Sheila Fuller Photography

07/02/2026

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What do we lose in a wildfire? How many lives are touched as the flames move through the mountains and canyons of our state? How many cattle ranchers, Homesteaders, livestock are lost? Of course there is the wildlife. Where do they go? Does their sense of smell guide them to safety, or is the smoke as disorienting to their senses as it is to ours?
I was doing my art pick up in Manitou Springs the other day and ended up in a conversation with a woman from Portland Oregon about the fires. She said given that I am a nature Photographer it must affect me more deeply. I told her that all across the country photographers and John Wayne fans are watching the progress of the Gold Mountain fire. Because the truth is it doesn’t affect me more, I just may be a bit more aware of what we are losing, because I’ve seen it.
For decades I have said I believe that I am photographing a dying planet. I believe it is my responsibility to stand as a witness. So today I ask you what do we lose in a wildfire and is it a cost you are willing to carry?
According to Watch Duty, last night the Gold Mountain Fire hit the road to Owl Creek Pass. Couthouse Rock could be seen - not framing the rising moon, but peaking through the smoke. I am truly gutted by this thought.
As a “witness” it seems appropriate to share a few of my favorite treasures captured on Owl Creek Pass. As always, I wish I’d had more time.
Please make wise choices and speak up even if others do not. There is no sparkle or flame worth what we are losing.

06/25/2026

The recent increase in bear encounters, and the upcoming holiday weekend, have prompted me to tell this story. It is the saddest wildlife encounter I have ever had.
When you spend as much time in an RV as we do there are bound to be times you end up in an RV park that is more like staying in Vegas than camping. This was one of those times. This specific parks sits just off I-25 in an area of Douglas County that is wooded and still a bit rural. The park has 440 RV sites, a water park, and even food delivery from their on-site cafe. It is so large that most guests rent a golf cart to get around the resort. Are you getting the picture? It’s about as far from camping as you can get.
We were there a couple nights as we needed to bring our unit in for repairs. While walking the dog a man slowed his golf cart as he neared us and announced “there is a bear up on the hill”. David secured Sonny, I grabbed my camera and off we went. What I observed broke my heart. A crowed had gathered, far to close, to a young bear eating a yogurt. This bear had discovered easy pickings. I knew if the bear continued to return to the same location he would be put down. To be clear, because humans are to lazy to follow bear safety rules and secure food that the bear is instinctually drawn to, the bear would be euthanized. I clicked a few times then left as I did not want to add to what I saw as a tragedy.
Please remember this is there home. When you are visiting please do not put wildlife, or yourself, in danger. A bear can smell food up to 20 miles away. Please keep that in mind and properly secure all food. Have bear spray ready and know how to use it.
For the bear it really is a matter of life and death.
The fist image was taken that afternoon, the second last night just outside our door on the mountain. A good reminder that it in fact it really is not “our” mountain.
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06/23/2026

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Of all the paths you take in life
make sure a few of them are dirt.
- John Muir
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Dirt and Stars is currently available at Commonwheel Artist Co-op
Manitou Springs, Colorado
One Click 📸 One Frame
Fine Earth Prints available
on metal, canvas, acrylic
and fine art papers -
👩‍💻 Sheila Fuller Photography
🔗 link in bio 🔗
✨
r5

06/21/2026

😎
First day of summer you say?
I best put on my Sassy Pants
Happy Solstice 🌞✌🏻😎
One Click 📸 One Frame
Fine Earth Prints available
on metal, canvas, acrylic
and fine art papers -
👩‍💻 Sheila Fuller Photography
🔗 link in bio 🔗
✨
r5

06/18/2026

🌝
My barn having burned to the ground I can now see the moon.
- Mizuta Masahide
🌝
The Rising is currently available printed on satin metal at The Commonwheel Artists Co-op in Manitou Springs Colorado
🌝
One Click 📸 One Frame
Fine Earth Prints available
on metal, canvas, acrylic
and fine art papers -
👩‍💻 Sheila Fuller Photography
🔗 link in bio 🔗
✨
r5

06/17/2026

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Monday night about 10pm I was shooting NNE as I shot the Milky Way from our mountain. The glow you see on the horizon is Castle Rock on to Denver towards the left.
The beautiful thing about a good camera is the way it captures the light you see, and the light you don’t. I could see the Milky Way, I could see our friends house lit up on the hill, but I could not see the light pollution that you see in this image.
Night sky photography is a magical thing. You are feeling your way in the dark, imagining what you can’t actually see.
As I was editing this shot I couldn’t help but think about my freinds along the Front Range. Monday night did you have any idea of the glory above your heads?
Step away from light my friends, it’s good for your soul.
✨
If the stars should appear
but one night every thousand years
how man would marvel and stare.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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My work will continue to be on display until June 29th as part of The Woods at the Commonwheel artist co-op in Manitou Springs Colorado
✨
One Click 📸 One Frame
Fine Earth Prints available
on metal, canvas, acrylic
and fine art papers -
👩‍💻 Sheila Fuller Photography
🔗 link in bio 🔗
✨
r5

06/10/2026

🥀
I must be a wildflower;
try to bury me and I bloom
- Unknown
🥀
One Click 📸 One Frame
Fine Earth Prints available
on metal, canvas, acrylic
and fine art papers -
👩‍💻 Sheila Fuller Photography
🔗 link in bio 🔗
r5

06/09/2026

🏔️
In the 1800s Last Dollar Road provided the main access to Telluride. It was used as a supply route and by prospectors looking for fortune. The road passed through private land, and the owner charged a dollar to use it. The story goes that prospectors saved their last dollar so they could leave town if things didn’t go as planned.
Today it remains - a muddy, unpaved road winding through aspen groves, offering fantastic views of Wilson Peak (14,252 ft.), Lizard Head (13,114 ft.), and many others.
The views on Last Dollar Road may look familiar if you are a fan of old westerns. The area was featured in the filming of True Grit and The Hateful Eight.
It is an annual pilgrimage for .daddy.dave.1 and I as it is one of my favorite places to take the lens cap off my Canon. A Colorado treasure indeed.
🏔️
I wouldn’t give a nickel
to have it paved in gold.
Everything I love
is at the end of a dirt road.
– Josh Abbott Band
The Road is featured on 20“x 30“ canvas and is part of The Woods show at The Commonwheel in Manitou Springs Colorado. The Woods runs until June 29th ✌🏻
One Click 📸 One Frame
Fine Earth Prints available
on metal, canvas, acrylic
and fine art papers -
👩‍💻 Sheila Fuller Photography
🔗 link in bio
r5

06/05/2026

I have been fortunate to witness some of the most beautiful places in our country. Yet South Park always calls me home. I may not have been born here, but I got here as quick as I could 💙

🏔️ There’s something special about coming home to Colorado.

We absolutely love this stunning South Park scene captured by Sheila Fuller. The colors, the light, and the sense of peace in this image perfectly reflect what makes this landscape so memorable. 📸

Thank you, Sheila, for tagging us and for sharing your incredible photography with our community. We’re grateful for the many beautiful images you’ve contributed over the years that help showcase the South Park National Heritage Area.
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Be sure to follow to see more of her work and Colorado-inspired photography. 🌄

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