Regensburger Photography

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  • 2018 CHSAA Softball Championships

    I photographed the 2018 CHSAA softball championships once again this year.  This is the 5th consecutive year I have covered this event.  This year’s games weren’t quote as dramatic as last year’s finals, but the games were still filled with exciting moments.  Congratulations to Legend which repeated as 5A champs by defeating Cherokee Trail 8-4.  Holy Family took home the 4A crown by defeating Mountain View 10-3.   

  • Snake River Waterfalls

    While on a trip to Idaho, I stopped to photograph some of the prettiest waterfalls along the Snake River.  The first was Fall Creek Falls near Idaho Falls. The falls is formed by Fall Creek flowing into the Snake River.  It creates a terraced waterfall with green moss and grass around the edges. Then, after a trek through the Sawtooth Wilderness, I stopped in Twin Falls to photograph two of the more dramatic waterfalls in the state–the famous Shoshone Falls and its smaller cousin, Perrine Coulee Falls. Shoshone Falls is a massive fall over a dam in the Snake River Canyon. It tumbles over a 200 foot drop in the river creating a powerful waterfall that rivals Niagara Falls. An overlook at the edge of a small park allows visitors to take in the falls and get an up-close view of its power. The spray form the falls is an awesome sight to behold. Further down the Snake River just past the Perrine bridge, Perrine Coulee Falls pours into the Snake River.  Although much smaller than Shoshone Falls, this is a wonderful waterfall to visit because you can walk behind it.  

    Getting There

    Shoshone Falls is located off of Falls avenue about 4 miles east of Highway 93. Cross the Snake River bridge on your way into town on Highway 93 and turn left onto Falls Avenue. Take Falls Avenue east for 4 miles and turn left following the signs for Shoshone Falls park. It is about a 1 mile to reach the park where the road dead ends. There are two overlooks to view the falls from at the park and and a path that leads along the river. There is a high railing that encircles the observation deck so you can either brace your camera on it or bring a tall tripod. The falls faces west so it best photographed before sunrise, in the late afternoon, or ideally at sunset. I arrived near sunset and all the shadows and contrast issues were eliminated due to the late hour.  There is normally a $3.00 fee to park when the entrance gate is manned.

    Perrin Coulee Falls is harder to locate.  Many locals don’t even know of its existence as I had trouble getting directions. The best way to get there is to take Highway 93 north toward the Snake River bridge.  Then turn left at Canyon Springs Rd, just past the mall.  Take the road halfway down.  You will then see a pullout on the right.  Park here and cross the road.  There is a small entrance down some rocks around a large bush.  You will see a path leading behind the waterfall.  You can also access the falls from the bottom.  There is a steep path that leads up to it. I found the best view was from the back or the left side in the morning. 

  • Gilpin Lake/Gold Creek Lake Loop

    I backpacked the Gilpin Lake/Gold Creek Lake loop in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness otherwise known as the Zirkel Circle over the 4th of July. The trail is strenuous at times but provides some wonderful views and beautiful scenery for most of the hike. The NFS lists the distance for the loop at 11 miles but it is at least 2 miles longer than advertised so be prepared if you hike the entire loop.  I chose to hike the loop from Gilpin Lake to Gold Creek. The trail up to Gilpin Lake is generally steeper but converts the long uphill section from the trail junction  if you go the other way to a downhill section.  I started out from the Slavonia trailhead about 20 miles north of Steamboat Springs. I reached a trail register and the trail junction with the Gold Creek trail after .1 mile.  I signed in and headed left up to Gilpin Lake.  The first part of trail rambles through aspen forest.  A few large clumps of paintbrush grew close to the trail.  My next milepost was the wilderness boundary at 1.6 miles.  The trail follows a creek through open meadows and a wide glacial valley at this point. Hundreds of columbine were blooming near the trail at around the 2.5-3 mile mark. The trail climbs steadily but not too steeply thorough most of this stretch. Finally, I reached a stream crossing at around mile 5. From here, you been a steep ascent to Gilpin Lake over the next .75 mile. There is really no good camping spots from the water crossing to the lake due to the steepness of the terrain.  Finally, I reached Gilpin Lake after 4 hours of hiking.

