Third Family Photography Trip
Once a year my brothers and I would take a family trip to a scenic location. We would pull all of our money together to spend a couple of weeks camping for the sole purpose of bringing home some beautiful photographs. All of us used film, in both medium and large format. We would camp in tents, sit around the campfire enjoying conversation about our day, plans for the next day, or just make fun of each other cracking jokes. These family trips were the most memorable and I am very grateful that we had them.
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In September 2008 we all flew in and met up in the mile high city of Denver, Colorado. We planned our trip and set out to tour the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I remember how amazed I was to see such a clear sky; never before have I seen so many stars that night with the naked eye, it was truly amazing! We reached our first destination at campground near Independence Pass. The campground had already closed for the season, but we were permitted to camp there. It was so cold that night, I nearly froze to death. It was no wonder the campground was closed for the season!
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After spending a few days in Independence Pass, we left and headed towards Aspen. There is so much to see in Aspen, if you ever have the chance to visit Colorado, Aspen is a must see! We set up camp in the Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness. It was much warmer there then our previous campsite since it wasn’t on top of a mountain.
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Maroon Bells is perhaps the most photographed mountains in the state of Colorado. The lake at the entrance to the trail that leads up to the mountains is perfect for photographing reflections of the othen snow covered twin peaks.
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Not far from the Aspen area is another photogenic place that is a must see. Ashcroft Ghost Town, a historic silver mining town located 11 miles up on Castle Creek Road from from the roundabout at the west entrance to Aspen. It is well preserved historical site with several buildings still standing from the late 1800s.
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Towards the end of our trip, we went to a beautiful waterfall just outside of Rifle, Colorado. Rifle falls is a 70 foot triple waterfall located in Rifle Falls State Park. There are some caves along the Coyote Trail though we didn’t explore them because we were too busy photographing these amazing waterfalls.
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Conclusion: This trip was a more successful trip than the previous two. Obviously my skills as a photographer was improving. Thank you for visiting my website.
Cameras used on this trip: Mamiya RZ67 Pro II medium format film camera
Family photography trips taken
2005 – Utah and southwest Colorado (Durango)
2006 – Northwest (Washington and Oregon)
2008 – Colorado (Rocky Mountains)
2010 – Utah (Capitol Reef National Park)
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