Recently one of my Facebook friends posted a link to a photograph that just staggered me. The shooter was someone I had never heard of, a guy named Greg Thow. It turns out that Thow lives in Denver (not far from me, actually) and that the shot I saw on FB was just the tip of the iceberg.

Colorado is a great place to find photographers. Let’s face it, we live in a postcard out here. The natural beauty of the Centennial State attracts and inspires shooters, providing them with more material than they have time and memory cards. What struck me about Thow, however, was the power of his city images. Most Colorado photographers spend all their time in the mountains, and there is comparatively little in the way of interesting work focusing on the 5280. Which is a shame, because it’s a beautiful, nuanced city, both up close and seen from a panoramic distance.

I believe both of the shots above were taken from Elitch Gardens, our local amusement park. Have a look at the entire, breathtaking 2010 Elitch Garden set from which they’re taken.

Thow’s work frequently contrasts Denver’s dramatic natural beauty with the artifacts of man-made design. Cityscapes overflown by improbable cloud formations, spectacular displays of light, like this remarkable shot of a cloud coil above Mile High Stadium.

Those who visit Denver by air often comment that Denver International Airport is a beautiful structure (but why is it so far from, you know, Denver)? This shot puts me in mind of what Lang’s Metropolis might have looked like were his purpose to celebrate design.

Here’s a great photo of the Daniels and Fisher Tower, which was the tallest building between the Mississippi and California at the time of its construction in 1910. I get vertigo just thinking about it.

I’ll wrap part one of this series with a recent shot of a Denver church interior (Thow loves churches).

In part 2, we’ll see that Thow can shoot country as well as city.

To see more of Thow’s work, visit Greg’s site, Denver Digital Photography. To purchase a shot for your own collection, e-mail him at denverdigitalphotography@gmail.com.