Denise Bush's Photo Blog

Two Of My Favorite Things

Mountains and trees are two of the most constant themes in my portfolio. It’s an undying love. The mountains offer up many moods, making them an intriguing subject. They are in a constant state of change, depending on the weather, lighting, time of day and season. Trees speak to me in a similar way! Also changing with the seasons, and years … they offer beauty wherever they are rooted. Every tree has a character all its own, making them wonderful artistic subjects. I hope you enjoy this curated selection, showcasing two of my favorite things!

Storm clouds roll in to the mountains outside of Ouray Colorado, only to give way to illuminate Mount Abram. — ‘Light On Mt. Abram’ © Denise Bush

A big ponderosa pine tree, with outstretched branches, looks beautiful covered in snow. — ‘Snow Covered Beauty’ © Denise Bush

Looking north to the town of Ouray from the Million Dollar Highway is a beuatiful sight in every season. — ‘Mountains & Valley’ © Denise Bush

A Ponderosa Pine tree is the giant in this woodland scene. — ‘Winter Ponderosa’ © Denise Bush

Just before sunset warm light shines on a gentle winter slope. — ‘Long Shadows On Gentle Slope’ © Denise Bush

Ponderosa pines group together in a winter wonderland scene! — ‘Ponderosa Grouping’ © Denise Bush

A clearing storm lifts revealing Courthouse Mountain of the Cimarrons, in the San Juans of Colorado. — ‘Courthouse Exposed’ © Denise Bush
notecards, unframed, framed, canvas, acrylic & metal prints available

History In The Landscape

Here are some images from previous seasons that have been burning a hole in the folder! If you’ve been following this blog you already know that I have a thing for weathered and old style, rural buildings. They have fascinated me since I was young, and I’m sure that they will always call to me. Sadly, it is getting scarce to find new subjects within a day’s outing. I have photographed a couple of these before but in a different way or, in different lighting and conditions. If you viewed my 2023 Favorites gallery and some look familiar, a couple did make the cut in that collection as well. The following are from the fall and earlier. For this post I purposely left out some detail shots, wanting to keep the landscape a requisite for this collection.

The Colorado Boy Headframe is one of the remaining buildings in the Ouray Mining District, in Colorado. — ‘Colorado Boy Headframe’ © Denise Bush
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The small size of an old abandoned cabin is accentuated by the large cottonwood beside it. — ‘Little Cabin, Big Tree’ © Denise Bush

A old-style log barn stands the test of time. — ‘Log Barn In Autumn’ © Denise Bush

A weather but still quaint house makes us wonder about its past. — ‘House With Side Porch’ © Denise Bush

An old cabin lies on the edge of ranch grazing land. — ‘Little Cabin On The Double RL’ © Denise Bush

Remnants left in a ghost town remind us of a time gone by. — ‘Left Behind’ © Denise Bush

An old homestead sinks into the ground hoping to survisve the upcoming winter months. — ‘Once Inhabited’ © Denise Bush

Yellows and oranges light up the sky and the autumn trees below. — ‘Sunrise Over The Ranch’ © Denise Bush
notecards, unframed, framed, canvas, acrylic & metal prints available

Winter Scenes In B&W

Winter is my favorite time to explore black and white imagery. Not all captures are successful as monochromes and sometimes it takes some processing to decide. The following images are ones that worked for me. A couple of these were shot at the end of last winter but they have never been posted here before. I’ve saved them to be included in a future post dedicated to black and white, winter photography … and now here it is!

Canyon walls look especially interesting in the winter with snow to accentuate the contours. — ‘The Space Between’ © Denise Bush

A view of Mount Sneffels is especially beautiful in winter! — ‘Ridgway View’ © Denise Bush

Backlit Ponderosa Pines with dark, wet bark create strong contrast with the clinging snow. — ‘Pine Gathering In Winter’ © Denise Bush
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Trees are aligned in the foreground, mid and background in this unique wintry scene! — ‘Winter Forest, Near & Far’ © Denise Bush

A snow-covered, frosty forest creates a nature pattern in black and white. — ‘Frosty Winter Forest’ © Denise Bush

A wintry mountain peak, near Telluride Colorado makes a majestic impression in black & white. — ‘Frosty Peak & Forest’ © Denise Bush

Trees and rocky peaks are coated in frozen snow, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. — ‘Frozen Topping’ © Denise Bush

Snow colored evergreens are a beautiful winter sight! — ‘Frosty Forest Slope’ © Denise Bush
notecards, unframed, framed, canvas, acrylic & metal prints available

If you’d like to see more B&W photography click here to go to my collection!

