New Years eve 2014

If you could be anywhere (of course you will be somewhere) where would it be? So many amazing choices this year, but we have decided to be chilling in Utah somewhere near a frosted landscape of white. I have seen many memorable New Years fireworks in my past home town of Steamboat Springs Colorado but only recently have I experienced the fireworks displays of the Wasatch mountains of Utah. Which one is better...................  Hopefully for you, the one you are at this year!
As a photographer I tend to battle with this more then most people because I can only photograph one location a year. And the next problem is where to get the most bang for the click? I've been shut out due to fog, rain, "dud" fireworks and even once driving around too much. So this year I hope you all enjoy a great display of lights, camera or action with some really cool people.

Prints available at www.coreykopischke.com

                                                               HAPPY NEW YEAR!

                                                                           from

                                                                    STEAMBOAT

                                                                             and

                                                                             ALTA

Five day photo challenge?

I couldn't wait to be nominated by any of my photog bro's for the "black and white five day photo challenge", so I decided to create my own and stiffen up the challenge a bit. I feel as photographers one photo a day is not very trying and even more so choosing photos that had already been produced meant time in front of the computer instead of behind the camera. I decided to create all five of my B&W images from my most recent back country trip in the Wasatch mountains of Utah. This was my first Winter visit to this spot in Big Cottonwood Canyon but I knew where I wanted to end up, I just wasn't positive of the route I would take. Fortunately I found a trail right across from where I chose to park and a skin track was already in place.

This was only 2 days after Christmas but everyone up here was enjoying the "gifts of white" under and in between the trees like it was Christmas morning all over again!

My goal today photographically was to find some scenes that would transfer over to clean black and white relics of the untracked Winter landscapes amidst a bustling back country playground. By the time I hit my summit the sky was beginning to fade but the trees were ever so frosted and the lack of tracks made for some great moments.

I often look for defining lines or an element of surprise to add dimension to an unfinished composition, like the animal tracks here in this pristine "pow" field.

If I was shooting skiing this would have been an epic spot to leave some marks, but the sheer pleasantness of no other skiers was absolutely perfect for my assignment today.

Worried that no one would know I was here, I was forced to leave something behind for the next visitor of this little paradise.

A chilly ride on the Divide.

First morning back in Colorado and I had the pleasure of snow biking with my brother and his Winter biking buddy Steve. Turned out to be a little cooler then the expected 22 degrees on Rabbit Ears pass at 6:00am, more like 9.............I was hoping it would become bearable enough to take out my mini rig (Fuji XT1) and get a few images without losing a digit or two as I knew we were headed to a great overlook. If my guessing was correct, we would arrive there just before sunrise.

The trail in was groomed the night before so there was no trail busting ahead and we barely needed head lamps to see on our way in too. My hunch worked out as the sunrise was a mere 10 minutes from our arrival. I had only been to this point before skinning in on skis.The bike was twice as fast, but this was only a quarter of our loop today.

 The views are real nice looking over towards the Never Summer range and Rocky Mountain National park.

 And to the north we have the iconic Rabbit Ears structure and past that is the Wyoming border.

Rounding out the aspects, we have a half moon sitting over my two riding partners as we finish warming up our extremities. Total time in the saddle was 2 hours for the epic "dawn patrol". Thank you to my patient Winter biking buddies!