Sept 25 // 8:00AM
Kebler Grove // Colorado
When I first drove into the grove, I couldn’t believe the colors and contrasts around me. It was, without a doubt, the most magical place I’d ever seen. The bright white bark of the Aspens against the rich yellow and orange tones was so familiar, but still completely enchanting.
It was evening when I arrived, and the light was perfect, leaving the forest floor in the shadows, but lighting the tops of the trees on fire. I wondered as I drove down the dirt road into the woods, “how can I photograph this place to do it justice”. I already knew the answer to the question in my head. I drove on, in awe. I made a few quick photos as the sun went down, but considered it just practice for my time in the grove. That night I slept in the back of the truck and waited for the morning.
The alarm went off at 5:15AM. It was dark, and cold, but I knew the reward that was on it’s way. This morning I would focus on the trees and their details. The ferns, the white bark, the leaves, the dew drops. All the things that make this forest so incredible.
The air was crisp and cold. All you could hear was the rustling of the trees around you and your own footsteps crackling through the leaves on the ground. The ends of my boots were wet with the morning dew, and I took my time. I thought more about how I could photograph this place to accurately depict it in a photo, but would eventually succumb to the brutal answer.
I couldn’t.