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Blog entry — My winter Dave and Matt van trip to Moab, Utah
It’s long been a dream of mine to build or own a campervan, and many of my favorite photographers or YouTubers who are adventure photographers also own a van or at least spend their weekends in some type of mobile office. I had been searching through the entire state of Colorado for campervan company that would be a good partnership until I came across Dave and Matt vans based in Gypsum, Colorado. I reached out to them and reciprocate by providing me with one of their van rentals for a winter trip to Moab, Utah and also adding me to their Dave and Mat Van-Ambassador team.
Why I was searching for this partnership?
I don’t have the funds to purchase a campervan yet but someday I hope to build out a van of my very own… this collaboration or partnership is giving the ability to discover what I love about a camper van, what I feel is essential in a van build out and also things I don’t need or want inside my own van. I am really drawn to how affordable the Dave & Matt van build outs are and really liked driving one of the ProMaster Vans also from taking it on my first trip I noticed a few things I would change, add or would be an important part of my own build out. The van is also giving me the ability to have a mobile workspace/mobile office space to continue editing, writing on the road and also be parked right outside some of the most beautiful locations imaginable. There are many assets to this partnership and I look forward to seeing where I can take this and how many trips we’re able to collaborate on
Below is my full blog post I provided to Dave and Matt vans from our trip to Utah using one of their rental vans, this was such a cool experience for me… basically a dream come true! This took a lot fo work to put together but I couldn’t be more excited with how the project turned out in the end along with creating some breathtaking images for my own freelance page and Instagram as well.
Our winter Utah trip was beyond epic - what a unique experience it was to partner up with Dave and Matt Vans for this incredible adventure. A little bit about me I am a traveling adventure photographer who is based in Denver Colorado and often, I find myself out on the weekends deep in our beautiful national parks. I’ve been looking around at different campervan companies and was very excited when I found Dave and Matt Campervans - after connecting with the guys I knew it was time to plan an epic trip to test out the capabilities of their custom ProMaster van builds. In the past, when I would take a photography trip like this, usually, we find ourselves sleeping in the car or searching for the cheapest hotel possible because most of our time is spent out on the road or in one of Utah’s national or state parks. With a campervan on our side, we felt rather unstoppable as we started to build our itinerary for the first adventure road trip over to Utah. Our target location for the first day and night was to spend time exploring the Green river valley area just outside of Goblin Valley State Park. We did some scouting on a few locations and select an area that looked reminiscent of the Grand Canyon — because we picked up the van around 930am the majority of our first day was spent in commute over to our first location in Utah. As we were approaching our first location the sun steadily approached the horizon as we scrambled to set up our drones and camera gear to capture an epic evening of golden Utah light. We shot photos and flew our drones until our hands were numb and on the brink of frostbite — we wouldn’t have it any other way. What an epic way to finish the first day with our Dave & Matt Campervan... after the sun went down we stood around outside the van watching the wolf moon rise. I set my camera up for a few long exposure images and watched the full moonlight fill up the canyons below. We woke up the next day maybe due to the temperatures outside and maybe due to the excitement in all of us to watch the sunrise over the canyons that we were parked next to all night long. We all split up for sunrise each picking our own unique compositions and selecting different perspectives to capture the sunrise.. It felt incredible to watch the sun come up over the rim of this legendary Canyon edge with the van parked just behind us. We were all very thankful for the sunrise that morning... it warmed up our cold hands and partially numb feet, I did a series of jumping jacks while standing next to my camera as I captured some of my favorite landscape photography ever. We took the morning to boil water, make a coffee and breakfast while peeking out the van door at the breathtaking views just outside our mobile kitchen. After eating and settling into a new day we took out our drones and captured some more video footage of the incredible Dave & Matt Campervan driving above our scenic location from the night before.. This is a location we won’t soon forget, we packed up all of our gear and made our plan on a map for the rest of the day as we headed in the direction of Goblin Valley State Park. Just outside