D. Louise Photography


Thank you for visiting my website. I'm Darlene (The 'D' in D. Louise Photography), a travel and landscape photographer in Colorado.
Living centrally located in the west for the last 30 years has fed my travel bug and my insatiable appetite and longing to wander, and I am never at a loss for inspiration living here.

My Story:
Years ago, I ventured into an epicurean world of fine dining. With my creative cooking abilities and polished culinary skills, I went to culinary school and started working immediately in the fine dining industry, hoping to get inspired and creatively fulfilled. But In the long run (25 years long), It wasn't inspiring or creative, only tiring and unfulfilling. So, deciding to trade in my knives, I picked up an old friend.

In 1977 my dad bought me a camera; it was a Konica with all the bells and whistles that were possible back then for a film camera, and for the next few years, I took photos in my backyard of flowers and butterflies, my friends and just played around, loving it but not taking it too seriously. Fast forward 30+ years, and there I was, with a current advanced digital camera, in my backyard of the Rocky Mountains, finding my creative voice. Sadly, my dad passed away before I could show him what his one small gift did for me.

The Process:
Each gallery represents my work as I have driven across the United States, state by state, on some extensive road trips. Going south and then north and traversing east and west to hit each coast and crossing the mighty Mississippi River well over 25 times. In those miles, I've captured small towns, endless byways, and some high mountain passes, too numerous to count. I've knocked off 49 states, but Alaska still seems to elude me. I've traveled internationally as well but have not captured any of it as a photographer. I hope to change that soon. My enthusiasm for travel, specifically road trips, allows me to see so much of this beautiful country, eliminating the term "flyover states" from my vocabulary.

One of my favorite photographers is Sally Mann; she eloquently stated once, "Unless you photograph what you love, you're not going to make good art." It seems simple enough, but it's a lesson that comes into play every time I set out to take a photograph.
The days are mostly long, starting early morning and then driving mid-day to find that late afternoon or early sunset shot; I constantly chase the light. Sometimes the effort outweighs the results because many variables are at work in making a photo, but the feeling you get when you've captured something special is all worth it. Be sure to check out my blog, where I have frequent trip journals of my past travels, recent trips, and where I'll be headed on upcoming excursions.

I hope you'll enjoy browsing through the images and find something that gives you a similar feeling of peace and belonging as I got from taking them.
Most gallery images are for sale and can be purchased on the site. Please let me know if you have any questions or want more information on a specific image.


Career Highs and Acknowledgments

2022 WPE Member


2021 ND Awards Honorable Mention

2021 Outdoor Photography Magazine Finalist

2021 Outdoor Photography Magazine Published book finalist

2021 Featured Photo in Landscape Photography Magazine

2017 Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks Photography 1st place