Your Bio

Over my 40 or so years (44 if you're counting), I've come to believe a few things ... You don't have to be a photographer to see beauty, but having the time and patience to learn photography can help show others what you see. I believe what Tom Till said, it goes something like this: You can only capture beauty in the things you love. I believe some people don't appreciate what their God gave to them.

I believe as we become more desperate to see our disappearing places that we forget to breathe and forget to care for where we walk. I believe the summit is the destination, but the journey is what matters.

Take care, I hope you enjoy my work, Paul Monday (pmonday@comcast.net)

Slideshow

Galleries

2013 - Cheyenne Mountain 25k/50k : April 27th 2013, Cheyenne Mountain 25k/50k Trail Race. There should be a couple of shots of everyone in the gallery at this point from my location sort of under the parking lot area as you came up through the trees. My son had another camera on the course and then we have a bunch of finish line pictures to work through yet, so keep checking back through the week if you are here before May 5th or so, that is when I should have everything wrapped up. You can contact me at pmonday@comcast.net if you have questions or editing you want done, Andrea should have sent you a note for how to download from this site, you can also purchase your prints through the site, the printer is fantastic that gets the jobs, there is a little mark-up. Thanks and congratulations to all of the runners, you are all inspirational! Your downloads are free for Personal Use Only. If you are looking for commercial use of any of these pictures, you can contact me or, I believe, I have an electronic download that is priced for commercial use.

2013 - Cheyenne Mountain 25k/50k

April 27th 2013, Cheyenne Mountain 25k/50k Trail Race. There should b ...

Updated: May 04, 2013 6:24am PST

empty gallery

Camera Awesome Photos

Updated: Mar 06, 2013 12:22pm PST

Fall Colors : Coming from Minnesota, I was skeptical about Colorado Fall Colors. There are fewer reds in trees, but so often you find Red Rocks (Roxborough especially) that you can balance out if you are a fan of the reds. On the other hand, when you go into the mountains and look over a valley of aspen trees with the Sun back lighting the aspens ... it doesn't get much better ... anywhere.

Fall Colors

Coming from Minnesota, I was skeptical about Colorado Fall Colors. Th ...

Updated: Feb 16, 2013 9:01am PST

Highlands Ranch Library : Pictures on display throughout the Highlands Ranch Library during January 2013. Other than the two pictures from Cozumel ("The Rasta Shop" and "Floaters"), my goal was to put up a series of 5 pictures that let you feel the wide open spaces that are quickly disappearing.

Highlands Ranch Library

Pictures on display throughout the Highlands Ranch Library during Janu ...

Updated: Jan 08, 2013 7:35pm PST

Cozumel : Pictures from Cozumel, Mexico. There are a combination of shots from my son (typically I7D pictures from our Canon 7D) and myself (typically IMG pictures shot with my 5DMII). We only had a few hours on the island so I hired a fantastic photography guide through a tour group to take my son and I on a private photography tour of the island (Cozumel Photo Tour if you are interested). We stopped on the beach at several locations, some businesses, and finally into San Gervacio (Mayan archaeological stie where we received a 1/2 hour private tour of the site). We finished the day snorkeling (though I left my underwater camera in my bag ... ouch). It was a fantastic day of shooting and I can't thank our guide (Tati) enough and driver for the crash course on the island.

Cozumel

Pictures from Cozumel, Mexico. There are a combination of shots from ...

Updated: Jan 01, 2013 10:01am PST

Giuliana Fall Photos : Pictures from Giuliana at 9 months and getting ready for Halloween as a pumpkin! There are several "artistic" looks included here, the original picture comes first, then the artistic looks come directly after the original.

Giuliana Fall Photos

Pictures from Giuliana at 9 months and getting ready for Halloween as ...

Updated: Oct 13, 2012 1:19pm PST

A&E Wedding Album : Final digital album for Aaron and Erin's wedding on July 21, 2012. This forms the basis for the hard copy wedding album as well. There are some color adjustments to make (but these were shot in RAW so that's not an issue) to get the white balance right on a more color calibrated setup and make sure they are consistent page to page in the album and if any are printed. Many of these pictures push the edge on the whites, so if you have an uncalibrated monitor, you are in danger of missing the details ;-) Enjoy them and feel free to email any questions to me: pmonday@comcast.net

A&E Wedding Album

Final digital album for Aaron and Erin's wedding on July 21, 2012. Th ...

