10/05/2026
New Release: Maroon Bells Sunset
This photo almost didn't happen! I had planned to be down in the Aspen area last Wednesday night to photograph the area before shooting Maroon Bells at sunrise. All of the weather apps and tools I use for seeing how the light is shaping up gave a nearly zero percent chance of a sunset across much of Colorado, including the Bells. But I still have a nagging though in the back of my head that something might happen that night. So I had planned to be down in the Aspen area an hour or two before sunset, just in case.
Well, as always happens when driving over Kebler Pass and other beautiful vistas in the fall, I got stopped. Multiple times. Low hanging clouds and snow above 10,000 feet were making it hard not to stop around every bend. After stopping at least a half dozen times, I told myself no more stops. Then a full size bull moose showed up amongst the aspens, along with a mama moose and two young ones. So naturally, I stopped. For much longer than I realized.
Eventually I left and continued on, realizing as I was closer to Aspen that there was about to be a lightshow. As I turned down Maroon Lake Road to drive the 10 or so miles down, the light show began! Purple, pink and more filled the sky! As I drove up the road further, I could tell there was fresh snow on the Bells as well. I arrived at the parking lot knowing I had little time before the light was going to fade. I parked, grabbed my camera and tripod and sprinted up the path to the lake, setting up quickly, finding my composition and taking this shot. Probably 90 seconds later, and the color faded.
Sunrise the next morning was also fantastic, but I'll save that for another day!
