Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

Roaring mountain waterfall

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Roaring mountain waterfall
Fish Creek Falls near Steamboat Springs, Colorado roars with a strong spring run-off. (© Tony’s Takes)

This was a fun little diversion on our trip to northwestern Colorado earlier this week.

Fish Creek Falls is right in Steamboat Springs and a short, easy hike from the trailhead. While figuring out our plan for the day, my wife mentioned she heard there was a cool waterfall nearby. She was definitely right!

At 280 feet tall it is big and throwing in the heavy runoff from snow melt, it was absolutely roaring.

Our mid-day visit wasn’t ideal in terms of photography with harsh light but I made the most of it by throwing on a Neutral Density (ND) filter and using a slow shutter speed. That allowed the “blurring” of the water as it rushed down the falls and the creek.

The scene was absolutely gorgeous – and loud – and we were happy to finally be back in the #mountains.

Helen Hunt Falls in black and white

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Helen Hunt Falls in black and white
Helen Hunt Falls in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Taken during our visit a couple weeks ago to Colorado Springs.

Named after the famed poet, author and defender of Native American rights, Helen Hunt Falls was a nice little diversion for us during a recent visit to Colorado Springs.

The 35 foot high falls aren’t particularly big but they are pretty. I used two, ND8 filters to allow for slow shutter speeds to blur the water.

Happy birthday to the always amazing Yellowstone National Park

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Happy birthday to the always amazing Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone’s Lower Falls crash to the river below. (© Tony’s Takes)
It was 147 years ago today that this place became the world’s first national park. From its landscapes to its geothermal features to the wildlife, it is nearly 3,500 square miles of the most beautiful country you could imagine.

I have memories of the park from when I was five years old up to two years ago when this image of the Lower Yellowstone Falls was taken.

Naturalist John Muir said, “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” That is especially true of this place.

Yellowstone’s impressive Lower Falls

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Plunging just over 300 feet – nearly twice as high as Niagra Falls – the Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park is nothing less than amazing. With lots of snowmelt following a very wet winter and recent rains, it was even more so during our visit a couple of weeks ago. Fed by the Yellowstone River, it is the largest volume waterfall in the Rocky Mountains. From this spot, the waters then enter the 20-mile-long Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone which at more than 1,000 feet high is astounding unto itself.

Yellowstone's Lower Falls cascades into the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. (© Tony’s Takes)
Yellowstone’s Lower Falls cascades into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. (© Tony’s Takes)

First visit to a historic Colorado waterwheel

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While on Interstate 70 I have probably driven by and seen this hundreds of times but never stopped. On a whim during our return from leaf peeping, my son and I checked it out.

Located an easy walk from downtown Idaho Springs, Colorado, the Charlie Tayler Waterwheel is at the base of Bridal Veil Falls which feeds into Clear Creek. It is a very cool, very pretty spot with the waterfall and waterwheel provide nice subjects.

The wheel was originally built in 1893 by a local miner. Mr Tayler is said to have claimed his long life was attributed to having never bathed or kissed a woman. I’m not so sure that is a worthwhile trade off.  😉

The Charlie Tayler Waterwheel and Bridal Veil Falls near Idaho Springs, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
The Charlie Tayler Waterwheel and Bridal Veil Falls near Idaho Springs, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Portrait Of Takakkaw Falls

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Among the highest in Canada, the waters of this waterfall in Yoho National Park drop 1,260 feet from the top. It was nothing short of impressive and something whose scale is tough to capture in an image.

Fed by waters from the Daly Glacier, its name is taken from the Cree and loosely translated means “it is magnificent.” That certainly seems fitting.

We actually only went here on whim as we had finished our planned sightseeing earlier than planned and were looking for something to fill up the time. Boy are we glad we chose this to see!

Water from Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park takes the long drop to the river below. (© Tony’s Takes)
Water from Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park takes the long drop to the river below. (© Tony’s Takes)

Rushing waters black and white

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Kind of a fun picture I think. By using a slow shutter speed, you can blur fast moving objects, in this case the rushing water of Sunwapta Falls in Jasper National Park, Canada. A conversion to black and white seemed to work well.

This was one of many impressive waterfalls we visited on our trip up north, all of which yielded many pictures. Lots of tourists were around this site though and the lighting on the morning we visited was far from ideal. Rather than battle those elements, I chose to focus on close in views of the falls.

Black and white of rushing water at Sunwapta Falls in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. (© Tony’s Takes)
Black and white of rushing water at Sunwapta Falls in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. (© Tony’s Takes)

Sunrise at Swiftcurrent Falls

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While the family slept in (I have to allow that every now and then to keep the peace – haha), I headed off solo to scout out the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park, Montana. This area is not visited near as often as some of the other, more popular areas in the park but it can certainly hold its own in terms of beauty. Wildlife was scarce but the sunrise and scenery were amazing.

I had been focused on the west, watching the rising sun illuminate some of the mountains near Swiftcurrent Lake. While that scene was indeed beautiful, turning around found an even better view. The sun was rising and illuminating the creek, waterfall and landscape in its golden light.

I snapped a few pictures, including this one, then put the camera down and just stood there, soaking in the sun’s rays, the sounds of the rushing water and appreciating the stunning scene before me. It was just kind of one of those ‘moments’ in your life that you just can’t help but remember for a very, very long time.

The sun rises on Swiftcurrent Falls in Glacier National Park. (© Tony’s Takes)
The sun rises on Swiftcurrent Falls in Glacier National Park. (© Tony’s Takes)

Refreshing Waterfall in Yellowsone National Park

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Denver hit over 90 degrees today, perhaps signs that summer isn’t quite done yet. Back in July it was much cooler in the nation’s first national park. This waterfall is up near Sylvan Pass toward the east entrance to the park.  Taken July 14, 2014.

Water rushes down a waterfall in Yellowstone National Park. (© Tony’s Takes)
Water rushes down a waterfall in Yellowstone National Park. (© Tony’s Takes)

Water on the rocks

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Taken at Yellowstone National Park a few weeks ago at a waterfall near Sylvan Pass on the park’s east side. The short hike to the waterfall was well worth it as the soft, morning sun shone through the water helping it to sparkle as it splashed at the bottom.

Water from a waterfall in Yellowstone National Park crashes onto the rocks. (© Tony’s Takes)
Water from a waterfall in Yellowstone National Park crashes onto the rocks. (© Tony’s Takes)