Updated: Aug 28, 2012 6:21am PST

Mt. Huron : Mt Huron clocks in at 14,003 feet at the summit with Class 2, 7 mile round trip trail. As mountains go, it's not too bad, though you need a 4WD to reach the trail head. I've been up it a couple of times now, if you hit the trail at just the right time of the season, an amazing field of Columbine greets you towards the second big elevation pitch. These are all shots from the route up.

Mt. Huron

Mt Huron clocks in at 14,003 feet at the summit with Class 2, 7 mile r ...

Updated: Aug 14, 2012 6:42am PST

Canon Photography in the Parks 2012, RMNP : These shots were taken during Canon's 2012 Photography in the Parks (http://photographyintheparks.com/) series stop at Rocky Mountain National Park, Fall River Visitor's Center. The group was divided into beginner vs. intermediate/advanced, the latter was led by Lindsay Linton, a Wyoming / NY based photographer (http://www.lindsaylintonphotography.com/). Our group was encouraged to shoot all Manual, use the histogram and work with white balance. We really only covered a few feet of shooting around the visitors center. Worth the 2.5 hour trip? I don't know, it's always good to get out and see other photographers and have a reason to shoot out of your comfort zone and have a better photographer there to consult so I suppose it was worth it. My Aunt came up with me and worked in the Beginner's group.

Canon Photography in the Parks 2012, RMNP

These shots were taken during Canon's 2012 Photography in the Parks (h ...

Updated: Aug 06, 2012 8:55am PST

Moab : Moab and, specifically, Arches National Park are amazing sections of Utah with unbelievable outdoor activities and unique landscapes featuring arches and rock formations that are unequalled. Moab can become a bit of a mess in Summer and Fall with mountain bikers and people swarming the parks ... but check it out in Winter for a much quieter landscape.

Moab

Moab and, specifically, Arches National Park are amazing sections of U ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2012 1:01pm PST

Mount Bierstadt : An easily accessible 14er, the barren landscape is the result of winds that rip through the valley. Nonetheless, this turned out to be a beautiful, beautiful hike and well worth every minute of it. There was a light dusting of snow in the morning on this particular day and I will definitely be returning to this peak over the years.

Mount Bierstadt

An easily accessible 14er, the barren landscape is the result of winds ...

Updated: Aug 25, 2011 11:20am PST

Mt. Democrat, Lincoln and Bross : Mt Democrat, Lincoln and Bross are a part of the Mosquito Range near Fairplay. They are typically done as a group, about an 8 mile hike in a spoke and hub configuration. Start on Mt. Democrat, walk in towards an intermediate non-14er 14er (Mt. Cameron), out to Lincoln, back across Cameron and out to Mt. Bross and back down to Kite Lake. There may not be a better way to spend 8 hours over 8 miles.

Mt. Democrat, Lincoln and Bross

Mt Democrat, Lincoln and Bross are a part of the Mosquito Range near F ...

Updated: Aug 09, 2011 7:13am PST

Summer in Crested Butte : A weekend in Crested Butte turned into some of the best landscape photography opportunities ever. The town itself ranks in my top 2 "Colorado" towns (right next to Leadville) and definitely rivals it in rugged beauty.

Summer in Crested Butte

A weekend in Crested Butte turned into some of the best landscape phot ...

Updated: Aug 07, 2011 1:43pm PST

Joshua Tree National Park (and PS Area) : Joshua Tree National Park, a true gem of the National Park System. It gets hot in the high desert, but the trees are amazing and worth a side trip if you are in the area. Because of the unique form of the tree, it is worth staying until (and after) dusk so you can watch the form of the tree come out and let the washed out desert fade away into the twilight.

Joshua Tree National Park (and PS Area)

Joshua Tree National Park, a true gem of the National Park System. It ...

