Colorado Sunflowers

You can tell summer is almost over when the fields of Sunflowers are in full bloom.  It's a lovely, but also sad time reminding us that the lazy days of summer are almost over.

I've been haunting a sunflower field due east of Denver.  It's been a magical place that draws me in.  I visited the first time when the sun was just setting.  This came after I along with a car full of photographers had been driving around the eastern plains of Colorado searching for this nearly perfect setting.  One of our group had found the "perfect" field the week before, but as flowers have a habit of doing, a week later they were no longer "perfect."

That first night the sun set way too fast.  I wasn't able to capture the best of the field, so I returned the next day.  My second visit was marked by a remarkable wind that set all the flowers to tilting sideways. Bummer.  I wanted macro-close-up shots that required no motion.

I returned the very next morning before the sun came up.  As the sun came up the western sky turned pink in front of the Rocky Mountains.  I watched the shadow of the earth disappear as the sun shined on the furthest flowers first and finally the shadow disappeared entirely.  My shadow remained long, almost annoying as I continued to try and capture images without my dark shadow in it!

That morning was magical in my sunflower field.

A few days later I returned after dropping my Daughter and Son-in-law off at the airport.  The flowers were already fading.  Still I hung out a bit, enjoying the company of my friends, the sunflowers.

They gave me so much joy.

I hope you enjoy them too.