the state park, we found a snow-covered Butte, where we position the van and slowly watched the day fade away. I set up one camera to create a time-lapse as the clouds moved overhead above this massive red rock feature. We drove up and down a partially snow-covered road to check out different vantage points and to explore the surrounding area before deciding on a place the park the van to capture the sunset. We witnessed yet again incredible golden Utah sunset as the light hit the snow which was a sharp contrast to the red rock which lay underneath all the snow coverage. With an incoming snowstorm, we made our way to Moab, Utah to park the van for the night so that we could enter one of the national parks in the morning with hopes of capturing a fresh blanket of snow among some of Utah’s iconic arches. To our surprise, we woke up to about 3 in of fresh snow, made a quick breakfast and prepared the van to drive into Arches National Park for our last sunrise in Utah. when we first arrived our chances at a beautiful sunrise seemed pretty slim as the horizon was covered in a pretty dense cloud line, we parked the van at the windows area parking lot and made our way into the national park for a short Sunrise hike. Once again we got lucky with another exceptional sunrise, we finished shooting around the Windows area and jumped back in the van to warm up, make some coffee and check out the rest of the viewpoints throughout Arches National Park. We parked the van and made breakfast with a view of the La Sal Mountain range out the back door of the ProMaster van, speechless over the conditions that lay in front of us. Part of what made this trip so exceptional was being able to be as close as we needed to our viewpoints, to state parks and also to the entrance of national parks...without the camper van we would not have been able to create this incredible imagery and our experience would have been much different. Having the van gave us the ability to escape the elements for a moment and warm-up, along with a comfortable bed and a perfect space for lounging and cooking small meals on the go. We were super fortunate for this opportunity and look forward to collaborating on future adventures. We highly recommend checking out their rental vans, The perfect opportunity to test out a van before you build-out one of your very own.
Thank-you again Dave and Matt and we hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures out in Utah, until the next trip stay stoked out there.
-Frankie ( @fr33water) SpontelliDaveandMattVansdave and matt vansfrankie spontellifrankieboyphotographylittle grand canyonmoabutahblog entryfreelance photographeradventure photographergoblin valleyvisit utahutahgramarches national park
Influencer Brand Project Summary: Dogfish Head (July 2019)
Influencer Brand Project Summary: Dogfish Head
Here are a few of my favorite images that I captured and edit for Dogfish Head. This project was completed through an ambassador program - I was really excited to do some work for one of my favorite craft brewers. I've been really into the Sour Beer scene lately so it was really awesome to try our Dogfish Head's Seaquench Ale
Here's a collection of outdoor-lifestyle images I captured for them at some of my favorite locations in and around Colorado. It would be exciting to create more images for them in the future
Field Agent Shout-out, Thank you Mountain Standard
Perhaps one of my favorite brands to work with and continue to collaborate with is Colorado-based clothing brand: Mountain Standard. I provided regular landscape and adventure product photography to them for use across all their social platforms. I can't wait to continue to work with them in 2020 and into the future! Right in my backyard, love these guys, #RIMBY
Mountain Standard writes:
"A special thanks goes out to @fr33water who photographs the epic landscapes of Colorado and the Mountain Standard region like few else can. Frankie, your drive & talent as a photographer and entrepreneur are beyond impressive. Thanks for keeping us stoked for the next adventure 🤜🤛 Portrait by Kayte Demont"
Mountain Standard Ambassador Work 2019
Mountain Standard Ambassador Work 2019
I provide content for a handful of brands one of my favorite brands to work with is: Mountain Standard. I create a mix of lifestyle, adventure and landscape photography content for them to use on their social media accounts and across all their marketing platforms.
Do you need on-going content for your growing brand or outdoor company? Email me today: f.spontelli22@gmail.comAmbassadorbrand ambassadormountain standardfield agentfreelancer
Influencer Brand Project Summary: La Colombe Coffee
Influencer Brand Project Summary: La Colombe Coffee
I was reached out to do a sponsored post in collaboration with the coffee company La Colombe Coffee featuring their ice draft latte and pure black Brazilian cold brew coffee products. I'm a huge coffee consumer and have wanted to team up with a coffee brand for awhile now so I jumped when I saw this opportunity open up. Upon accepting me for the collaboration I started to plan the shoot and had a couple different locations in mind.