Updated: Jul 29, 2011 9:37pm PST

Roxborough Park : Roxborough Park is a beautiful place in the middle of ever-encroaching suburbs. Surprisingly, it is rarely really "busy" with hikers and is always a quiet, quick getaway.

Roxborough Park

Roxborough Park is a beautiful place in the middle of ever-encroaching ...

Updated: Jun 18, 2011 10:47am PST

Dogs : Dogs ... definitely some of our best friends. My own pup, Emma, helped stave off divorce blues and has been through so much and has literally helped pick me up off the kitchen floor more than once (that's a semi-metaphor). Here are some of my favorite dog shots ... feel free to give me a ring if you want to take the dogs out and let me snap shots of them! Dog pictures never get old.

Dogs

Dogs ... definitely some of our best friends. My own pup, Emma, helpe ...

Updated: Jun 06, 2011 6:20pm PST

Denver : A beautiful city in a beautiful state. I definitely don't get into Denver enough, but when I do I am reminded just how well the city matches its surroundings.

Denver

A beautiful city in a beautiful state. I definitely don't get into De ...

Updated: May 23, 2011 7:23am PST

Rocky Mountain National Park :

Rocky Mountain National Park

Updated: May 02, 2011 5:58pm PST

Lunar Eclipse - December 2011 : Welcome to my Lunar Eclipse 2011 Page. Moon pictures are especially tricky cause this earth thing we are on keeps rotating and as the exposure times increase the earth rotation comes into play. I've added a video of the eclipse as it moved to totality so you can watch the movement of the moon. Grab the movie index and drag it 3 seconds and see how far the moon moves ... to compensate you have to increase the ISO after you've run out of f/stop and, of course, then you get noise. Phew ... Of course, the other concern with taking pictures of a full moon is that I will turn into a werewolf. Luckily, as the first phase of a total eclipse happens, the werewolf effect wears off! Who knew? At that point, my fingers are regular size and can work the shutter without my werewolf sized remote.

Lunar Eclipse - December 2011

Welcome to my Lunar Eclipse 2011 Page. Moon pictures are especially t ...

Updated: May 02, 2011 7:55am PST

Top 5 of 2010 : I always find that my tastes vary substantially from other folks. I decided that I would sit back and think about the 5 pictures that show the most about my year in terms of photography experiences, places I've been, things I've seen. In the search for the 5 I wanted to find the ones that evoked an emotion in myself or that I find technically interesting. And so without further ado, here are what I consider my Top 5 of the year in 2010!

Top 5 of 2010

I always find that my tastes vary substantially from other folks. I d ...

Updated: Jan 05, 2011 7:11pm PST

HDR Photography : I have meshed many of my HDR photos within the galleries but just for curiosity, I figured I would push them all to a single smart gallery so I could look them over. I've noticed over the year / year and a half that I've been doing HDR photography my work has become more and more realism based rather than garish. I'm starting to use it more as a regular tool to expose shadows and reduce blowouts rather than some of the more extremist tone mapping that helps to teach the practice. Enjoy the gallery :) You'll find most of these among my other captures ... what I noticed as I went through these though is not what is IN the gallery, but what amazing pictures from my portfolio that are NOT in the gallery. Nature and photography is astounding in the shapes, light and forms it brings to us naturally.

HDR Photography

I have meshed many of my HDR photos within the galleries but just for ...

Updated: Nov 12, 2010 4:18pm PST

Guanella Pass : Guanella Pass is a bit of a back road that will take you from 285 over to I-70, past Mt. Bierstadt and Mt. Evans. A lot of it is gravel, and if you wander off along the pass you can see amazing sites. Don't stick to the road ;-)

Guanella Pass

Guanella Pass is a bit of a back road that will take you from 285 over ...

Updated: Sep 20, 2010 8:51pm PST

The Great Sand Dunes : The Great Sand Dunes are an amazing mystery (unless you listen to the camp director talk about how they form). They are incredibly beautiful and peaceful yet give you that urge to climb them or drive through the sand and play in the river.