    Gilpin Lake is one of the jewels of the Rocky Mountains. It surrounded almost entirely by mountains.  The lake is relatively shallow which made for great reflection shots at sunset and sunrise. I wandered around the near shore of the lake and found a primitive trail that led down the back side of the lake past the outlet. Some beautiful cascades can be found here. I set up my tripod on the far side of the lake and waited for sunset.  I was not disappointed. The mountains above the lake glowed red in the setting sun, aided by smoke in the air from forest fires burning in southern Colorado. I also cast out a fishing line and snagged a couple of small brook trout while I took int he view. In the morning, I walked along the east side of the lake and watched the sun light up the peaks to the south. What an amazing scene.

    Around 8:30, I headed up to the saddle above Gilpin Lake. It its a steep, half-mile ascent to the saddle but not nearly as bad as some passes in Colorado can be. The view from the top is spectacular.  Big Agnes mountain looms large behind the lake when viewed from this direction. I then headed down the pass toward the Gold Creek trail. This is a long, steep descent as previously noted.  After about a mile, I came to the junction with the Gold Creek trail. The trail then follows the creek down valley to the right. Gold Creek is a narrower, tree-filled valley. The shade was welcome given the heat of the day beginning to build. I came to Gold Creek Lake after 2 miles. It is a pretty, forested lake. It has excellent fishing for brookies, BTW. The long slog bak to the trailhead now begins. The trail descends along Gold Creek and passes a couple of large waterfalls.  There are also a couple of difficult stream crossings along the way. There are logs but if you don;t like the tight rope act with a pack on, wading might be the better option. On one of them, I ended up fighting a fir tree near the start. After a seemingly endless 4 mile hike, I reached the trailhead, exhausted.

    Directions to the trailhead. 

    Drive 18 miles north of Steamboat on RD 129. Then turn right onto Seedhouse Road.  Drive 12 miles along the half paved, half dirt road to the end to reach the Slavonia trailhead.  Trail 1161 leads to Gilpin Lake.   Although many people hike the trail, few backpack it.  Solitude can be found while camping.  One word of caution. Camping is restricted 1/4 from the lake. You’ll have to head out a ways from the trail to find camping spots.   

  • Broomfield vs Loveland 4A Quarterfinal

    The Broomfield Eagles pulled their second straight upset defeating #1 seed Loveland 28-27 in the first overtime of Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup in high school football.  Despite 3 costly fumbles, Broomfield hung on for the win as Loveland missed an extra point in overtime.  

  • Utah Fall Color

    I spent a long weekend in northern Utah shooting fall color. The maples are spectacular this year near Heber City and on the Nebo Mountain Loop.  With heavy snow and generally bad weather wreaking havoc on theColorado fall scene, I headed across the border to Utah.  I had always wanted to see the maples there and finally had the chance.  I visited several of the canyons, including Pine Creek, Big Cottonwood Canyon, and Provo Canyon.  The best color was on the Deer Creek Overlook which is located between Salt Lake and Heber City.  I also drove the Nebo Mountain Loop south of Provo which also had some dazzling color, especially near the Bear Canyon Campground.

    Heber City is a pretty little town on the back side of the Wasatch Front across from Salt Lake City.  It is a perfect place to explore the various canyons to the west such as Cascade Springs, Pine Creek, and Big Cottonwood.  I walked around Cascade Springs which is a natural spring and creek.  A nature trail winds through the area. Dispersed camping is available along the road past the springs.  This portion of the road road is quite rough so bring the 4×4.  I found some cool places to shoot maples.  The color was quite vibrant in this area.  From there, I explored the Deer Creek Overlook.  This was located down the main road just a couple of miles from the springs.  This is a great place to watch the sunrise.  Too bad there were so many clouds that morning.

    That afternoon I did the Nebo Mountain Loop.  This road loops from Payson to Nephi a few miles south of Spanish Forks.  It has a number of highlights including great views of bald Mountain and Nebo Mountain. The best color on the loop is found near the southern end by the Bear Canyon campground.

  • Southwest Black and Whites

    For a while now I’ve been meaning to do a series of black and white photographs of the Southwest.  I’ve made a few trips to the National Parks of Utah recently with this in mind .  This series has photographs from Arches, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands National Parks, and Valley of the Fire State Park.   In particular, I tried to find images that featured trees.  Many of the trees in these parks are old or dead.  Their twisted and gnarled shapes make for some wonderful compositions.  Perhaps my favorite trail was the Navajo Knobs trail in Capitol Reef. This trail has volcanic rock and a plethora of dead junipers that make for perfect black and white compositions. 

