Western Colorado Landscapes At Night
As a recent Western Colorado transplant, mountains were the only thing on my mind during my move from the Midwest. Out with the pancake-flat corn fields and straight roads, in with the snow-capped peaks and crisp air. An unexpected joy, however, has been the dark skies in this region. Stars, often lost to light pollution, shine here.
It’s a shame that the mountains and mesas are only half-seen, left unappreciated once the sun sets. Night photography offers a new perspective on these landscapes. Stars, moonlight and even passing cars paint nuanced tapestries of light that can be captured in long exposure photographs.
I have collected a few of my favorite night photographs from the past few months since arriving in Western Colorado. I hope they inspire you to take a closer look at the sky the next time you find yourself outside during a clear night.
Photos by Mitch Korolev.
Grand Junction at Dusk
A view of Grand Junction from the top of Mt. Garfield at dusk. I-70 bisects the photograph, dividing the town and the blue-gray sediments in the foreground. Illuminated by the lights in town, a faint haze from wildfires covers the Colorado National Monument in the background.
Milky Way Headlamp
This photograph was an accident. I had meant to turn my headlamp off before taking the shot, but I was a little late. I switched the headlamp from red to white light midway through the long-exposure shot, creating an interesting color gradient across the aspen trees in the foreground. The Milky Way floats up above, galactic center on full display. There are several shooting stars tucked away in the sky, too.
Star Trails
A high-elevation campsite west of Aspen offers a picturesque view of the nearby mountains and valleys. Above them, the stars curve and stretch as the earth turns. These “star trails” are a composite of multiple photographs of the sky taken in succession and later blended together.
Pink Moon at the Monument
Cars traverse a series of switchbacks to reach the top of the Colorado National Monument, illuminating the surrounding landscape with their headlights. The full moon hovers over the horizon, casting a soft pink glow across the rocks. The Monument is at its best in the evening or at night — the chorus of desert insects in the summer and quiet hoofbeats of the bighorn sheep create a lovely atmosphere for reflection and relaxation.
Red Light Trail
Another light trail photo at the Colorado National Monument, this one made by a single passing truck whose lights are bright enough to paint the nearby rocks red. The 60 moon hangs high in the sky, casting a silvery light down on the juniper trees and rocks further from the road. A few of the brightest stars speckle the midnight blue sky in between the clouds.