I took this photograph at Hanging Lake in Colorado several years ago. I’d been there before with friends, but on this trip I decided to go up alone. I drove down the interstate to the trailhead, parked the car, and headed up the trail late in the afternoon with the intention of photographing the lake in winter — the frozen waterfalls, the snow piling on the logs, the way the changing light hits that turquoise water.
I spent the late afternoon up there as the light shifted, moving around the lake and shooting from different angles, trying to capture that mix of calm and cold that winter brings to this place. I kept telling myself I’d head down before it got dark… and then suddenly it was dark, and I realized I’d done the one thing you never want to do on a mountain trail: I’d forgotten my headlamp.
So I used the flashlight on my phone to make my way down, slipping and sliding on the icy trail. I only fell once — hit my head — and even then, I still remember laughing at myself. Honestly, the photo was worth it.
And here’s the part that still surprises me: in 2019, the State of Colorado reached out and asked if they could feature this image in the Colorado Lottery’s annual calendar. They printed 50,000 copies of that calendar and distributed it around the state. Suddenly this photograph — taken during one quiet, freezing evening at the lake — was in tens of thousands of homes.
Moments like that mean a lot to me. You go out, you explore, you chase light because you love it… and once in a while, something you create ends up being shared far beyond what you ever expected. It’s a good feeling — knowing a place that meant something to you also resonated with others.
This one will always be special.