2025 is now behind us, and it was a productive year for my business right up to the very end. I finished out the year by publishing the Christmas Episode of my serial novel, The War On Wildife, and a photoshoot at Eleven Mile Canyon. I had hoped to photograph our bald eagle nesting pair, but was fortunate to capture some beautiful American dipper images instead. With the holiday distractions now behind me, I can take a bit of time to reflect on what was accomplished, and what lies ahead, which I will talk about in this post.
It seemed appropriate to capture the last sunset of 2025, so I ventured out to the overlook just in time to witness this beautiful golden hour light show just as the sun disappeared behind the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range of Colorado.
2026 Comes to a Close
The American Dippers were putting on a show for a dual purpose excursion. Kevin loaned me his Canon 300mm f/2.8 lens to test out, and the dark little birds at sunrsie were the perfect test for this fast professional lens. The lens proved to be exceptionally sharp, and the wide f/2.8 aperture was most helpful in the early morning light. Upon close examination, I discovered on some of the images that I could make out a tiny sliver in the bird’s mouth that turned out to be it’s diminutive tongue.
The sun rose on a crisp cold New Year’s Day, and I was thankful to be there to capture it. As I surmised, I was the only one out in the woods that early in the new year. and I found the cold barren aspen trees to be an appropriate symbol for the end of one trip around the sun, and the beginning of a new trip through the seasons.
Our first official wildlife excursion of the year was a bit of a failure, but we were excited to see a coyote hunting, too far in the distance for pictures, and a few specimens of the resident bison herd.
However, there was one bright spot in the otherwise dismal morning, we finally got to see the only elk in the refuge. It seems a few years ago, a lone cow lost her way somehow and wound up in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, far from her normal mountain habitat. Finding no other members of her species nearby, she simply found the next closest thing and casually joined the bison herd, where she has found companionship and safety ever since.
It always surprises me to see animals easily accomplishing something that humans have been struggling to acheive in all our thousands of years of existence.
It was a warm lazy morning in the refuge, and the bison took advantage of the weather to lounge comfortably in the thick prairie grass, at the base of the Rocky Mountains to the west.
The Way Forward
I have plans for a few changes in the new year, including shooting more video footage. I’ve largely avoided video, because I’m always worried that I’m going to miss the award winning still shot. Lol, at this point in my life I’m thinking if I haven’t won an award in the four decades I’ve been at this, I’m probably not going to. Still pictures of animals are great, but without the sound and action that video provides, much of the wilderness experience is lacking. So this year I’m going to lug the tripod along more often, and see if I can capture these magnificent creatures in the full glory of their distinct calls and amazing antics
I’ve also been thinking a lot about the joy of photography as a lifestyle. Part of that joy for me has always been the process of capturing and producing pictures. Modern digital cameras with their high resolution sensors and high tech viewfinders are great, there’s no more reliable way to capture action in the woods.
However these cameras have eliminated much of the process that makes photography an interesting hobby. A couple years ago I found an old Canon AE-1 at a thrift shop that I thought I might display on my desk, as a prop for my indoor videos,. As I looked at it with pride while getting situated in my truck, I glanced next door at the Walgreens. The thought popped in my head, “I wonder if this thing would power up if I could find a battery for it?“
Well it turns out that it takes a very common battery, and Walgreen’s happened to have it in stock. I installed the battery and switched the antique camera on. Much to my surprise the power came on and the shutter mechanism still worked after all these years! Obviously, the next step was to load up a roll of film and give it a try!
Ultimately, the camera worked perfectly, and I was hooked. As time has gone by, I’ve picked up a couple more working models, including my favorite, a Canon A-1 in Perfect working order. Lenses for those old models can be acquired quite inexpensively, and I’ve collected quite a variety in the last few years. So one of my goals for this year, is to spend more time shooting with the old relics and familiar process that I enjoy so much.
And of course I will be continuing with the writing of my third novel, The War On Wildlife. As much of the world is beginning to understand the value of wildlife, and the humane treatment of it, our country seems to be going in the opposite direction. At least in the halls of congress anyway. My series of novels attempt to bring the backward thinking and poor treatment of animals into the light, through exciting fictional characters as they portray real life events in vivid detail. My newest installment of the trilogy can be read for free on my Substack account, where I hope you will follow and support my work.
If you are concerned about endangered wildlife in the western United States, please consider purchasing my series of historical fiction wildlife novels, as told through my group of fascinating fictional characters. In the first of the series, Spirit of the Wolf, you will learn the story of the most famous Yellowstone wolf of all time. Thundering Hooves tells the exciting story of Picasso, the famous stallion who ruled over the Colorado Sand Wash Basin for over two decades.
Don’t forget to order your 2026 Colorado Wildlife Calendar printed on heavy duty glossy paper is comprised of twelve amazing 8 1/2 x 11 inch full color images of our incredible Colorado wildlife!
Each layout also contains a full size calendar with plenty of room for notes on each day.
Steven W. Krull is a renowned photographer and author who has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Please visit his website at S.W. Krull Imaging to view his work, including thousands of prints for sale, stock images for commercial use, and his library of published books.
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Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 