It only took three years of living in Cody, Wyoming for the young Lynn Branam to become hopelessly enthralled with living in the Rocky Mountains. Although his family moved back to Houston when he was 14, his love of great western landscapes never dimmed.
After 45 years, Lynn Branam again calls the Rocky Mountains home—this time in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of central Colorado.
Lynn has been a photographer since the 70’s when he developed a keen eye and quick reflexes while shooting Super Cross motocross events in Texas. In the 80’s he branched out into studio photography including portraits, glamour shots, body builders and sports related products. The 90’s brought him back to his passion for beautiful landscapes. Every year he took trips to photograph the land that captured his heart as an 11-year-old boy in Wyoming.
In 2007, Lynn retired from his job as a guitar teacher and with his wife, Sally, set off as full-time RVers to explore and capture the west on film. After seven months touring, they stopped in the Wet Mountain Valley in Central Colorado for an extended stay that turned into a permanent one.
Lynn found this 90 mile mountain range with its thirteen 14,000 foot peaks to be one of the most beautiful and photogenic vistas in all of his travels. The beauty of the natural landscapes was why he came, but the friendly, genuine people of Westcliffe and the Wet Mountain Valley is why he stayed.
In 2008, Lynn and Sally opened their gallery on Third Street in Westcliffe. In addition to Lynn's amazing landscape photographs, they sell paintings, carvings and jewelry created by local Colorado artists.
Although he believes that photographing mountains is the most difficult type of landscape photography, it is also the most rewarding. The early morning clouds filter the rising sun without blocking the light to make the best photographs, but “You have to be there when the conditions are just right.”
Some dawn shoots unveil gorgeous views of the mountains while other mornings are disappointments. That transitory nature of the mountains makes those special shots so precious and unique.
Lynn uses a medium format Mamiya 645 film camera to capture great American Western landscapes in their best light. Although most professional photographers have switched to digital, Lynn is convinced that film is still the truest medium for capturing the subtle nuances and beauty of Western landscapes. The true nature of film translates into masterpiece large format landscape photographs.
Bring the best of the West into your home or office today with Lynn Branam fine art photos . Pick out your favorite and order it today!
Link to "Two Dogs" Native American Art
Link to "Redhawk" Native American Art