The Great Sand Dunes

The Great Sand Dunes are an amazing mystery (unless you listen to the ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2010 8:48pm PST

Pike's Peak Colorado Springs : Pike's Peak was my first 14er and it is a long, tough haul. Revelations early in the trek followed by companionship and finally achievement. What a beautiful way to start a hobby.

Pike's Peak Colorado Springs

Pike's Peak was my first 14er and it is a long, tough haul. Revelatio ...

Updated: Aug 23, 2010 7:35am PST

Yellowstone : Yellowstone is an amazing place to be, especially in Winter. With the crowds down and limited travel in the park, wildlife and scenery is at its best. There is so much to think about in this park when there is room to breathe. The NPS is doing a great job of giving the animals room to breathe and striking the balance of access. Bison, wolves, coyotes, bald eagles, otters, swans ... the wildlife list is long. Enjoy these pictures.

Yellowstone

Yellowstone is an amazing place to be, especially in Winter. With the ...

Updated: Aug 07, 2010 7:43am PST

Featured : Thank you for stopping by my "Featured" Gallery. These are pictures I keep up in my own home that I've grown extremely fond of for one reason or another. I hope you enjoy them.

Featured

Thank you for stopping by my "Featured" Gallery. These are pictures I ...

Updated: Jul 01, 2010 7:46pm PST

Washington D.C. : Washington D.C. is hands-down the most amazing city in the country. It is beautiful, historic, and reverberates with power. The food is amazing and you could spend weeks in a single museum, let alone the dozens of institutions that line the National Mall. I've been in the city 3 times now for the Cherry Blossom festival, what an amazing time of year, most of the pictures here are from the Spring-time festival.

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. is hands-down the most amazing city in the country. I ...

Updated: Jul 01, 2010 7:45pm PST

Mt. Quandary : Mt. Quandary is one of the busier of the 14ers, only rivaled by Gray's / Torrey's ... so why not do it before the crowds arrive ... like mid-May?

Mt. Quandary

Mt. Quandary is one of the busier of the 14ers, only rivaled by Gray's ...

Updated: May 29, 2010 9:02am PST

4 Nights of Soccer : There are few things better than an hour of watching your young man be taught soccer skills by some great coaches (Real Colorado in this case) and being able to practice your sunset captures and a new photo technique all at the same time. As you can see, some of our sunsets are amazing. This is a progressive series of 4 Monday nights from March 22, 2010 to April 12, 2010. It is rare that you get 4 in a row, and note there was about 20" of snow during the month and we still got all of the practices in :) Enjoy the shots as much as I enjoyed being there.

4 Nights of Soccer

There are few things better than an hour of watching your young man be ...

Updated: Apr 12, 2010 8:50pm PST

Fielder Winter Workshop : I was happy to be able to take a workshop with John Fielder, these are the shots from the field outings. I LOVE Winter shooting, this reinforced some good habits, taught me new subjects, and worked a bit more on my structured side of shooting. I can honestly say several of these shots would NOT have happened without the workshop. I also learned a lot from other students, as we went through our review with Mr. Fielder I was astonished at several of the views, angles and especially the close-up macro type shots of crystals that formed overnight. So much to see on this planet that no single person will ever conquer the world of photography.

Fielder Winter Workshop

I was happy to be able to take a workshop with John Fielder, these are ...

Updated: Mar 07, 2010 8:04pm PST

empty gallery

Gray's and Torrey's Peaks

Updated: Jan 10, 2010 3:20pm PST

Paris : Paris reminds me of Washington D.C. in so many ways (or is it vice-versa). My son and I had the pleasure of spending several evenings (and days) roaming the streets of Paris. Here are my favorites from the trip, I hope to be back soon.

Paris

Paris reminds me of Washington D.C. in so many ways (or is it vice-ver ...

Updated: Nov 19, 2009 7:19am PST

Missouri Mountain : Missouri Mountain is a great, if not long, hike for a day. In terms of getting there, the first 2,000 feet of vertical elevation is knocked off at the start of the hike with a nice length after that with Missouri Mountain situated squarely in front of you. The sun rises over Belford and Oxford and hits Missouri Mountain squarely before the valley fills in giving you a highlighted view of the peak before the sun actually warms you in the valley, as seen in the gallery. A winding river follows you up from run-off and provides a wonderful backdrop so keep your headphones off :-) The sheer length of the hike seems to keep the day-trippers off this mountain and provided for a nice serene hike even in mid-Summer. Enjoy the pictures.

