Just a quick little post here… We just got back late this afternoon from an epic two-week vacation to the stunning Rocky Mountains in Colorado, primarily near Estes Park, and the alien and gorgeous country surrounding Moab, Utah. It’s territory we’ve visited before, but the last time we were there, I was just newly pregnant, and the morning sickness hit and hit hard. I’ll put it this way – this was my chance to actually experience this trip away from the couch.

This was also August’s first big trip. We were a little nervous about his first plane rides and about him dealing with sleeping in a lot of different places and really just being away from home for about two weeks. But, guys – this kid! He did absolutely amazingly. There really wasn’t anything we threw at him that he didn’t just gobble up and totally run with. We camped, we hiked in the mountains, we hiked in the desert, we summitted a peak, we spent a lot of time in the car, we had wind and rain and heat and cold, and he came home laughing and happy every single time.

I wanted to share a few quick edits from some of the photos I took during our trip. We had the classic “here we all are in this place!” shots (below at Canyonlands National Park, Gem Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, and at the Sand Dune Arch in Arches National Park),

I should look through my images, I think this is a theme too (and I totally love it) – Pat and August walking along together. Here they are at the beach of the Rifle Gap Reservoir at Rifle Gap State Park near Rifle, Colorado.

Part of vacation for me is trying out some photography techniques and styles I don’t tend to do much of in my everyday and client-based shooting. What’s even better is that the areas we were in look and feel so completely different from what I’m usually surrounded by here in Minnesota. Inspiration just oozes out (below: a small mesa near Moab, Utah; from the La Sal Mountains looking toward the canyons near Moab, Utah; Alberta Falls and some aspens en route to said falls in Rocky Mountain National Park).

It was a sign when I happened upon some information that as a part of Rocky Mountain National Park’s 100th anniversary, they were hosting a night sky festival one of the weekends we were in town. This included a night photography workshop with Stan Honda which was so serendipitous, I had to attend. It also gave me a little more know-how and push to try out a few more images along our travels (below: from the Glacier Basin Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park, at Arches National Park and also at Arches National Park – the headlights of passing cars illuminated some of the red rock formations while I was shooting). Thanks for taking a look – I was just so excited about these that I had to pop them up here to share with you guys!

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Alison Bents is a St. Paul, Minnesota photographer specializing in Family and Senior portraits and Wedding Photography. She lives in St. Paul with her husband, son and dog who have all put up with her lens pointing their way for a long, long time. Alison is now booking 2015 and 2016 weddings and portrait sessions on an ongoing basis. Serving Minneapolis, Saint Paul and the greater metro area, she is also available for travel nationwide.