    Black and White Conversion Process

    I like to create contrasty black and white images to highlight these features.  I start with a color digital file.  I use the high contrast red filter in Photoshop to achieve this effect. I start with the presets of the filter and then adjust the individual color levels accordingly.  I often lower the yellow percentage just a little and lower the Cyan and Blue levels even more to darken the sky.  

  • King Lake

    The long hike to King Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness is worth the effort.  Near the end, you are rewarded with great views, rushing water, and abundant wildflowers.  Getting there requires a 6.5 mile hike from the Hessie Trailhead near Nederland, CO.  The trail begins steeply as it climbs over a rocky slope before reaching a trail divide after 1.5 miles.  Veer left (the right branch goes toward Jasper Lake). The trail crosses the creek and climbs past a beautiful waterfall.  You reach a trail divide again at mile marker 2.5.  Keep straight.  Then the trail enters the forest and climbs only gradually for the next three miles.  Not many views are found during this portion of the hike. Finally, the trail joins up with the creek again at around mile 5.5.  The next mile is steep as it switch backs up to a meeting with the Betty and Bob Lakes trail.  Just past the junction you have to cross the creek to reach King Lake.  In high water, the creek can be crossed easier to the right and then skirting back to the trail through some large boulders.  Finally, after a long hike, you reach the pretty shores of King Lake.  

  • Picket Wire Canyon

    I have been meaning to hike Picket Wire Canyon near La Junta, CO for some time now, but I kept putting it off.  I finally went down there to do a hike to the dinosaur tracks.  The wait was worth it.  The hike is a long one but the canyon is very green compared to the surrounding landscape. The wildflowers were also blooming in abundance due to some recent spring rains.  

    The Hike

    The trail starts at the Withers trailhead about 45 minutes south of La Junta.  The trail quickly descends into the canyon from the parking lot and loses about 250 feet in elevation.  Once in the main canyon, wildflowers dot the landscape including prickly primrose, sunflowers, and cholla cactus.  An old ranch house is reached after a mile.  The next landmark is a cemetery located 3.7 miles from the trailhead.  In this stretch of trail, views open up of the canyon and the Purgatory River below.  The dinosaur tracks are found another 1.5 miles down the trail.  Several Brontosaurus tracks tracks can be seen here.  An even bigger collection can be found just across the river, but due to high water, I decided not to wade it.  The hike is 11.6 miles round trip.  There is very little shade so bring plenty of water.  

    Directions

    Picket Wire Canyon is located south of LaJunta.  Take highway 109 from La Junta and turn onto the signed dirt road top the right after 13 miles.  The road will turn at mile 8 toward the canyon.  Follow this road for 6 miles.  One final turn is required and this road goes 3 miles to the trailhead.  The way is well-signed.  

  • Niwot Erie Girls Soccer

    Niwot and Erie High Schools met in the First Round of the CHSAA 4A Girl’s Soccer playoffs yesterday.  Niwot capped a crazy comeback with a goal in the 2nd overtime to advance to the 2nd Round.  Erie led 3-2 with :25 left in regulation but failed to properly throw in the ball deep in Niwot’s end.  Niwot took advantage of the miscue going the length of the field to score the tying goal with 17 seconds left.  It was a fun game to photograph as the girls were playing hard as any number of players dove for balls or took hard hits.  A light rain also was falling throughout the game. Kudos to both teams for a hard fought, action-packed game.

  • Calf Creek Falls

    I decided to hike to Calf Creek Falls in the Escalante National Monument near Escalante, Utah this past weekend. Cloudy weather had put a damper on my plans to do some hiking along the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, so I stopped at the trailhead for the falls.  Calf Creek  Falls is a beautiful reward after a somewhat easy 3-mile hike through a pretty, riparian canyon.  The trail follows Calf Creek as it meanders through a deep canyon.  Along the way, many species of trees and birds can be spotted.  A number of Claret Cup cacti were blooming with their scarlet flowers as well.  The only drawback to the hike is that is features walking though deep sand the land mile or so.  The falls is tucked away at the end of the canyon.  

    The trailhead for Calf Creek Falls is located about 15 miles form Escalante or 13 miles south of Boulder Town along Highway 12.     

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