In chapter 15 of my all-time favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Calpurnia says Jem “has the look-arounds”. I love that. It describes (but in a different context, thankfully) exactly how I feel living in my new home – Park County, Colorado. I’m curious to learn about this new place – its past, present, and the people who are as much a part of it as the contour of the land and the individual grains of mineral in the soil. I’m antsy to get started. The best thing to do is just start – so here goes. A few first impressions…

The plains

These were taken in Washington and Arapahoe Counties east of Denver. Since I come from the great Black Swamp area of NW Ohio, I’ve learned to love the stark beauty of flat land and good light.

Mountains

It’s going to take a while to develop my “mountains eye”. There are a lot of things that can mess you up photographing in the mountains. It gets light later and dark earlier than on flat land. “The golden hour” light doesn’t mean anything when mountains between you and the sun throw your subject into dark shadow. Argh. Mountain lions and bears are another possibility. Those could make your day…or not.