We had the privilege of living in northern Colorado for a few years, and although circumstances brought us back to North Carolina, our home state, we would go west again in a New York minute if it were possible. Our place was located near Red Feather Lakes, a quaint village northwest of Fort Collins, Colorado, that serves as a hub of activity for an eclectic mix of ranchers, artists, commuters, retirees and visitors. It is surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery, lakes and the Roosevelt National Forest. While there are no hitching rails for horses, the streets are still unpaved; hopefully they will remain in that state. There are several businesses, a post office, a fire station, a superb little library, a gallery, a veterinarian and lots of charm.
I photographed the Red Feather Trading Post and adjacent buildings, the business hub of the village, on several occasions. These two images were evening and morning shots, respectively.
Evening in the Business District, was captured after sunset while the Trading Post and Post Office lights were illuminating their environs.
The second, Morning in the Business District, was captured as the early morning sun illuminated the sky, making the scene a bit more colorful that the first. Confession: No, the original image was not the same as the one shown here, and yes, I did enhance the colors a bit to achieve this image. I would posit that image adjustments are as much a part of photographic art as brush selection is in painting. But for any photography purists among you, those who view image manipulation as artistic heresy, I suggest that you take your issue up with my “fixer”, a burly guy named Dwight who resides in Fort Collins. Good Luck :-)!!
Finally, there is much more lore and color around Red Feather Lakes, some of which I will attempt to portray in future posts. Thanks for reading!