Locations: Boulder Falls, Boulder, CO and Juniper Pass, Clear Creek County, CO
Captured on: Sony A7riii
I did some research on La Colombe before going out to shoot and their Instagram page was also a great inspiration place for the content I set out to create. I watch a lot of Peter McKinnon YouTube videos and he's always making coffee so I was naturally inspired to charge at this project. I built out a small creative board for myself and generate a shot list so I had a variety of content to share with them in the end. I was really stoked with how some of product-only shots turned out along with the lifestyle images I captured of me sitting enjoying a delicious La Colombe cold brew next to the riverside. Below you can find the gallery link for this project and along with these two blog posts that have a little collage showcasing some of my favorite images from this project.
Project Gallery: https://www.frankieboyphotography.com/Commercial-Work/Food-and-Product-Photography/Coffee-Photography-La-Colombe-x-National-Park-Fund/
Final Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwqMildlAdp/OutdoorPhotoTravelBlogGraphicFreelance photographyla colombe coffeecommercial photographydenvercoloradoproduct photographylifestyle photographycoffeecoffee photography
Influencer Brand Project Summary: La Colombe Coffee
Influencer Brand Project Summary: La Colombe Coffee
I was reached out to do a sponsored post in collaboration with the coffee company La Colombe Coffee featuring their ice draft latte and pure black Brazilian cold brew coffee products. I'm a huge coffee consumer and have wanted to team up with a coffee brand for awhile now so I jumped when I saw this opportunity open up. Upon accepting me for the collaboration I started to plan the shoot and had a couple different locations in mind.
Locations: Boulder Falls, Boulder, CO and Juniper Pass, Clear Creek County, CO
Captured on: Sony A7riii
I did some research on La Colombe before going out to shoot and their Instagram page was also a great inspiration place for the content I set out to create. I watch a lot of Peter McKinnon YouTube videos and he's always making coffee so I was naturally inspired to charge at this project. I built out a small creative board for myself and generate a shot list so I had a variety of content to share with them in the end. I was really stoked with how some of product-only shots turned out along with the lifestyle images I captured of me sitting enjoying a delicious La Colombe cold brew next to the riverside. Below you can find the gallery link for this project and along with these two blog posts that have a little collage showcasing some of my favorite images from this project.
Project Gallery: https://www.frankieboyphotography.com/Commercial-Work/Food-and-Product-Photography/Coffee-Photography-La-Colombe-x-National-Park-Fund/
Final Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwqMildlAdp/Freelance photographyla colombe coffeecommercial photographydenvercoloradoproduct photographylifestyle photographycoffeecoffee photography
Blog Update Summer 2019 Part II
It's hard for me to stop and take a look back at all the work I've been putting into my photography business but it's been a successful past few months. These brand assignments have been challenging with tight deadlines and other large projects looming but it's been great to add some larger brand names to my website.
Some of the brands that I’ve been fortunate to work with over the past couple of months are as follows:
SPOT LLC
Mountain Standard
La Colombe coffee
Reebok
Dogfish head
Blog Update Summer 2019
It’s crazy that it has been this long since I’ve last taken some time to write an update on my photography blog. Since the last project post and commercial project with ProMaster Photography gear, my freelance business has been very busy. I’ve been fortunate to do a mix of different work, some Instagram influencer work, and some other content delivery packages. I’ve expanded and offered some different services through my photography business where local companies are able to set up a monthly retainer, I then deliver a series of content for them that we agreed-upon at the end of the month. Because we are living in such a social media-heavy world, visual content has never been in such high demand. I am most thankful for the brands that I continue to work with and have worked with over a long period of time — establishing a longer-term relationship with some new clients seems to be an ongoing trend. I am going to use this blog page to showcase and highlight more brand work, each image has a gallery of its own so if you want to look deeper look at the photo project or assignment then I will provide the album link in the description.
If you like my work and like what you’re seeing on my website please contact me and we can build out a photography project that fits your needs.
[ Email: f.spontelli22@gmail.com ]
Here's an example of how Boulder-born clothing brand, Mountain Standard, is using some of my images for their email marketing campaigns.MtnStandardfreelance photographyprojectssummer updatefreelance updatefreelancerfreelance photographerdenvercolorado
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project
Project complete for ProMaster Photography equipment
I create a small library of content for ProMaster to use for the launch of their XC-M 525 tripod. Here you can see examples of my work being used in marketing and advertising on their website during the launch of their tripod campaign.
