached first quarter, allowing moonlight to light the amazing cliffs and foreground without not washing out the Milky Way.  It was hard not to get lost in this breathtaking scene from Chimney Rock Trail (yes, that's me to the lower left of the landscape photography print).

These rocky towers occur along the Colorado Front Range. I had always feared that the Milky Way at Monument Rock would be overcome by Colorado Springs lights in any landscape photography; but a very clear night and a Southwest view away from the city minimized the light pollution!  In this nature image I love how the photo moves from small plants (grasses, yucca and mullein), to Monument Rock dwarfing a tree growing directly in front, to the core of our galaxy in the background.

Saguaro stand tall amid the Arizona desert as the colorful stars of the night sky make trails across the sky.

Anyone ready for a ballgame?  I loved the way the nearly full moon is held within the branches of these two trees.  

I love the night sky.  Couple it with one of my favorite local hikes, and you can't loose, even if it does make for a rather long hike back at night.  I love the dramatic granite outcrops, the foreground trees reaching to the sky, and the Milky Way in all its glory.

I planned this one for a while, waiting for early spring to have leaves on the trees, yet still enough snow on Pikes Peak.  Finally weather, moon, snow, and the seasons aligned for this photo.

Lilly Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park is beautiful.  Add the glowing Milky Way ... perfection! 

I always love a beautiful comet.  Here Tsuchinshan-Atlas glows over the Royal Gorge

I'd like to live in this cabin for a while (perhaps not in January ....).  The fall colors are spectacular, and I've rarely experienced such dark skies.  In fact, photographing the foreground was quite the challenge: I really had to kick up the ISO to get decent quality shots to average!

This is a favorite view at Mueller State Park,  The rugged granite outcrops, pine and aspen trees are lit by moonlight with the Collegiate range in the distance and the stars shimmering above.  

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This was the first time I saw the aurora, and boy was I spoiled!  It was an amazing evening, as you can tell from this image!

While waiting for a dawn shot in Rocky Mountain National Park, I was blown away by the way the first light on the horizon lit Long's Peak and the foreground pines while yet allowing the stars to glow in the dark sky. Alas, by the time I was able to set up the shot in the rapidly brightening dawn, the sky had brightened enough to hide all but a few dozen stars. To recreate my initial vision I have created this composite image, using an image of the night sky from another night. While not a factual representation of the sky when I shot Long's peak, this fine art landscape photography print faithfully recreates my vision and awe at that initial sight.

I planned this shot for a while, waiting for a particularly clear night to reduce the light pollution and allow the full glory of the Milky Way to shine through.  Alas, after over five tries, I realized there was just too much light from Colorado Springs.  For this composite image I used a sky from the prior night.  But this is what it would have looked like!