The Grand Prix at Copper Mountain.

A Christmas card photo shoot with Emily and Tyler.

From a wedding I recently photographed in Denver. Good luck Chris and Kari!!

I recently got the chance to photograph a couple of very close friends. Mandy, Lucas, the pups, and I all went for a excursion to find a Christmas tree.

A new way of seeing

I was recently given a chance to learn a new and unknown craft to me, it's a certain genre of photography that I had shunned for years. A dear friend of mine has been working within the field of portraiture and wedding photography for a number of years. I have always been envious of the photos she is able to capture. Time and time again, I attempted to manipulate the effect, that she casts across her portfolio. And time and time again, I failed to recreate the awe encapsulated in her photography. It wasn't until I got a one on one lesson with her that I was finally able to understand her vision.

Marianne allowed me to photograph her and and her boyfriend, Mark, as she directed the both of them. Throughout this session I slowly began to understand her trade secrets. Which, for the sake of professionalism, I will respectfully decline to release.

I feel as though I have been passed a torch of understanding, a new way of seeing. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." And it is from this, that I hope to take my mentors lessons and progress them into my own. I am forever thankful to Marianne for allowing me a glance at the secrets that so closely define her and her work. Please check out Marianne's work at MarianneBrownPhotography.net

Another Day on the Job

Over the past 4 years I have taken around 150,000 rafting photos. I love my job! But I gotta be honest. Taking the same photograph 1,000 times a day will suck the creativity right out of it. It's the same shot, taken from the same location day after day. It's a mindless formula, and I often get in creative slumps because of it. This summer I have been attempting to step it up a notch. I'm constantly looking for new locations, new angles, and new shots.

On Clear Creek we have a rapid called Hells Canyon. Boats enter Hell with a rapid aptly named Guide Ejector, and end with Deep Hole. It's over a 3/4's of a mile with rocky class IV technical nastiness. When boats enter Hell, I am always anxiously awaiting their safe emergence on the opposite side.

Hells Canyon is also a popular spot for rock climbing. And to access some of the walls, climbers need to cross the river. They have strung ropes across the river in Upper Hell to do so. I have had my eyes on these ropes for 4 years. And it wasn't until yesterday, that I took some initiative to get on them.

I borrowed a harness, some caribeaners, grabbed my camera, and put myself out on a wire. And there I dangled awaiting my 9 boat trip. A few minutes later I saw an upside down boat coming around the corner upstream. At the time I was cursing myself because I had missed the carnage above. As the second boat rounded the corner, I could see it was overloaded with 9 frantic people. And just as they passed below me, they dumped 6 into the water. It was mayhem! I was in the middle of the action all the while dangling safely from above. I was so close I had to lift my feet up so I didn't kick anyone.

This summer I am attempting to take my adventure photography to a new level. I'm putting myself in the action to get the shots that I envision. I'm doing things that people don't and won't do. Who knows what's next. I may be dangling over a 400 foot cliff to get a shot of a kayaker running a 1,000 foot slide. Plans are in the works, so be on the look out for some new and exciting angles.

To brand or not to brand

I was recently invited by a friend from high school, to take photos of the yearly calf branding just outside of Boulder. The cattle inhabit the Boulder Open Space, where the traditions of the rancher are still practiced by a select few families.The Shanahan ridge marks the south side of town where the Shanahan family and their cattle reside. Krystyna Shanahan, asked me to come out and give a hand for this years branding.

I gotta be honest, I didn't get dirty. Actually, I did. But I didn't wrestle any calves. Unfortunately, I had to go to work afterwards. But I really wanted to. My boss wasn't too pleased when I showed up to work covered in shit. The framing shop was tracked by the end of the day. Delicate artwork and poo don't mix. Well, it is what it is, and it was worth it. I got the shots that I wanted.

The idea of the branding is a controversial one for many people. And that's why I jumped on the chance to document it. Since posting some of the images on Facebook, I have received comments calling the whole process sickening and comparing it to Hitlers regime. I agree, it does appear to be cruel at first sight. The cattle are released into a pen 10 at a time, teams of two wrestle down one cattle. Then another team comes through to give the calf shots, de-horn, castrate, and brand it. Sounds brutal, but I think the calves get the better of the humans by the end of it. People get kicked, rammed, and tossed. It was somewhat reminiscent of watching Wrestlemania as a kid.

Do you like hamburgers? How about a steak? For you to enjoy that sultry steak, there are things that need to be done to get it on your plate. One thing that bothers me as an American, is that the people are willing eat meat to their hearts desire, but they aren't willing to accept the unsightliness associated with the process. This can be applied to many royalties that we as American's enjoy. How about your clothing for instance? Don't even get me started on that one.

If you were a cow where would you rather reside? In the feed lots of Greeley with 500,000 of your closest buddies. Or in lush pastures where the daisies tickle your hooves and the definitive Flatirons loom above. "I'll take Boulder for $2000, Alex." Actually, that doesn't seem half bad to me. All I have to do is get wrestled and branded and I get to live in Boulder hassle and monetarily free? Sign me up!