Examples: product photography, adventure photography, outdoor gear photography, advertising and marketing photography
View more: https://www.xc-m.promaster.com/promastertripodcamera equipmentphotography projectproduct photograpghy
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project | Outdoor Product Photography
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project
Project complete for ProMaster Photography equipment
I create a small library of content for ProMaster to use for the launch of their XC-M 525 tripod. Here you can see examples of my work being used in marketing and advertising on their website during the launch of their tripod campaign.
Examples: product photography, adventure photography, outdoor gear photography, advertising and marketing photography
View more: https://www.xc-m.promaster.com/
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project | Outdoor Product Photography
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project
Project complete for ProMaster Photography equipment
I create a small library of content for ProMaster to use for the launch of their XC-M 525 tripod. Here you can see examples of my work being used in marketing and advertising on their website during the launch of their tripod campaign.
Examples: product photography, adventure photography, outdoor gear photography, advertising and marketing photography
View more: https://www.xc-m.promaster.com/
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project | Outdoor Product Photography
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project
Project complete for ProMaster Photography equipment
I create a small library of content for ProMaster to use for the launch of their XC-M 525 tripod. Here you can see examples of my work being used in marketing and advertising on their website during the launch of their tripod campaign.
Examples: product photography, adventure photography, outdoor gear photography, advertising and marketing photography
View more: https://www.xc-m.promaster.com/
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project | Outdoor Product Photography
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project
Project complete for ProMaster Photography equipment
I create a small library of content for ProMaster to use for the launch of their XC-M 525 tripod. Here you can see examples of my work being used in marketing and advertising on their website during the launch of their tripod campaign.
Examples: product photography, adventure photography, outdoor gear photography, advertising and marketing photography
View more: https://www.xc-m.promaster.com/
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project | Photography Equipment Project
ProMaster XC-M 525 Tripod Project
Project complete for ProMaster Photography equipment
I create a small library of content for ProMaster to use for the launch of their XC-M 525 tripod. Here you can see examples of my work being used in marketing and advertising on their website during the launch of their tripod campaign.
Examples: product photography, adventure photography, outdoor gear photography, advertising and marketing photography
View more: https://www.xc-m.promaster.com/
nCamp Wood Burning Stove and Cafe Set | Outdoor Product Photography
Here are a few of my favorite images that I captured and edit for N-Camp™ This project was complete through an ambassador program called: We are a Wild Tribe. I got linked up with nCamp through Wild Tribe for a freelance project to shoot nCamp's Cafe, Wood burning stove and prep surface. All these products are built well, collapse easily and are perfect for backpacking or car camping - I was able to easily load up the wood burning stove and brew a pot of coffee within 15-20 minutes. Here's a collection of outdoor-lifestyle images I captured for them at some of my favorite locations in and around Colorado.
summarynCampstoveproductphotographyproduct photographyoutdoor productsoutdoor gearncamp gearcafe stovecamping stovecommercial workadventure gearoutdoor product photographylifestyle photography
Honey Stinger 'The Hive' Ambassador Program | Outdoor Product Photography
Here is a collection of my favorite adventure-style images that I captured for Honey Stinger. I am apart of the Honey Stinger's Ambassador program called 'The Hive' and I enjoy Honey Stinger snacks while out on my adventures so I've been including them in some of my recent images.
Here is a short collection of some of favorite photos that I've made for them at
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Images and editing by: F. Spontelli | Frankieboy Photography LLCgoingblogpostsFBPhotographywebsitehoney stingeradventure photographyproduct photographyambassador workcontent creation
Seed 2 System | Lifestyle Product Photography
This project was complete for Seed 2 System which is a hemp cultivation, CBD and hemp wholesale company based out of Longmont, Colorado. We had the unique experience of going to visit their incredible outdoor hemp farms to capture the growth of the hemp - we were invited back to do a collection of harvest photography and also product photography.
Although I have captured many indoor medical cannabis grows here in Colorado this was my first time shooting at an outdoor grow in Colorado specifically and out door hemp grow. I partnered with Mark Munson who helped capture video while we visit the various Hampton Farms and different cultivation facility use. You can see his final video edit (coming soon) where we highlight different components of the seed to system philosophies, part of which is being 100% organic.
