This is also the day that I marked my 33rd year living in Colorado - I had just driven across the country, through the middle of a cold January night, with my brother Steve when I woke up to my first Rocky Mountain Morning. I’d never been west of the Mississippi yet made the rash decision to take some time off from college and see what else there was to do. I thought I’d spend a few months, then continue on further west, both Portland and Seattle had strong appeal to me at the time. But over the course of the first few months something changed - to this day I really don’t know what, but something did.

Now, I’ve spent my entire adulthood, raised a family, had a career, and wondering what will unfold in this next half of life?

Anatomy of a Year - 2020

With so many ups and downs, as with everyone, 2020 is a really difficult year to reconcile with. Photography continued to provide an outlet and a challenge, with so many incredible moments, it’s nearly impossible to distill them in to a single much less a few favorite images. As always to quest to be more aware of opportunities and to be more in tune to my surroundings helped me to make the most of the images that were presented.

Landscape, Black & White, ColoradoMatthew LandonJanuary 1, 2021Buena Vista, Salida, Aspen Ridge, black & white, snow, Colorado, Rocky Mountains, Sony, gmaster, sonyalpha, 135GMComment

Anatomy of a Composition - Autumnal

Sitting in the trough between inspirational moments, and feeling the constraints of current events has certainly felt like a seasonal change. In this case, Autumn is the season of ending, usually in a glorious display glowing red, orange and yellow.

Anatomy of a Composition - Punctuated Equilibrium

Our own intellectual and emotional evolution may reflect this pattern; period of stasis or at at least a slow, unapologetic meandering,

Anatomy of a Composition - Portal

Our lives aren’t stories of fiction. Our lives are much less punctuated and scripted. Our lives unfold in such a way that we don’t often have the chance to “brace” ourselves, or to gather our courage.

Landscape, Colorado, Rocky MountainsMatthew LandonSeptember 12, 2020Telluride, Mt. Wilson, Wilson Mesa, Colorado, Rocky Mountains, landscape, sunrise, Sony, sonyalpha, gmaster, 16-35GMComment

Anatomy of a Composition - First Light on a Last View

I couldn’t for the life of me figure out a composition. I so wanted to capture the motion and the scale, something I felt I could only do if I was closer, and something I felt a time lapse would only really convey in that moment.

Colorado, Landscape, Rocky MountainsMatthew LandonAugust 30, 2020Crested Butte, Colorado, Rocky Mountains, Mt. Crested Butte, Gothic, sonyalpha, Sony, 135GM, gmasterComment

Anatomy of a Composition - A Distance Between

aking a complicated image, in difficult light, with a telephoto lens has factors that one can make adjustments for, to ultimately create a near perfect image. Yet, while trying to create a relationship, sometimes the distance is simply too great, and the image in the minds eye cannot ultimately be reconciled with what really appears.

Anatomy of a Composition - Windy Ridge: House of Rain

Are seeing unprecedented climate events just the warnings we should be looking for? Did this grove only survive because of one climatic shift? Will it fall victim to the fires sprouting up now, that the rains won’t squelch?

Anatomy of a Composition - I'll Leave the Light On

This images has some imperfections, but I will look past those for now, while reading and practicing ways to improve, and planning on the next night out.

Having our own perspective...