Resident’s Photo Graces Cover of Region’s 2013 Official Visitor Guide
Scenic Sunrise Shot in Garden of the Gods Park
Colorado Springs, Colorado – January 29, 2013 – Each year, an inspirational and vibrant photo is chosen to represent the Colorado Springs region on the cover of the area’s official visitor guide. This cover entices people to pick up the publication or download the electronic version at VisitCOS.com. Previous subject matter has included natural gems such as Pikes Peak-America’s Mountain and Garden of the Gods Park.
This past September, the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) and Pikes Peak Country Attractions Association (PPCAA) made a call to residents, visitors and professional & amateur photographers alike for possible cover photos. Resident photographer, James Harris of The Quiet Light Photography, snapped the winning shot. James’ photo has made its debut on the cover of the 2013 official visitor guide, available now.
Originally from California, James and his family moved to the area in 2001. He has always been drawn to the mountains and chose the area for its beauty and low cost of living. “Having the Rockies in such close proximity is one of the main reasons we chose Colorado Springs and housing prices were nearly 60 percent less than where we moved from,” James says. The chosen photo was taken from Rattlesnake Ridge (closed to the public in 2012) in the Garden of the Gods Park on August 25, 2010 at 6:20 a.m. “A friend and I had researched the time of the moonset/sunrise for that date and we were there taking the photos before the sunrise. It was a morning of incredible light.”
James started taking paid photo assignments in 1979. In California, he owned his own stock photo business and had photos published in magazines, on covers and in nature guide books. In addition to his photography business, he also does graphic design work and says the two complement one another nicely. The beauty of the area easily inspires him, “I could literally spend days at a time photographing alpine tundra, the aspens in fall and just the varied cultures of the city itself.” James’ name will be included on 550,000 printed copies of the guide.
The magazine-style guide is one of the most widely distributed publications in the state of Colorado. The visitor guide is the primary communication piece sent out to leisure travelers inquiring about the region. They are distributed inpidually to 160,000 people each year who request the guide via phone, email, VisitCOS.com, Facebook and the Colorado Springs mobile app, in addition to any visitors stopping by the Visitor Information Center. The remaining guides are pided among hotels, attractions, welcome centers, visitor centers and airports throughout the state. They are also distributed in key feeder markets such as Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
To find more about The Quiet Light and view James’ other work, visit http://thequietlight.zenfolio.com/.
The CVB will be making another call for photos to be considered for the 2014 guide in late May. Like their Facebook page for updates on the contest.