I also completed some e-commerce photography and product lifestyle photography for them which can be seen in the examples below. I really like how these images turned out, my girlfriend helped me pick out some elements from the hobby store to further add to that feeling for these final images. The woodgrain images are average to me however the images captured on the white marble looking texture are above average in my opinion and I really enjoyed creating this set of work. To complete the images I took them into Adobe Lightroom for a little bit of color correction and added some different presets and product filters that I have created across on my other product photography work.seed2systemsummaryhempproduct photography denverproduct photographylifestyle product photographyhemp oilscbd oilseed 2 system
Mastercraft and Elkay Cabinets | Interior Design Photography and Cabinet Product Photography
In this post you will see a collection of my favorite images that I captured and edit for Mastercraft x Elkay Cabinets a project I complete through the Shutterstock agency. In this collection you will see a mix of interior, bedroom and cabinet photography I captured for them at a variety of different model homes here in the Denver Colorado area. This was my first project doing interior design photography
More images below this blog post
Images and editing by: F. Spontelli | Frankieboy Photography LLCgoingblogpostsFBPhotographywebsiteinteriorsinterior designshutterstock customelkay cabinetsmatercraft cabinetscabinetselkay craftsmanproduct photography
Interior and Architectural Photography | Additional Images: Mastercraft Cabinets and Elkay Cabinets
In this post you will see a collection of my favorite images that I captured and edit for Mastercraft x Elkay Cabinets a project I complete through the Shutterstock agency. In this collection you will see a mix of interior, bedroom and cabinet photography I captured for them at a variety of different model homes here in the Denver Colorado area. This was my first project doing interior design photography
Images and editing by: F. Spontelli | Frankieboy Photography LLCgoingblogpostsFBPhotographywebsiteinterior and architectural photography
Proov | Lifestyle Product Photography
I was contact by Proov to create a mix of content for their Boulder, Colorado start up that has create a product for 'rapid response progesterone test strips'.
We used a brightly lit bathroom to showcase a variety of products including the Proov test strip kid. We create photo series to demonstrate how the product is used, how to read the results and other applications for their product. We also spent part of our photography session having each model/helper open the packaging, examine the contents, ran through testing the test strip, reviewing the results and reading the package instructions. After this portion of the photo shoot we took the group for a short photo-walk to capture images of the Proov team and bring some life to the photo shoot by taking the products outside into the natural, day light.
X-SPRAYS | Lifestyle Product Photography
Here are a few of my favorite images that I captured and edit for X-SPRAYS™
For this project we developed a series of mood boards and create brand guidelines I also spent time coordinating a few models to help me with a lifestyle product photography shoot. The product is a breakthrough CBD sublingual spray called X-SPRAYS — for the photo shoot we captured a variety of images and different scenarios to showcase the versatility and different types of sprays offered by this CBD company. We also shot a series of informational images so that we had instructional images for infographics and how to use our product pamphlets. The locations that I selected for this photo shoot were in and around Union Station and also the riverfront park walking area. We shot a few set ups in the grass for more of a summer feel and we also walked around with the products to catcher different lighting settings and to show different scenarios for the product. In addition to the lifestyle product photography seen here I also complete: e-commerce photography, product lay downs and product instructional video for X-SPRAYS.
What is X-SPRAYS™ ? X-SPRAYS™ is a revolutionary CBD spray product developed here in Denver, Colorado and sold locally at dispensaries and health food stores. For this project, I complete e-commerce product photography and also a mix of lifestyle product photography.
Images by:
F. Spontelli | Frankieboy Photography LLC | Colorado Cannabis PhotoxspraysCBDcbd sprayshempdenver product photographycommercial work
Gem The Stem | Lifestyle and Product Photography
Here is a collection of my favorite images that I captured and edit for Gem The Stem - a unique product that combines gemstones and succulents.
For this project, we did a standard set of product photography on white backgrounds and a mix of top downs to be used on their social media sites and e-commerce websites. The client did an excellent job of providing me ingredients and other props to include in the images.
