Morning photo: Late winter (early spring)

Felt — and looked — like January

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A frosty scene along the Blue River at the inlet to Dillon Reservoir.

FRISCO —I didn’t really think I’d get another chance to shoot anymore frosty scenes this year, but our early spring storm definitely brought a flashback to January and February conditions with the added benefit of late March light. Deep snow, temps well below zero and bright sunshine — a great way to start the week in Summit County, offering some hope that the drought may be easing. (more…)

Morning photo: Frost hunting

January treasures

frost crystals Colorado

A little depth-of-field magic and perfect morning light helped isolate this heavily frosted branch from the rest of the wintry landscape.

FRISCO — Even though it hasn’t snowed in a few days, there are still a few nooks and crannies where the snow hasn’t melted off the trees. You have to look in wind-sheltered spots on north-facing aspects, because even in January, the mid-day sun can quickly eat away at the powder. That’s not to say that old snow is bad. Any snow is good, but it’s fun tracking down places where it really looks like the deep winter it’s supposed to be.  (more…)

Morning photo: Treescapes

The frost zone …

Diamond dust.

FRISCO — I set out for the Dillon side of the reservoir early, before sunrise, thinking it would be another fine day to shoot frost-coated trees, but the warm air advection during the night inhibited formation of the fog, limiting it to a thin coating near ground level. There was, however, one good frost zone; only problem, it was near a section of the Dam Road where there is no easy access. So I headed down the hill, turned left on Anemone Trail and walked up toward the face of the dam on the recpath, then veered off on to the hillside. The light was dazzling so I squeezed off a whole series of shots, all the while looking for the best vantage point. Eventually, I ended up on the prominent rocky ridge just above the Dam Road, and, of course, within about 30 seconds, a Dillon Dam security patrol pulled off the side of the road below me and hollered at me to get off the rocks — but not before I got a couple shots of the frost crystals flaking off the trees above me. (more…)

Morning photo: Second look

Snake River revisited

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Shadow and light.

FRISCO — Last night I went back to clean out a couple of weeks worth of pictures from the archive because if I don’t do it on a regular basis, it becomes a daunting chore. I knew I had a bunch of good shots from two recent early morning shooting sessions along the Snake River, but I also new that some of those images were candidates for deletion. A few others were in between, and those are the images I tried to “rescue” with a big of post-processing. (more…)

Morning photo: Ice and frost

In lieu of snow …

Morning frost and sun.

FRISCO — Went for a bit of a wander along the Snake River between Keystone and Montezuma this morning after hearing that Keystone is facing some challenges with regard to stream flows and the water it uses from the Roberts Tunnel for snowmaking. When I parked near the Blight Placer, I was greeted by an early winter wonderland of frost on the willow wetlands near the river, as well as some stunning ice formations on the rocks in the shady canyon. All in all, a satisfying photo trek. In the evening, I went hunting for more ice reflections in the shallows near Heaton Bay. (more…)

Morning photo: Brilliance

Color hunting

Structure in nature is evident in the growth of ice crystals on autumn leaves near the shore of Dillon Reservoir.

FRISCO — The day started with a pretty sweet sunset, with a thin wave cloud over the Continental Divide adding texture and color to the sky. A short dog walk near Heaton Bay yielded a fun shot of some morning frost, which seems to form fully just in the last few minutes before the sun hits the ground. And I also managed to get just a wee bit closer to the Clark’s grebes that have been feeding in the bay for the past week or so. The wave cloud lingered through sunset, book-ending the day with a brilliant sunset. (more…)

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