Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

A coat of spring snow on the Colorado plains

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A coat of spring snow on the Colorado plains
A spring snow coats the landscape and trees around a road. (© Tony’s Takes)

A shot from a picturesque spot that I have shared many pictures of over the years. No matter the season, this road and the trees looming over it provide photo opportunities. Fall and winter are the best and while it was technically spring this past weekend, you wouldn’t know it from the snowy scene. We had received a light shot of snow and it had clung to the trees, coating the branches in white. A conversion of the image to black and white works well, in my opinion, as there wasn’t much color on what was otherwise a drab day.

Snow and fog on the Colorado plains

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Snow and fog on the Colorado plains
A tree-lined road is shrouded in fog with fresh snow on the ground. (© Tony’s Takes)

You have seen pictures from me of this spot many times before. No matter the season, it virtually always looks cool and this morning was no different. A light snowfall overnight coated the landscape in white and fog settled in with sunrise. With virtually no color to work with, I went with a black and white conversion and that seemed to work well on what a cold and somewhat dreary scene.

Winter above, fall in the valley

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Winter above, fall in the valley
Early fall brings a coating of snow to Guanella Pass while below, fall colors are seen. (© Tony’s Takes)

A typically beautiful fall scene in the Colorado high country. Taken on Guanella Pass a couple of weeks ago, it was gorgeous – and chilly. Near and above timberline, a light snow covered the landscape in white. Down below, it was much warmer and drier.

Here, you’re near the summit of the 11,670 foot high pass and looking east northeast. The winding road shows you the way down and in the valley, near Georgetown, you see the aspen are ablaze in the yellows of fall. Above, that always beautiful, blue Colorado sky with some cool clouds to add interest.

A moody morning on the Colorado Front Range

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A moody morning on the Colorado Front Range
A late season snowstorm prepares to send another snow squall through. (© Tony’s Takes)

As our late spring snowstorm wound down this morning, I of course was out taking pictures. I thought the snow was done but I was quite mistaken. As you get hints of to the left of this photo, a snow squall moved in not long after sunrise. The landscape was already coated with white and there were hints of sun to the east but Mother Nature had one, last blast. This is spring?

Wintry scenes following the storm

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Wintry scenes following the storm
The snow-covered Colorado plains with Mount Meeker and Longs Peak in the background. (© Tony’s Takes)

Friday brought a nice snowstorm to the Colorado Front Range, coating the landscape in a blanket of white. Temperatures close to single digits followed yesterday morning throwing a hoar frost into the mix. That made for some pretty cool scenes from wide angles to closeups. Here are a few of my favorites from my outing. Stay warm!

Hoar frost covers thistle after a winter storm. (© Tony's Takes)
Hoar frost covers thistle after a winter storm. (© Tony’s Takes)
Fresh snow and frost covers the plains and mountains of Colorado. (© Tony's Takes)
Fresh snow and frost covers the plains and mountains of Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
Hoar frost costs a tree's branch in Colorado. (© Tony's Takes)
Hoar frost costs a tree’s branch in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

First blooms of spring

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First blooms of spring
A miniature iris emerges above a recent snow. (© Tony’s Takes)

I’ve been anxiously awaiting seeing some flowers popup in our backyard so I could play with my new macro lens. Earlier this week I saw one had appeared but the light wasn’t conducive to taking pics and then everything got buried by our first day of spring snowstorm.

Yesterday warmed up just enough to uncover the little guy though so I went out and took a few pics. I still need some practice to get the depth of field right on these closeups but this one came out pretty good. I have no idea what kind of flower this is but it definitely is a pretty one.

A frozen, frosty, foggy Colorado Front Range

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A frozen, frosty, foggy Colorado Front Range
The Colorado Front Range is blanketed in fresh snow with fog between the plains and the mountains. (© Tony’s Takes)

This morning started out with a thick fog but it began to ease east of Denver not long after sunrise. Looking back west, the snow cover from our first day of spring snowstorm blanketed the landscape. It looked beautiful and throw in that lingering fog bank over the South Platte River hiding most signs of civilization and it was a cool scene (literally and figuratively).

A foggy, frozen, frosty road

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A foggy, frozen, frosty road
Fog and frost along a backroad of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. (© Tony’s Takes)

The weather in the Denver area over the holiday weekend was a bit touch and go. Friday in particular was a challenge when it comes to photography.

A persistent fog that at times was ridiculously thick made it tough to get quality captures. It did however make for some cool scenes.

Frost had coated all the trees overnight and lingering snow from the snowstorm three days prior left everything quite white. Throw in fog creating a seemingly endless road in the distance and this, to me, is a pretty cool capture – figuratively and literally. 😉

Lone tree in black and white

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Lone tree in black and white
Black and white image of a tree standing along on the snow-covered plains of Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

A very pretty morning on the plains yesterday as our latest snowstorm moved out. Colors were subdued with the lingering clouds so I went to black and white for this one and am pleased with the result. This tree really stood out as the only feature on the snow-covered plains. Sometimes to stand out, you just need to stand apart.

Black and white portrait of a spring snowfall

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Finally! Colorado was extraordinarily dry in the winter and has been thus far in spring too. Last night and this morning we received some much needed rain and a bit of snow. The moisture is very welcome to help with the drought but also made me happy because it made for some pretty pictures this morning.

Black and white image of a wet road and snow-covered trees in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
Black and white image of a wet road and snow-covered trees in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)