Images and editing by: F. Spontelli | Frankieboy Photography LLCgoingblogpostsFBPhotographywebsiteproduct photographygem the stemsucculent and gemstones
Astrophotography on Mt. Evans | Milkyway Core hangs delicately over this Colorado Bristlecone Pine Tree | Mt. Evans Wilderness
How many Milkyways do you think this #Colorado bristle pine 🌲 has seen?! This tree has one spectacular view.. Pinus aristata typically found between 7k and 13k vertical feet, these trees live the high life (if you know what I’m saying). The oldest known bristlecone pine grows on Black Mountain, here in Colorado and its’ estimated age is 2506 years old... that’s a lot of Milkyway viewings - lucky tree. I’ve had this shot in mind for a while, basically every time I pass the Mount Goliath Natural Area, Mt. Evans Wilderness, Colorado — I tell myself how cool it would be to capture one of those trees with a juicy #milkywaygalaxy over it. I shot this during the most recent #perseidmeteorshower peak on August 12th, 2018. More #astrophotography to come...
MountGoliathmilkywaySacredTreeBristleconepinefrankie spontellifrankieboyphotographyastroastrophotographygalaxystar photography
Snowshoe Indian Peaks Wilderness - The Outbound Network
I submit an adventure to the Outbound network on winter hiking in Indian Peaks Wilderness, Ward, Colorado -- below is the full hike write up:
A long but extremely scenic hike tucked in Colorado's Indian Peaks wilderness. Due to winter road work and road closures this will add 4 miles to the normal 2.3 mile trail. This portion of the hike is frustrating because you are walking along a closed road, exposed to wind and conditions for 2 miles before reaching the trail head.
• Park at parking lot outside Indian Peaks entrance gates
• Walk 2.1 miles to reach trailhead for Long Lake
• During beginning of walk we used spikes / also optional snowshoe trails
• Locate Long Lake trailhead
• Snow packed trail (you will need microspikes or as winter continues snow shoes)
• Once you reach the trailhead you can either keep walking on the road through the campground to access to the lake trail or start when you see Long Lake trailhead sign (which will come first)
• Long Lake trail is 2.3 miles moderate-traffic trail (we have seen moose and other wild life back here)
• Trail is out-and-back route
• Conditions are usually blisteringly cold at the Lake's edge so time up your sunrise or sunset photography as you won't be spending much time here
• Exit 2.3 mile trail back on to Brainard Lake Road (currently under construction)
• We used the micospikes almost all the way back to the car and logged a total of 7.1 miles of hiking for the day
Be warned - the winds in this area can be extreme so check weather, twice before heading out to do this hike.
• Warm hiking clothes / double layers
• Face protection from high wind
• Hiking Poles
• Mico-Spikes or snowshoes or cross country skies -- check conditions for snow levels first
• Warm coffee
• Camera / Tripod
• Plenty of water
• Trail snacks
• Gloves / Hats / Full winter gear needed
Gain traction using your photography
Today’s tip is all about gaining traction and creating momentum for your freelance photography business. Something that has helped me create more traction for my freelance business would be saying yes to opportunity. No matter how you apply your camera for various work projects there is a good chance there is someone out there willing to pay you for your work and your time – it’s a matter of finding those individuals. As soon as I started to say yes to more random opportunities I immediately felt like more connections were made and other opportunities began presenting themselves. When i say Random I will start with my story in which i was reached out to for two images for the cover of magazine features for Parker and highlands life style magazines. As messed up as this sounds there is already someone doing your job for free whether they have a smart phone or an expensive camera; people are already out there giving their work away for free (and it absolutely kills me too). However; when a local magazine reaches out to you to use two of your images on the cover of their magazine I highly recommend saying yes — IF and ONLY IF they promise to credit you for your work. Because I opened myself up to this opportunity and said “Yes” instead of “No” it has opened the door to many other photography projects for me. Because I was personable and easy to work with the magazine editors approached me to do six other PAID photography shoots plus meeting leads for new photo work. This takes me back to my original point about how important it is to remember to say Yes and consider any opportunity as it may open the door for more work. There are many ways to make money using your camera, this is just one small example about how I turned one unpaid opportunity into more consecutive paying photography gigs.
