i avoided the maroon bells for the longest time - it’s one of the most photographed locations in the state. as such, it’s been photographed in far better conditions than anything i could do right? and the answer is a resounding yes. but one autumn night, for some reason, i decided i must head out to aspen to see and photograph the bells. so i woke up at 2 am, walked the dog, left for aspen and made it there about fifteen minutes before the the area began lighting up. the alpenglow then began kissing the peaks, followed by sunlight touching just the tips of the peaks. and that is what this image has captured.

mirror lake, (the lake at the base of the image) on this particular instance was extremely low - many mentioned it being the lowest they’ve ever seen. and as such, we come to one of the principles of my photography. i don’t always photograph the most ideal of conditions. i want to show the viewer the beauty of nature, but i want them to see real nature. in this moment, the water was low, the shoreline showed, and the reflections weren’t as big - because that’s what nature gave on this day at this time. and it is, in my humble opinion, still extremely beautiful.