nature – Denise Bush's Photo Blog

I Made The Switch

I’ve been dreading the day I would have to change my comfortable, old theme … ever since the first little kinks appeared. WordPress Support has been very helpful, while encouraging me to update. I watched a video but that was intimidating as I was immediately confused by the terms and customization options! (Classic, Legacy, Customizable, Block, CSS and others?) I had been shopping themes and decided to go for it. This theme is simple and not too different from my beloved! I didn’t want to go too large since early images were sized quite small. With dragging and right click copying possible here on WordPress, my reasoning was that I didn’t want to give away large images. This blog is an addition to my main website and online store where images can be viewed larger and copying isn’t so easy. Blogging remains a valuable, chronological archive for me. I think I still prefer the look of my old theme … maybe it will take some getting used to. Just so there is a piece of the past here, the following are the beginnings of posts from earlier years (2009-2019)!

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*Visit my store to see all the options!*

Random Acts Of Nature

When venturing out on a shoot I usually have a particular destination in mind, wanting to add to an ongoing collection, or perhaps find something new. Whatever I’m after I stay tuned in to scenes and subjects along the way. I like to be open to everything Mother Nature presents to me! When it comes to inspiration and what is right with the world, she excels. Being with her brings a sense of awe, peace and hope … especially welcome during these trying times.

A vibrant rainbow apprears over the San Juan Mountains featuring Whitehouse Mountain and Teakettle Mountain. — ‘San Juan Rainbow’ © Denise Bush

The sun breaks out through a hole in the clouds to illuminate this scene on a mesa near Telluride, Colorado. — ‘God Beams On The Mesa’ © Denise Bush

Two Gambel Oaks create an arch and frame for the setting sun. — ‘Sunburst Arch’ © Denise Bush
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Rain clouds light up pink at sunset over a golden field. — ‘Alpenglow & Storm Clouds’ © Denise Bush

A rainbow surprise was waiting around the corner as a spring storm clears and the sun peeks out of the clouds. — ‘Over The Rainbow’ © Denise Bush

Intimate & Isolated

For this post I’ve gathered some more intimate portrayals of beautiful, fall aspen trees. The aspens are the one and only subject in these images. They are isolated from other features, allowing us to focus on the trees alone. This year we had an abundance of oranges and reds in the mix and I was drawn to the deeper colors … like a magnet! I enjoyed composing these and it’s often the intimate images that feel more personal to me. And as you’ll see I created some fun abstracts too, adding them to my ‘Nature Abstracts & Patterns’ gallery in my online store. I’ve been able to get out with my camera a lot this fall. There will be several more autumn posts to come that include aspen trees as one of the elements in the scenes … so stay tuned, and thanks for visiting!

‘Autumn Hues’ © Denise Bush
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‘All Autumn Colors’ © Denise Bush
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‘Fall Focus’ © Denise Bush
*added to my ‘Nature Abstracts & Patterns’ gallery*

‘Autumn Vortex’ © Denise Bush
*added to my ‘Nature Abstracts & Patterns’ gallery*

‘Fall Frenzy’ © Denise Bush
*added to my ‘Nature Abstracts & Patterns’ gallery*

‘Straight & Narrow’ © Denise Bush
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Falling Waters

This post highlights two recent waterfall shoots. The first in an alpine basin, ‘Yankee Boy’ and the second at ‘Rifle Falls State Park’. A trip intended for wildflowers ended up being more of a waterfall shoot, high up in the basin. I wasn’t finding the patches of wildflowers in the right places that I was hoping for, so switched my focus after spending a lot of time looking. I was glad I did and was pleased to come away with a couple of images I like. Rifle Falls was a busy place and earlier in the afternoon it was difficult to exclude tourists from the scenery. It so happened that it rained in the early evening and chased all the tourists away allowing my friend and I to have the place to ourselves (for a while). The grass surrounding the misty falls was long and overgrown, blowing in the breeze and spray. I wanted the long exposure for the waterfalls but also wanted the grasses sharp … it seems to have worked out. I didn’t find the overall view of the three falls all that appealing but I will show it here for reference. I liked images that focused on portions instead. There weren’t that many good vantage points but I found a few. I was surprised and pleased to see so much water still flowing in mid-summer. Waterfalls are so refreshing … enjoy!