Missouri Mountain

Missouri Mountain is a great, if not long, hike for a day. In terms o ...

Updated: Sep 15, 2009 11:01am PST

St. Mary's Glacier : St. Mary's Glacier is a Denver destination place in Summer for people that want to touch the snow in late Summer and say they've snowboarded in August. The lake is pristine in the morning before the crowds gather with swimming dogs (it's too cold for humans to take a dip...34 degrees from glacier run-off) and people get injured boarding when they hit the rocks below...but hey, it's snow!

St. Mary's Glacier

St. Mary's Glacier is a Denver destination place in Summer for people ...

Updated: Aug 24, 2009 6:49am PST

Hawaii : Hawaii is one of the most beautiful and diverse places I've been to. Rainforest, to sandy beaches to volcanic run-off ... amazing. A photographer could spend their life on the island and have material for every single day.

Hawaii

Hawaii is one of the most beautiful and diverse places I've been to. ...

Updated: Aug 16, 2009 8:27pm PST

Mount Elbert and South Mount Elbert : Mount Elbert is the highest 14er in Colorado, South Mount Elbert is a close neighbor, not formally recognized as a 14er on its own. Personally, climbing South Mount Elbert in its own right is a great adventure and I claim it as my 4th peak ;-) They are both beautiful and unique journeys ... next time I go up these though I will definitely double bag them.

Mount Elbert and South Mount Elbert

Mount Elbert is the highest 14er in Colorado, South Mount Elbert is a ...

Updated: Jun 07, 2009 8:16pm PST

Mt. Sherman : The climb up Mt. Sherman is, as usual, stunning and breathtaking. Every mountain has it's own personality and when you toss in the weather, you never know. The first shots in this gallery were taken around 6:30am, giving some nice rich colors. The last pictures were around Noon ... but by then the clouds had rolled in and there was even light snow. The nice thing about the darker light is its easier to take long exposures of running water...

Mt. Sherman

The climb up Mt. Sherman is, as usual, stunning and breathtaking. Eve ...

Updated: May 31, 2009 6:10pm PST

Madrid : I had a day out in Madrid...the museums are off limits with the camera, but I did spend a couple of hours in the gardens near El Prado, the Parque del Retiro ... that is made up of a variety of sections. It is just huge. It turned out to be a beautiful but brisk day!

Madrid

I had a day out in Madrid...the museums are off limits with the camera ...

Updated: Mar 13, 2009 8:57am PST

Prague : I was only able to get out for a couple of evenings in Prague but I will certainly be back. With night photography, obviously traveling without a tripod was an inhibitor so I took these with more of an eye towards keeping a memory ... what a beautiful city.

Prague

I was only able to get out for a couple of evenings in Prague but I wi ...

Updated: Mar 13, 2009 8:48am PST

Mountain Summer :

Mountain Summer

Updated: Dec 06, 2008 9:52pm PST

Loveland Pass : Loveland Pass has some of the most wonderful season changes. The Winters come in fast and leave slowly, creating some great seasonal contrasts that last for months, yet are different every day.

Loveland Pass

Loveland Pass has some of the most wonderful season changes. The Wint ...

Updated: Dec 06, 2008 9:37pm PST

Snowy Winter : Most of these were on a hike up to the Steven's Gulch Trailhead, the lone trees were on Juniper Pass on the way back home. The Subaru simply couldn't make it to the Steven's Gulch trailhead and then the trail to Gray's was definitely not going to happen, the winds were ripping and it would have been way too dangerous of a climb that late in the day. The boots and camera got a workout and that was the real goal of the day and the cold and snow flushed my brain free of its ties which is always a good thing.

Snowy Winter

Most of these were on a hike up to the Steven's Gulch Trailhead, the l ...

Updated: Dec 06, 2008 9:17pm PST

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