Snowmelt Sunset

I was driving home with Kya after visiting with my parents to get home in time to watch the Denver Nuggets Basketball game last night (Those basketball fans know there was a big trade and we wanted to see the new players ???? in their first game). I saw the clouds shaping up to put on quite a show as I descended down the mountain and into the metro area.
I didn't have my cameras on me, so I rushed home dropped the pup off grabbed the cameras and hastily headed out heading for Standley Reservoir thinking that might provide some nice light and reflections, and somewhere within reach I could get in the 20 minutes or so I had.
As I drove into the northwestern reaches of Arvada the sun was dipping quickly. Many photographers know that moment where a bit of panic sinks in feeling they aren't going to get to a good spot before the nature's ethereal kaleidoscope of colors comes out to play. Fortunately, I found a nice snowmelt pond-puddle across from an old farm and pulled over...jumped out just as the sky was really coming alive. Acting quick, I composed several frames standing shin deep in the pooled water taking it all in. No famous social media spot, no go to photo place...just me on the side of the road soaking up the beautiful scenes.
That's the beauty of photography for me. No matter what genre...it's insatiably seeking beauty and those fleeting moments and letting your creativity flow. Savoring those milliseconds. For me, it's not about standing shoulder to shoulder with others, it's a rather solitary endeavor. I just feel more at peace and present that way.
What some might not realize is that more often than not from a photography point of view I miss the right 'moment' or 'shot'. Photography social media posts are a highlight reel (as is much of social media generally).
Usually, I'll see an interesting person or animal in a place that speaks to me, then they are off and gone about their day before I ever even have my camera ready,...Or, I don't get to a place in time that will make for a nice photo, or the elements don't quite come together, or I see a pretty scene, but I don't particularly 'feel it."
Regardless, I still push to get out and absorb those fleeting moments and feel deeply. To feel the world around me with a profound sense of being, questioning, curiosity, gratitude and realization that I know nothing...and that's just fine.
Other times...like last night, from a photography perspective, the elements align. I stumble across an innocuous pond that probably won't be there in a day or two after these warm temps, and I just feel deeply into the moment. Perhaps these photos are a representation of my inner yearning to continue roaming and seeking with more introspective musings for brighter collective days ahead as we hopefully head in the right direction with the pandemic. Grateful for all that I have and those whom I love. Acknowledging the profound sadness from the Boulder shooting last week while simultaneously etching optimism into my soul.
Furthermore, these moments tie into the circadian rhythms of life. The changing of seasons as hope springs eternal. Whatever it was, I just felt it which made that quiet hour by myself special and therefore the photos as well. Again and again and again, nature
goes to work healing and growing and humbling our pesky egos.
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