Dhondt Digital Photography

10/15/2026

Throwback to last fall in Rocky Mountain National Park, right in the middle of the rut. The bulls were putting on a show that morning, and this guy was right in the thick of it. It is that season again — early mornings near the park entrances are the place to be.

10/10/2026

A year ago this week: an aspen grove doing what Colorado does best. The gold is back on the hillsides right now — if you are thinking about a fall drive this weekend, this is your sign. 🍂

06/27/2026

https://dhondtdigitalphotos.etsy.com/listing/4409338032/red-rocks-amphitheater-black-and-white

https://dhondtdigitalphotos.etsy.com/listing/4518230703/black-and-white-red-rocks-panorama

06/19/2026

New listing of Maroon Bells!!

This Wall Decor item is sold by DhondtDigitalPhotos. Ships from Round Rock, TX. Listed on Jun 19, 2026

06/14/2026

https://dhondtdigitalphotos.etsy.com/listing/4409338032/red-rocks-amphitheater-black-and-white

05/17/2026

They say an owl doesn’t just appear out of the dark; it arrives with a message. 🦉

When you’re visited by one of these silent hunters in the dead of night, it’s hard not to feel a sudden sense of awe. Throughout history, cultures around the world have interpreted these rare encounters in deeply profound ways:

Ancient Greeks revered them as the winged companion of Athena, viewing a sighting as a powerful symbol of divine wisdom, clarity, and strategic foresight.

Many Native American traditions regard them as sacred messengers, offering guidance, intuition, and protection during times of profound life transition.

Celtic lore viewed the owl as a fierce guardian of truth—a creature uniquely equipped to see clearly through deception and into the shadows.

And speaking of shadows... capturing this beautiful Great Horned Owl in the pitch-black night was its own kind of trial. When the lights go out, the real work begins. It took a steady flashlight, pushing the gear all the way to 16,000 ISO, and relying on some heavy-lifting denoise magic in post-processing to finally reveal those piercing eyes in the dark. Worth every second of the effort!

05/16/2026

Blink and you’ll miss it. This panorama was captured at 6:12 AM—just 5 minutes after the previous post. It’s wild how fast light moves in the high country. In landscape photography, five minutes can feel like an eternity and a heartbeat all at once.

I was waiting for this exact moment: the transition where the moody purples of early dawn vanish and direct sun finally strikes the summits. Looking across Peaks 7 through 10 of the Tenmile Range, the transformation is striking. Golden light hits the very tops, while the rugged, dirt-patched slopes of early May still hold the deep shadows of the morning.

The 3:30 AM drive, cold hands, and those clicking, Predator-like bird calls all led to this. This scouting mission reminded me that even without the clouds I hoped for, it's always a great feeling to get out. I fired off this final series, stretching farther North, to document the light for future reference.

I am looking forward to giving this location another try. The next challenge is catching it during the first snow while the Fall leaves are still in play. That window is only about two weeks, and you have to time it perfectly.

Now that you've seen the full progression from the blue hour moonset to the sun striking the peaks—which moment speaks to you the most?

05/13/2026

The transition from moonset to sunrise is where a photographer’s patience is truly tested. If you shoot landscapes, you know the temperature always seems to drop just a few more degrees right before dawn.

That’s when I heard it—a clicking bird call echoing from the thick pines. That eerie, Predator-like sound moved through the timber, getting closer with every minute. I won't lie; it made me look back toward the truck. It was that heightened state of being present in the woods before the world wakes up, and it certainly kept my senses dialed in while I waited for the light to break.

Then, the payoff began. The sun crested the ridge behind me, and the alpenglow hit the summits of Peaks 7 through 10. The peaks transformed into shades of soft pink and purple, contrasting against the rugged dirt patches of the closed ski slopes. This was why I made the drive—to see how this light would interact with the Tenmile Range. Capturing this required stitching a high-resolution panorama to preserve every crisp detail. Facebook doesn't do it justice, but the raw file is incredible.

Now that you've seen the progression—which do you prefer: the moody blues of twilight or the warm glow of the first sunrise?

05/10/2026

The perfect landscape shot is rarely captured on your first visit.

It has been a while since I've gotten out, so I pushed myself to make the 3:30 AM drive to Breckenridge. Scouting along Baldy Mountain Road, I stepped into the early May air—cold enough that my gloves went straight on. I arrived by 5:00 AM, but the first location I had spotted on Google Maps didn't quite work out. Finding that perfect composition across the Tenmile Range requires a lot of on-the-ground scouting to get a clear view of the peaks and build a composition that works. You have to experience a location to truly learn its moods and how the light changes as the sun rises.

The ski slopes are closed now, revealing rugged dirt patches down the mountain with the ski lifts at a standstill. I was hoping for thick clouds to catch the sunrise rays, but the sky was bare. Instead, the twilight delivered this quiet blue hour moment. The moon sank perfectly over Peak 8 in a patch of clouds. I fired off a series of frames, later stitching them into a massive, high-resolution panorama to capture every crisp detail of Peaks 7 through 10. Conditions weren't perfect, but the dedication to getting back out there always pays off. We adapt, and we find the beauty in the twilight.

05/03/2026

The Turkeys are Back! 🦃

Spotted this guy in my front yard this morning. It looks like the recent rain and warmer temps finally brought the neighborhood turkeys out of hiding. I couldn't pass up the chance to grab the camera when he decided to put on a full display right at my doorstep.

Nature photography is usually a trek, but sometimes the best subjects come to you! 📸✨