This little copse of dead trees was one of the few residents remaining of the long abandoned Swallows, Colorado, a small town which was mostly destroyed by the 1921 flood.  In 1970-75 the Pueblo Dam was created to capture runoff meltwater from the Rocky Mountains, inadvertently turning these trees into one of my all time favorite photography subjects.

Another well-known photographer has this shot with a fake sky photoshop masked in. I can do that, but something feels scummy about it. All of my landscape photos are real, real sky, real foregrounds, real subjects in their best light.

Using a narrow aperture is usually more suitable to daylight photography because it lets in so little light. At the time I was big into experimenting with extra long exposures so I thought I’d give it a try with one of my favorite subjects. This type of work is hell on an image sensor, so I tend to stick with shorter exposure times, wider apertures, and stacking multiple exposures if I need it brighter.

The water levels of Lake Pueblo are seasonally variable. At its lowest levels in the late fall and early winter the water can be 30 or more feet lower than when the reservoir is fullest in the late spring.

The ever-changing water levels create a variety of conditions.

After many mornings of trying I finally made it here for the conditions I knew would make for spectacular photography.

I literally had dreams of shooting this scene for months ahead of this morning.

On this particular night, the conditions appeared to be favorable for fantastic predawn colors, but this was as good as it got before it got stormy. Some lucky lake enjoyer got a $600 tripod/head combo for free a few hours later. Pro Tip: gear checklists, even if you’re tired.

Still waters and an insanely colored sky finally aligned with the perfect water levels so I could set up for my dream shot.

24”x48” at 300dpi 103 megapixel

16”x24”

This one is my favorite, makes an absolute banger of a print.

20” x 40” at 300dpi 83 megapixel

20” x 40” at 300dpi, 86 megapixels

As of September 2025, only these two of the original three trees remain in Lake Pueblo’s waters below Swallows Cemetery. 298 Megapixel Panorama 60” x 60” max size.

Very close to the entrance of the Royal Gorge, several Pine trees stand as a relic of fairly recent fire which claimed them, a few remain standing. But not this one.

The same tree from the star streak shot.

Fortunately I still have a few of these trees nearby with a similar beauty. 60 mp 24” x24”

60 mp 24” x24”

I’ve spent many nights, days, and sunsets in the vicinity of this precariously positioned Juniper. Hanging so far over the edge of a steep rock ledge meant it wouldn’t last very long, so I tried to capture it while it still stood.

Not terribly long after this shot the poor little tree was pushed over by strong winds.

After seeing it fallen over, barely hanging on by a few thin roots, I started stacking slabs of shale under the trunk to try and support it. This worked pretty well for a few years.

It wasn’t just one of MY favorite spots, especially when the water level was high. For some reason the tree marked a great place to cast out for great bass, crappie, walleye, and even trout.

Still hanging on for dear life.

The immediate vicinity of this tree was always one of my favorite places to shoot landscapes or just relax and do some fishing.

Every so often I would get down to this tree and find the support stones I had put under it were removed by some dickhead.

I knew it wouldn’t be here for much longer.

Extra wide panorama of the whole ledge.

One of my favorite shots of this tree, and one of the last.

One day I arrived to find the scene missing my favorite subject, only shards of roots and coals from an illegal campfire remained testament to the assholes who decided to hack at the few remaining roots in pursuit of firewood. Within 20 yards of a nearly infinite supply of sweet-smelling driftwood, this still-living Juniper was destroyed so some idiot could feel like Survivorman for 20 minutes next to the smokiest, stinkiest, and difficult to light campfire.

A little further down the shore from the last, another Juniper hangs on to the edge. Albeit a bit more securely, so far.