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Flowers begin the rebirth of the forest

August 21, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Flowers begin the rebirth of the forest
Fireweed grows among the damage from the East Troublesome Fire in Grand County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Hundreds of thousands of acres of beautiful forest burned across Colorado last summer and fall. The devastation has altered the landscape for decades (centuries?) to come.

In less than a year, however, the forest has begun the process of being born again. In an area of Arapaho National Forest where few trees were left standing and those that are still upright are only blackened stalks, the floor of the forest has come alive.

Here, fireweed signifies the first of the new growth. We saw vast swaths of this beautiful flower, far more than what would normally grow had the tree canopy shaded everything. The purple / pink provided a nice contrast to the charcoal black.

Firefighting planes continue their battle against Colorado wildfires

October 20, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Aero-Flite Avro RJ85 on approach to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. (© Tony's Takes)
Aero-Flite Avro RJ85 on approach to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. (© Tony’s Takes)

Not the typical kind of “bird” you expect me to photograph but given how the fires here in the Centennial State are dominating our news and impacting so many lives, I took the opportunity yesterday to visit Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport where these planes are temporarily based out of.

It is a constant, beehive of activity as the airtankers depart with a load of slurry, expertly drop it on the Cameron Peak Fire or the CalWood Fire, then return, load up and do it again. About every 15 minutes a plane is arriving and / or departing, ensuring a constant onslaught against the blazes.

It is an impressive sight to see and we are thankful for the work of Neptune Aviation Services Inc , AeroFlite Aerial Firefighting and others for their aerial work and as well as those of the firefighters from across the nation on the ground.

Firefighting planes continue their battle against Colorado wildfires
Neptune Aviation BAe 146 airtanker departs while two others load up with slurry. (© Tony’s Takes)
Aero-Flite Avro RJ85 landing through the smoky haze at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. (© Tony's Takes)
Aero-Flite Avro RJ85 landing through the smoky haze at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. (© Tony’s Takes)
Neptune Aviation BAe 146 airtanker returns from a run against the Colorado wildfires. (© Tony's Takes)
Neptune Aviation BAe 146 airtanker returns from a run against the Colorado wildfires. (© Tony’s Takes)
Neptune Aviation BAe 146 Airtanker on approach to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. (© Tony's Takes)
Neptune Aviation BAe 146 Airtanker on approach to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. (© Tony’s Takes)
Neptune Aviation BAe 146 airtanker departs to battle the Colorado wildfires. (© Tony's Takes)
Neptune Aviation BAe 146 airtanker departs to battle the Colorado wildfires. (© Tony’s Takes)

Timelapse video of the CalWood Fire

October 17, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Shot with my drone, this video shows six minutes compressed to 30 seconds.

Another wildfire in Colorado

October 17, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Another wildfire in Colorado
The CalWood Fire north of Boulder, Colorado is seen in this drone image taken soon after the fire erupted. (© Tony’s Takes)

This one just exploded over the past couple of hours. Dubbed the CalWood Fire, the town of Jamestown is being evacuated as the fire burns out of control. I shot these with my drone from my home, about 30 miles away.

The CalWood Fire north of Boulder, Colorado is seen in this drone image taken soon after the fire erupted. (© Tony's Takes)
The CalWood Fire north of Boulder, Colorado is seen in this drone image taken soon after the fire erupted. (© Tony’s Takes)

Smoky sunrise along a high country road

September 13, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Smoky sunrise along a high country road
The sun rises in the Colorado high country with a blanket of smoke from wildfires above. (© Tony’s Takes)

Everyone is well aware of the devastating wildfires that have hit the western United States in recent weeks. Here in Colorado, we have had five major blazes, two of which have entered the record books as some of the largest in state history (one being the largest now).

The smoke from the blazes has oftentimes blanketed us in a red / orange haze with the smoke and smell carrying far from the fires. We did receive a much-needed bit of snow this past week and that has settled the fires down some. However, warm, dry weather returns this week and that is worrisome.

Taken last weekend, I sure hope this pic is one of the last “smoky sunrise” shots I take for a long while. I fear though that may not be the case.