Landform Silhouettes

My most recent silhouettes are ready to post, so here it goes! While trees have been a popular silhouette subject in the past, these just happen to be all about the shape of the land. They range from gentle undulations to more rugged forms. I love reducing a scene to these simple shapes and vibrant colors as you may have seen displayed here in the past. I hope you like this latest, silhouette installment. Thanks for visiting!

A beautiful sunrise is a welcome surprise over some hills in southwest Colorado. — ‘Sunrise Surprise’ © Denise Bush
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A beautiful sunrise greets the morning over a mountain silhouette. — ‘The Colors Of Sunrise’ © Denise Bush

A silhouette of Precipice Peak in the Cimarrons near Ridgway shows its distinctive shape. — ‘Precipice Sunrise Silhouette’ © Denise Bush

A mountai silhouette is accompanied by a fence here . The slight detail in the shadows encourages closer examination. — ‘Silhouette With Mountain & Fence’ © Denise Bush
notecards, unframed, framed, canvas, acrylic & metal prints available

A beautiful sunset creates an interesting silhouette photograph with a rocky impression. — ‘Rocky Silhouette’ © Denise Bush

A beautiful sunrise resembles a large abstract painting ... created by Mother Nature. — ‘Painted Sunrise Over Ridge’ © Denise Bush

A beautiful sunrise highlights the ups and downs of the Cimarron Range near Ridgway Colorado. — ‘Cimarron Sunrise Silhouette’ © Denise Bush
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Rock and mountain layers create a simple base for a beautiful sunset sky. — ‘Beautiful Sunset Over Distant Mountains’ © Denise Bush

All of my photographs are available as prints in a variety of sizes and forms. Please inquire in the comments section if you do not see a direct store link to an image of interest. I can upload any image to my store very quickly!

2023 Favorites!

I’ve completed my yearly favorites gallery … a 21 year tradition! You are invited to the year’s farewell tour by wandering through this curated collection of Colorado landscapes. See my ’2023 Favorites’ here and let me know if you have a favorite!

You are invited to this 2023 farewell tour by wandering through this curated collection of Colorado landscapes. — 2023 Favorites

Many of these, along with favorites from previous years are available on my ‘STORE’ site … offering notecards to large prints, and other select products!

Happy Holidays One And All!

This year I did two cards and here they are. I am wishing all my friends, followers and visitors holiday blessings and a very happy year ahead!

A mountain spire reaches to the heavens dressed in a new coat of snow. — ‘Winter Steeple’ © Denise Bush

A wreath, flag and antlers created a charming greeting on the side of an old weathered barn. — ‘Patriotic Christmas’ © Denise Bush

The Colors Of Sunset

Looking at my blog’s collection folder just now, I see I have several sunset photos queued up. So, it shall be that kind of post! Another folder contains some dramatic, sunrise/sunset silhouette images, but I’m saving those for another post. I just love being out, under a colorful sky … it’s one of my favorite things for sure. And, I get a good feeling looking at them now, remembering what it felt like to be there!

A small group of budding aspens peek out from behind a hill to be a part of this pretty sunset. — ‘Over The Hill Aspens’ © Denise Bush
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The sunset, snowy peak and autumn colors combine to create a standout landscape photograph — ‘Mountain Beauty At Sunset’ © Denise Bush

Here's yet another portrait of Mount Sneffels with fall foliage below and pink clouds above. — ‘Autumn Portrait’ © Denise Bush

Sneffels dominates between sky and forest. — ‘The Bold & The Beautiful’ © Denise Bush

Snow capped mountains are topped by a fiery sky! — ‘Fire & Ice’ © Denise Bush

Mear's Peak is a mountain in the Sneffels Range and is a strong presence in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. — ‘Sunset Over Mears’ © Denise Bush

A clearing storm mixes with alpenglow to create a beautiful faraway scene. — ‘Cotton Candy Clouds’ © Denise Bush

Autumn Others

Autumn V

For this post I’ve rounded up this year’s images that feature autumn foliage, other than aspen. While looking through my folders again for this collection, I found even more fall landscapes to process. However, eager to move on to other subjects and scenes, I think I’ll hold off. Perhaps I’ll present them as a prelude next autumn. The way time flies by, it might be here before I know it! Thanks very much for checking out this entry, and my other autumn 2023 posts.

