Before me were hillsides leading down to the lake that were blanketed in thousands of perfect columbine interspersed among golden nodding sunfl owers and tall green gentian. I was fl abbergasted.
Before you head for the Polarizing fi lter
mountains, pack:
White matte board Diffuser for your fl ash Wide-angle lens Macro lens
Shoot in early morning or late afternoon. Mid-day sun overexposes the white part of the fl ower. If you can’t wait for perfect conditions, stand at a 90-degree angle to the sun and attach a polarizing fi lter to your camera lens.
Light up the dark side of a fl ower by placing the matte board underneath it.
If your perfect fl ower is in the shade, use your fl ash with a diffuser and underexpose the shot by about 1/3 to 1 stop.
Avoid a wind-blurred image by setting your shutter speed to about 1/200 of a second or more. You may have to increase your ISO at 200 or 400.
Be aware of the back- ground. Use your wide-angle lens for landscapes, macro lens for close ups.
Columbines at Cataract Lake, near Silverthorne. 1 Arapaho
I had an urgent call from a friend who told me that, in 30 years of columbine watching, she had never seen anything like the display of color at Cataract Lake. “You won’t be disappointed,” she said. How opposite of “disappointed” is it possible to be? I followed her direc-
tions along an easy hike on a trail that spurred to the left of Cataract Lake. I had gone less than a half a mile or so when I passed through some bushes and over a wooden plank covering a small stream, and stopped dead in my tracks. Before me were hillsides leading down to the lake that were blanketed in thousands of perfect columbine interspersed among golden nodding sunfl ow- ers and tall green gentian. I was fl abbergasted. Cataract Lake is in the Eagle’s Nest Wilderness area of the White River
National Forest. It lies about 25 miles northwest of Silverthorne off I-70 near Dillon. The trail is easy, and a great hike for the whole family. The U.S. Forest Service allows fi shing and camping here as well.
2 Uncompahgre
Ask any Colorado nature photographer for advice on where to shoot col- umbine, and I’ll eat my camera strap if Yankee Boy Basin isn’t on the list. Southwest of Ouray in the Uncompahgre National Forest, Yankee Boy Basin is accessed by a moderate and exceptionally scenic four-wheel-drive road. A high clearance two- or four-wheel drive vehicle is highly recommended. On U.S. Highway 550 just south of Ouray, turn at the Box Canyon Falls
Park sign. Go right over the bridge that crosses the Uncompahgre River. The road is steep as it ascends the canyon and there are spectacular views of the
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