‘Twin Falls At Sundown’ © Denise Bush
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‘The Plunge’ © Denise Bush
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Lovely Lupines

The lupines are blooming in the forest beside our house so I dusted off my macro lens and headed into the woods. Finding some lovely clusters beneath the trees I chose carefully for shape and background. It was more difficult than I had remembered … wrestling with my tripod height, getting down low and then getting back up! I was glad no one came by to witness my rolling around on the forest floor while grunting to get in and out of position! Thankfully the result came out more graceful than the process.

‘Lupine Close-up’ © Denise Bush
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‘Lone Lupine’ © Denise Bush
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‘Light On Lupine’ © Denise Bush
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‘Lupine Group’ © Denise Bush
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Mystic Falls … My First Time

Last weekend a kind friend invited me on a photography outing to two locations not easily found. It was a fun time sharing the adventure with seven other photographers. I had seen photos and learned about the first location, Mystic Falls almost a year ago and had been wanting to photograph it since. The directions seemed sketchy and after seeing the trail for myself I was glad to have help in getting there. With eight of us wanting to take pictures there was not a lot of room to move around and we each took our turns trying to stay out of each others’ way from the limited vantage points. Nestled between steep canyon walls it is one of the prettiest waterfalls I’ve seen. I do hope to return in the fall when the water is lower and more angles are possible. Here are three favorites from my first (but not last) visit to this very beautiful and mystical place!

'Mystic Falls I' © Denise Bush — ‘Mystic Falls I’ © Denise Bush
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'Mystic Falls II' © Denise Bush — ‘Mystic Falls II’ © Denise Bush

'Mystic Falls III' © Denise Bush — ‘Mystic Falls III’ © Denise Bush

Fences & Flowers

Wildflower season is upon us and here is my first post of the summer focusing on this lovely subject. These scenes include fences … often catching my attention they are an attractive and common visual element in the scenery here. Coupled with the wildflowers that offer that ‘something extra’, I felt it was a good time to capture their character. I especially enjoy fence styles that include natural and uneven branches as supports. The zigzag, stacked style is popular and a favorite subject among photographers. The wildflower meadows are a beautiful sight to see … stay tuned for more wildflower posts in the near future.

'Fence & Flowers' © Denise Bush — ‘Fence & Flowers’ © Denise Bush
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'Mule's Ears & Mountains' © Denise Bush — ‘Mule’s Ears & Mountains’ © Denise Bush
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'Field of Lupines' © Denise Bush — ‘Field of Lupines’ © Denise Bush

'Wilson & Wildflowers' © Denise Bush — ‘Wilson & Wildflowers’ © Denise Bush

'Lone Cone & Wildflowers' © Denise Bush — ‘Lone Cone & Wildflowers’ © Denise Bush

'Fenced In Flowers' © Denise Bush — ‘Fenced In Flowers’ © Denise Bush

Trees With Something In Common

For some time now I have been keeping my eyes open for trees that are strategically positioned against the sky. Back east where I am from it was a difficult find since the landscape was fairly flat and often interrupted by other nearby subjects. Being able to see the tree’s structure appeals to me and when the sky adds interest I find it all the more pleasing. Here are a few examples that represent my on-going collection with this common theme.

'Three Trees On A Hill' © Denise Bush (click here to view larger or order a print) — ‘Three Trees On A Hill’ © Denise Bush
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'On Top Of The Ridge' © Denise Bush — ‘On Top Of The Ridge’ © Denise Bush

'Twisted Tree' © Denise Bush — ‘Twisted Tree’ © Denise Bush
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'Cedar Tree Sentinel' © Denise Bush — ‘Cedar Tree Sentinel’ © Denise Bush

'Aspen Hill at Sunset' © Denise Bush — ‘Aspen Hill at Sunset’ © Denise Bush
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Aspen Interlude

This is my first fall in Colorado and I was somewhat surprised by the number of people that flock to the Western Slopes to photograph the colorful and dramatic scenery. I met a number of photographers (and dogs) at my various stops. Some lived as close as my new hometown of Ridgway, many were from the front range near Denver and some lived as far away as Switzerland. It was fun meeting everyone, hearing their stories and sometimes sharing tips on where to go. With that said, there is also a benefit to photographing alone. The images in this post are from a recent shoot in a lovely aspen grove… all by myself. Here I was able to get into ‘the zone’… a sort of zen-like experience. Without distractions and outside influences I was in the moment, totally immersed in the trees and captures. It was a very enjoyable morning!

Several of these images are available as prints (framed, matted or unframed), canvas wraps, notecards and more! See the great selection of framing and other options by clicking on the links below the images. If you would like something not yet available, please let me know in the comment area and I will be glad to upload it for you.