Maroon Bells, Colorado is one of those iconic landscape scenes that is hard to escape NOT photographing it. Over the years I have learned to avoid the masses in order to maintain my sanity, but this is not always that easy. Maroon Bells in Fall is one of those situations. I know there will be way too many people there, but I can’t help but want to try to capture something unique.
As I woke up at 5:45am this morning, after sleeping in my car, I pulled into the parking lot for Maroon Bells, only to be treated to what seemed like 100 photographers. As I got my gear ready, I tried to prepare myself for what was around the corner. Sure enough, EVERYONE was already lined up…however they were all bundled in the same spot. Shaking my head I moved past them all and continued to walk along the shore line. Eventually the lake takes a small bend and provides some privacy and seclusion. Not only can I almost ALWAYS find solitude in this spot, but the reflections in the water are usually 10x greater then at the foot of the lake, with the masses of other photographers.
Long story short, don’t be afraid to explore. There are many beautiful places out there in the world that other people will want to document as well. Don’t let that dissuade you, but instead consider it a challenge to overcome 🙂