Tips for capturing low light tent glow shots
This was taken during summer camping season of 2017 - we found a really great spot somewhere hidden in Mt. Evans wilderness and set up camp for Milkyway shots and sunrise photography. Before heading to Echo Lake to shoot Milkyway images I turned on my LED light inside my tent and we stood still for about 20-seconds. Admittedly the light in the tent is slightly too bright, but to make shots like these happen your going to need an LED or small tent light. I setup my tripod and set my camera to standard astrophotography settings: WIDE 16mm F4 and tried a few different lengths to see which one looked best. 20 seconds seemed to do the trick with the F4 still allowing for some crisp detail and contrast in the stars and night sky. Another tip would be to stand really still and take a few different exposures because there's a chance you'll be moving in one or two. Also, we shine the light up, down and at our feet to give the image a sense of scale and to show some people looking out at the view.
Camera settings: F4 for 20'' ISO3200
Camera: Sony A7Rii x Sony Zeiss 16-35mm F4
Captured: August 2017EvansCampTripfrankie spontellifrankieboyphotographytentglow shotlong exposuretipsphoto tipscampingcolorado
Rise and Shine Denver Colorado
After sleeping on a mountain side the night before we drove up to Mt. Evans early enough to watch the blue hour turn into this. An amazing color storm erupt on the horizon behind Denver, Colorado and the perfect little sliver of moon was set above the city lights twinkling in the distance. I set up my tripod and as the wind picked up the temperature dropped quickly - I set my focus on the moon and made sure I could see plenty of layers in the mountains that lead my eye to the amazing city of Denver. Here's what I was able to capture...
Camera settings: F13 shot at 6'' ISO100
Camera: Sony A7Rii x Sony G-Master 90mm FE2.8
Captured: August 2017EvansViewColorSpectrumDenverfrankie spontellifrankieboyphotographycity scapelandscapeMt Evanslong exposuremoon
Camp Hermit Hollow, Estes Park, Colorado
As soon as Spring hits I am looking for new places to camp and explore. This campground (Hermit Hollow) is just outside Estes Park, Colorado and a short drive into Rocky Mountain National Park. I experienced seeing my first bear at this camp site, nothing more than a hungry Moma bear trying to find some food for her cub. Beware of shooting at night here, but overall an amazing campsite with fantastic views and sweet spots for sunset and sunrise photography. Not to mention the close proximity to RMNP, if your looking for a campsite and new area to explore check this spot out. Aside from the bears at night, campground was peaceful and I enjoyed listening to the fire crackle underneath the dark Colorado skies as the moon rose above me. The first loop of campgrounds has some phenomenal sites, some with picture perfect views of the valley just outside camp.
Camera settings: F10 shot at 30'' ISO3200
Camera: Sony A7Rii x Sony Zeiss 16-35mm F4
Captured: June 2017HarmitCampMarmotOrangeGlowtentfrankie spontellifrankieboyphotographyhermit hollow campgroundrocky mountain national park
Light trails over Genesee Parkway, Colorado
Constantly in motion - we are always moving, humans never stop moving. Here's a unique spot I found using the Outbound App - this is a great location that looks West into the Rockies just outside of Denver, Colorado. During some beautiful light and conditions you can capture an epic sunset and a side of amazing light trails from the always busy I70 West.
Camera settings: F22 shot at 10'' ISO80
Camera: Sony A7Rii x Sony Zeiss 16-35mm F4
Captured: April 2017GeneseParkwayOverlookfrankie spontellifrankieboyphotographycoloradolong exposurelight trailscoloradotographygenesee parkway
The Golden Taj, Agra, India
From time to time I'm able to go back and dig through my travel archives of photography, here's one I found recently from traveling to India. We had settled into Agra, India for the night in anticipation of shooting the Taj Mahal in the morning light. We left for dinner and found a rooftop spot to watch the sunset on one of the most beautiful wonders of the world. India is a crazy place to visit indeed, if you have the chance to travel there take it! It will certainly be a once in a life time opportunity. Learn more on our travel blog: meetyouthere.me if you need any travel to India tips.
Camera settings: F3.5 shot at 1/125'' ISO100
Camera: Sony A7 x Sony Zeiss 55mm F1.8
Captured: Nov. 2015indiataj mahalagraindia traveltravel photographyphoto blogsony alphasony a7
