Hey friends, Chip Thomas here–your resident nature-chasing, mountain-loving, tripod-wielding photographer at Colorful Colorado Photography. If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you might’ve noticed that things got a little… quiet around here after April 2024. No, I didn’t fall off a cliff trying to capture a sunrise shot (though let’s be honest, it’s always a possibility with this job). I simply stepped away.

When the Muse Packs Up and Leaves

Creativity is a tricky thing. One minute it’s your best friend, whispering ideas at 2 a.m. about the perfect location to photograph an alpine glow.
The next, it ghosts you completely.

Last spring, I hit a wall–not in a dramatic, tortured-artist way, but in a real-life, “everything feels like a rerun” kind of way.

I still picked up my camera. I still ventured into the Colorado backcountry. I still had plenty of mountain sunrises, frozen waterfalls, and starry skies to chase.
But something was missing. The spark wasn’t quite there. And writing about the experience? Forget it. My keyboard may as well have been a slab of granite.

Why the Break Mattered

Looking back, stepping away was the best thing I could have done. Creativity doesn’t run on a nine-to-five schedule. Sometimes, it needs silence.
Sometimes, it needs space. And sometimes, it just needs to hibernate–like a bear in the Rockies–before it lumbers back out, hungry for something new.

I spent that time focusing more on the process and less on the pressure to constantly produce. I explored new parts of Colorado,
tinkered with different lenses on my Pentax K1 Mark II, played with longer exposures, and even (gasp!) took a few shots just for fun, with no intention of printing or posting them.

And somewhere in that slower, quieter season, the creative spark began flickering again.

The Blog is Back, Baby

So here we are, spring 2025, and I’m thrilled to be back at the keyboard with muddy boots, memory cards full of magic, and a whole lot of stories to share.

Here’s what you can expect on the blog in the coming weeks:

–  New locations I’ve scouted (hidden gems + creative twists on familiar favorites) 
–  Behind-the-scenes stories and lessons from the field 
–  Deep dives into photography techniques–from nightscapes to panoramic compositions 
–  Business tips for fellow fine art photographers 
–  Gear talk, including the trusty tools in my pack

Let’s Get Inspired Together

If you’ve ever felt that creative burnout creeping in–whether you’re a fellow photographer, artist, or just someone trying to find beauty in your everyday–I get it.
Sometimes the best way forward is to pause. Step back. Let the stillness do its work.

But when you’re ready, jump back in. Dust off the lens. Fire up the blog. Reignite your passion.

Because creativity? It always finds its way back. 
Especially when the Colorado sky looks like it’s been painted in fire and cotton candy, and the mountains are begging to be captured.

Let’s make some magic this year.

See you out there (and right here on the blog), 
– Chip 
Colorful Colorado Photography