Cameron Peak Fire smoke plume creates a colorful sunset

September 5, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Cameron Peak Fire smoke plume creates a colorful sunset
The smoke plume from the Cameron Peak Fire spreads along the Colorado Front Range at sunset. (© Tony’s Takes)

A beautiful sunset this evening but, unfortunately, due to the Cameron Peak Fire which flared up this afternoon due to record high temperatures and strong winds. Massive smoke plume from the blaze (bottom right) as seen from Thornton, Colorado. Taken with my DJI Mavic Pro drone.

Smoky sunrise over a rocky landscape

August 29, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Smoky sunrise over a rocky landscape
Obscured by smoke from wildfires, the sun rises in Colorado’s Golden Gate Canyon State Park. (© Tony’s Takes)

Taken one week ago when the smoke from wildfires in Colorado seemed to be at its height. Stepping outside that morning, the smell of the smoke was unmistakable and the sky thick with haze.

As the sun crested over the rugged terrain to the east, by this time on a normal morning it would have been very bright, the skies blue. That, as you can see, was not the case at all.

The landscape was instead bathed in an eerie orange and red light that was far more subdued in intensity than what it normally would be. Certainly we would prefer not to have the fires and the smoke but they do make for some interesting scenes.

Mountains cast sunset shadows on the smoky skies

August 22, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Mountains cast sunset shadows on the smoky skies
As the sun sets on the Colorado Front Range, shadows from the mountains are cast onto smoke from wildfires. (© Tony’s Takes)

A pretty cool capture but, of course, the conditions that made it cool are not.

Much of summer here in Colorado was exceedingly dry and over the past few weeks, nary a drop of rain has fallen. Topping it off, we have been seeing record-setting heat. Those conditions set the stage for wildfires in the high country.

As of right now, we have four major blazes going, one of which is now the second largest in state history and will likely take over the number one spot before it is out. It is sad to see so much of our precious forests burnt but, the smoke from them has created some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets.

Last weekend I closed out the day northeast of Denver, watching the setting sun. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky but as the sun went below the horizon, the mountains cast shadows onto the smoke while the sky was blaze orange. A neat scene, a sad reason for it.

Sunflowers, sunset and smoke

August 16, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Sunflowers, sunset and smoke
Sunflowers take in a smoky, orange sunset on the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)

I had been avoiding taking my annual trip(s) out to see the sunflowers northeast of Denver, Colorado. The evening thunderstorms that help to make those scenes dramatic have been non-existent and replaced by smoke and haze from wildfires across the northern part of the state.

Throw in a lot of bad behavior by other photographers and visitors (trespassing, damaging the crops), and my motivation to go out there has been pretty low. Last night though, I decided to head out with a buddy and give it a shot.

There were no clouds to speak of, just haze from the smoke. While the sunset wasn’t anything overly dramatic, it did provide some nice colors and silhouetted the mountains pretty nicely.

Shooting into the sun is a challenge that usually results in the foreground being too dark or the sky being blown out. To help mitigate that, this is actually three images shot immediately one after another – the first dark, the first at what the camera thought was a good exposure, and the third bright. I then took the three and merged them together on the computer, helping to bring out pretty decent colors in the foreground and capture the sky without blowing it out too bad.

Colorado National Guard gears up for wildfire season

April 7, 2019 by Tony Leave a Comment

Colorado National Guard gears up for wildfire season
A Colorado National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk picks up water in a firefighting bucket with the snow-capped mountains in the background. (© Tony’s Takes)

Not the usual type of “bird” you see me photograph, eh? 😉 

Wildfires are an unfortunate fact of life in the west during the summer and the brave men and women that battle the blazes have to hone their skills before they join the fight. In recent days, the military has been practicing at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. The UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters were picking up water from one lake and then dropping it near another.

Having served many years in the Navy on an aircraft carrier, aviation and military photography doesn’t normally appeal to me but as those years move further into the past, I have to admit once again getting a bit excited seeing them in action.

I flew on a number of different military planes and helicopters, including once on an SH-60, the Navy’s variant of the Blackhawk, dubbed the Seahawk. Truly an impressive aircraft.

A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
A UH-60 Blackhawk from the Colorado National Guard practices firefighting. (© Tony’s Takes)
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