South Platte Park: May 2014

I'm one of three photographers vying to contribute a new photo for a mural in the Carson Nature Center at South Platte Park. They're looking for a riparian shot similar to what they currently have, but at a time of year when the vegetation is thick and green. Which is now. So this past Saturday morning I was up before 5:00 to catch the first light of dawn on the river and see if I could come up with something that will work.

I almost missed the best color just struggling to get to the river after entering the park in a different spot than I normally do.  I had an aerial map photo and a shot of the current mural on my phone, but still went in the wrong direction a couple of times.  Maybe I should have stopped for some coffee on the way to clear the cobwebs.  But like I said, I only almost missed the color.  Like I tell my kids, that's the same as not missing it at all.

The sun's rays cutting through some light mist and illuminating the trees and grass of the northern wildlife area was beautiful.

The river coursed around a lone rock, with turbulence rendered silky by a slow shutter speed on one side and relative calm on the other.

What I originally thought was a spiderweb turned out to be a wildflower seed of some sort.  But I shot it anyway because it looked cool.

I spotted this beaver from a fair distance -- the first one I'd ever seen in the wild.  As I moved close enough to get in position for a decent shot he decided he didn't want me to have one and moved off.  That unfortunately leaves this as the best beaver photo I've ever taken.

Mama Killdeer clearly had a nest nearby, because she gave me the whole broken-wing routine trying to steer me clear of the area.  It was pretty fascinating to watch, and I respected her wishes by not sticking around too long.

I'm not sure if I got anything that will work for the mural.  But I'm certainly happy with what I did get!