A Bridge Over Turbulent Waters

This week I chose for my subject, a local bridge over the Yampa River that has a wonderul geometry to it, and great texture on the wood and steel.  I tried it from different angles, different light and different lenses.  The biggest challenge was the composition and what to include, a part of the bridge, or the whole bridge, from close up or from afar. From afar is a bit of a challenge as unless one is along the road, you’d be in deep snow or deep water, or deep bushes, and along the road is an oblique angle. These are my favorites.

 

Aspen Trees of the West

Here in the Rocky Mountain West, Populus tremuloides, otherwise known as the Quaking Aspen, a form of poplar tree, is ubiquitous, or at least it used to be (see NYT link below). In the summer they shimmer and shine with greens and a soulful rattle, in the fall they turn orange, yellow, brown and red, and in winter their shape and pattern reign supreme in the dark forests. I find them to be most beautiful in the forest, as they reflect the ambient light and colors, and cast shadows all about. They have much depth and mystery. And they are very hard to capture accurately on film, in a compelling way. The challenge is that typically they are in deep forest, surrounded by scrub oaks, conifers, and all sorts of undergrowth that can make for a very busy and distracting scene. And the lighting tends to be very contrasty with lots of shadows and depth.

Wk 1 – Aspen Shadows

Location
Spring Creek ridge, Steamboat Springs, CO

Links
Killer of Aspen Trees
39 Degrees North

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

My son and I went to the new skateboard park.  The route there takes one along the Yampa River Core Trail in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and wetlands that line the river sides.  This waxwing was flitting about in the Cottonwood trees, quick to move from place to place.

Good Night

Looking out over the Malpais National Conservation Area.

Location:

Malpais National Conservation Area

Related Links:

Bureau of Land Management

Sunset Photography

Cliff Dwellings

Microcosms in the Flat Tops Wilderness

Location

Flat Tops Wilderness, Colorado

Related Links

Colorado Wilderness

The Moose is Loose

This happy fellow was up on Cameron Pass a few days ago,

I think he was warning me off..