alpenglow – Denise Bush's Photo Blog

Endless Winter

It’s been snowing on and off since early November and when I wrote the first draft of this post, on March 20th, it was snowing! And, it snowed again last night, and the night before, etc., etc.! While the 20th might have felt like the first day of spring in many places, it didn’t here. We’ve had more than an average snowfall this year and there is a lot out there that will melt. I’ll expect a healthy mud season! Precipitation is always appreciated and needed to fill up our rivers and reservoirs. I can already see that the water level of our local, Ridgway Reservoir is looking higher for this time of year. The last time we had a very snowy winter the summer wildflowers were late, but extraordinary … so there’s that too. Following is an assortment of images shot in the latter half of our (seemingly) ‘endless winter’!

High winds are blowing snow off a mountain in the Sneffels Range, of Colorado's San Juan Mountains. — ‘Windy Point’ © Denise Bush
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Fading light aims high on the winter peaks of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. — ‘Snowbound Scene’ © Denise Bush

Clouds clear to reveal snow covered peaks in Colorado's San Juans Mountains. — ‘Winter Clearing’ © Denise Bush

Pink clouds cover Hayden Peak in the Sneffels range at sunset. — ‘Hayden Under Cover’ © Denise Bush

Mount Sneffels poses along with some friends, including (right to left) Cirque Mountain, Teakettle Mountain and Ridgway Mountain — Sneffels & Friends © Denise Bush

The last light of day breaks through and strikes a distant cliff face, while alpenglow showers its pink light on the scene. — ‘Cliff Spotlight’ © Denise Bush

A Ponderosa Pine stands out in a wintry forest with its size and orange colored bark. — ‘Ponderosa & Forest Friends’ © Denise Bush

The thinnest sliver of light touches the top of a hill, just beyond a zigzag fence. — ‘Sliver Of Light’ © Denise Bush

The last bit of light strikes in the distance, as alpenglow appears, looking east. — ‘Cloudy Light On Distant Slopes’ © Denise Bush

A wintry mountain dons a bright cloud in this Colorado, San Juan Mountain scene near Ridgway. — ‘Cloud Topped’ © Denise Bush

Last light falls on a wintry peak in the San Juan Mountains, near Ridgway, Colorado. — ‘Peak Beauty’ © Denise Bush

A sparse grouping of aspen trees allows for a view of the not so distant mountains. — ‘Beyond The Aspens’ © Denise Bush
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Looking In Different Directions

Sunset and the golden hour are undoubtedly the most popular time to be out shooting … but not just because it’s a beautiful time of day! It’s just a wonderful experience to be there, and in the moment. It can feel absolutely magical when the elements come together, creating pure visual splendor. I like to go out in the late afternoon to scout for a good spot, and often one that is looking in a direction other than west. After all, there’s more to sunset than watching that big fiery ball sink below the horizon. I look for the last light hitting the tallest peaks while day’s end shadows creep upward from below. Changing seasons create new opportunities as the sun’s position alters its path over peaks and ridges, striking the landscape differently. Alpenglow is another wonderful sight, often offering beautiful gradient skies that cool as twilight approaches. And when I’m lucky a scene can display both, last light and alpenglow. Two of the scenes below are similar compositions shot just minutes apart. I included them both to show how the color of the light changes in a short time. I hope you enjoy seeing these late day captures, shot in different directions.

Last light on a peak across the lake is reflected in the icy water. — ‘Icy Reflection’ © Denise Bush
– EAST –

Last Light highlights the top of a ridge near Telluride, Colorado. — ‘Light Along Winter Ridge’ © Denise Bush
– EAST –

Beautiful light falls on the mountains at sunset. — ‘Southeast Surprise’ © Denise Bush
– SOUTHEAST –

Chimney Rock, The Turrets and a snowcapped mountain beyond all light up with the last light of day. — ‘The Chimney & Beyond’ © Denise Bush
– EAST –

The last bit of light illuminates the end of Cimarron Ridge near Ridgway Colorado. — ‘Last Light Over The Ridge’ © Denise Bush
– NORTHEAST –

Just after the sun sets the sky turns a lovely alpenglow pink over a snow covered mountain ridge. — ‘Pink Sky Over Winter Ridge’ © Denise Bush
– EAST –

After sundown a beautiful gradient sky can sometimes appear in the east. Here the affect is beautiful against the fresh snow. — ‘Gradient Sky Over Winter Layers’ © Denise Bush
– NORTHEAST –

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Ooh & Aah Moments

Driving a back road I noticed a lone cluster of gamble oaks catching some low light. The contrast between the snow-covered mountains, and grassy foreground contributed to the scene, along with the beautiful cloud formations overhead. Soon the trees were in shadow and the mountains lit up with beautiful pink alpenglow. What a privilege it was to witness these ooh and aah moments.