Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado is one of my favorite shooting locations. Mind blowing huh? Yeah, me and the rest human civilization love Bear Lake. Want proof? Go there on any summer morning. You and the rest of the Front Range residents will be almost literally nuts to butts. The good news is that you'll have one of the best views in the state to enjoy while the guy in front of you takes another snapshot of Hallet Peak. 

I've been to Bear Lake on many, many different occasions and situations; fall, winter, spring, summer, day, night, morning, sunset, stars, etc. One of my favorite times to go though is one a summer evening. I know what you're saying "but you said it was packed during the summers". Nope, wrong. I said it was packed on summer mornings. See, the beauty of tourists is that rarely do they stay in place for long. Too many activities to pack into one vacation day, so they have to move quickly and see all the sights. That leaves Bear Lake on summer evenings looking like a ghost town compared to the mornings. You'll have the place to yourself and you can do as you please. I saw a group of people LARP-ing last time I was there in the evening. 

Anyways, last summer I was there with some friends hanging out waiting for sunset to illuminate Longs Peak and for the wind to die down and make those nice glassy reflections we all love. Not long after we got there, that happened and we had a lovely time shooting the sunset and just enjoying life together. It's so refreshing to just hang out by a lake with no one around and just be. Yes, there will be mosquitos. But seriously, take a hike to your favorite lake and relax. Forget about your career ambitions, your job, your stresses, etc., for 10 minutes and quiet your mind. Do with it friends and leave your cell phones behind! You'll see how little taking one more selfie matters, I promise. 

Oh, while I was at Bear Lake last summer I snapped a few photos that I would like to share below. The above paragraph is why I love landscape photography so much. I go visit beautiful places with no one around, taking photos of that beauty to share with those I love.