Over the weekend, I had to return my hometown to take newborn photos for a family friend. I can honestly admit that newborn photography was one of the hardest types of photography that I have ever taken on. Even so, I decided to make my weekend escape a little more interesting by including a long-needed visit to some serious mountains and cold weather.
I was feeling adventurous and had never been up Loveland Pass before, so I decided to give it a try on Saturday night. My mom hopped in the front seat as I pulled out of the driveway, clearly catching my adventure bug— I was happy to have some company.
Driving up the pass, the clouds began to engulf the peaks and cast some ambient lighting in all directions. With an almost-weird sunset, the view quickly became one of those where every time you turn around, there's something else that is just begging to be photographed. Beauty was everywhere you looked.
The wind was biting. I pulled off the road at one point, got out of the car, and was in almost immediate shock by the wind chill blasting at me from the nearby summit. I couldn't stand in one direction for too long before my face went numb from the continuous icy gust.
We kept driving up the Pass, stopping for photos along the way. I was exuberant. I realized how much I missed that solid feeling of adventure and trekking into the unknown, even if it was simply driving 45 minutes away from my home. Each time I pursue those feelings of adventure, I am constantly surprised by the absolute beauty that Earth is able to produce. Each time, I fall in love with Colorado and photography all over again.
Escaping my little niche in Boulder for a weekend taught me a lot. Not only did I learn that photographing a newborn for an energetic family is extremely challenging, but also that an adventurous spirit can be hard to come by. While visiting a long-lost friend I understood that adventure is truly a remarkable challenge to all of us, and something only few of us can ever fully understand. Whether you're searching for the most minuscule town in Vietnam, or simply exploring your own backyard, adventure is something that can be found anywhere. I hope that I never lose my adventurous spirit, and I encourage you all to look for yours.