A big, stately tree looks especially beautiful backlit by morning sun in autumn. — ‘Golden Oldie’ © Denise Bush

Here's a rural mountain scene that included a large cottonwood tree with autumn foliage. — ‘Cottonwoods & Little Mountain’ © Denise Bush

A straightforward section of sage and autumn cottonwoods creates a sort of color blocking, nature abstract. — ‘Sage & Cottonwood Color Blocking’ © Denise Bush

A group of cottonwood trees makes a colorful statement under a gray sky. — ‘Cottonwood Grove’ © Denise Bush

Gambel oaks also turn a variety of shades, from aorange to deep red. — ‘Aspen & Oak’ © Denise Bush

Mare's Tail Clouds and autumn oak brush make this landscape something special. — ‘Oak Brush Below Rocky Outcropping’ © Denise Bush

Bright autumn foliage compete for attention on this brightly lit hillside. — ‘Color Competition’ © Denise Bush

A cottonwood radiates brilliance in the early morning light! — ‘Autumn Brilliance’ © Denise Bush

A group of cottonwood trees show off their autumn beauty in morning light. — ‘Morning Light On Favorite Cottonwoods’ © Denise Bush
*(Photographed at sunrise. Last year I photographed the same at sunset … see it here!)*

If you like looking at trees as art, check out my ‘Tremendous Trees Gallery‘!

Autumn Potpourri ~ 2023

Autumn IV

This collection contains images similar to those in the previous autumn posts. It is taking some time to go through all my folders, then process and edit images I might want to share. Sometimes I have to work with an image to decide whether or not to use it. And lately it seems I can only work behind the computer for a couple hours at a time, then I need to get up and do something else … a short attention span I guess! I do think I might have one more autumn post coming after this. My plan is to feature autumn color found in trees and vegetation other than aspens. For now, and in no particular order, I hope you enjoy this year’s potpourri of autumn images.

The first snow accompanied by beautiful fall foliage is always a stunning sight! — ‘Season Contrasts’ © Denise Bush

Snow-capped Mount Sneffels and autumn foliage below create a captivating scene in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. — ‘Sneffels Autumn Portrait’ © Denise Bush

A group of aspen trees with exposed trunks makes an interesting autumn composition. — ‘Exposed’ © Denise Bush

This year the San Juan Mountains get their first snow the first week in October. — ‘First Snow On Mears Peak’ © Denise Bush

A road leads us into a beautiful autumn scene in Colorado's Rocky Mountains! — ‘Road To Massive Mountain’ © Denise Bush

The dirt roads Out West are notoriously dusty ... as shown here. — ‘Kickin’ Up Dust’ © Denise Bush

A patch of bright aspens light up in the morning sun. — ‘Bright Autumn Group’ © Denise Bush

The unique peak of Teakettle Mountain lights up at the end of a beautiful fall day. — ‘The Tip Of Teakettle’ © Denise Bush

A boulder seems to mimic the shape of the large and looming Mount Sneffels above! — ‘Little Rock, Big Rock’ © Denise Bush

Aspen trees start to lose their leaves as snow comes to the mountains signaling the coming of winter. — ‘Winter Is Coming’ © Denise Bush

Young aspen trees crop up where others have died, bringing in a new generation. — ‘In With The New’ © Denise Bush

Sheep Mountain is featured here looking down a valley of golden and then green aspens at sunset. — ‘Sheep Mountain At Sunset’ © Denise Bush

A beautiful sunset makes this awesome scene a wow! — ‘Autumn Overlook’ © Denise Bush

Did you see my previous post, ‘And Then It Snowed’? It features some of my personal favorites. Please check it out if you haven’t seen it!

And Then It Snowed

Autumn III

We were lucky to get our first coat of snow on the peaks during the first week of October. It’s exactly what photographers hope for but don’t always get. And in other years we’ve had less widespread vibrancy, a lack of cloud interest and even smoky skies from wildfires. This year, unfortunate high winds during the second week of October forced a lot of aspen foliage from the branches prematurely. Still, and most will agree … it has been an exceptional year for autumn landscape photography here. I was able to admire and capture many snow-capped mountain peaks with beautiful fall colors below. Some of these are posted here with more to come, as I work my way through several folders of unprocessed images. While it snowed a few times on the peaks earlier in the month, as I write this, much has melted and evaporated. I hope you enjoy the following and thanks very much for visiting!