Winter Storm Over Ute Mountain
from Mesa Verde, Colorado
2004
from Mesa Verde, Colorado
2004
BW66002006
Driving across Colorado during a winter storm doing photography is always a gamble: I risk getting stuck in deep snow on a mountain pass or in
the deep mud of the desert; having scary drivers sliding out of control and wrecking into my vehicle; or being scary myself and wrecking into
something because I was speeding up a twisty, switch-backed road chasing the light and clouds. And to top it off, I'm doing all of this while
knowing that I'm missing out on a great powder day on the slopes! But the rewards can outweigh the gratification of a single powder day... With
the constantly changing light encountered driving through waves of a storm and glimpses of some of the most interesting clouds to be found in
the Inner-Mountain West, opportunities abound for wonderful photographs!
I took this shot of Ute Mountain at an overlook as I drove across the plateau of Mesa Verde. The clouds parted for at least an hour as I waded
through thigh-deep snow (I forgot my snowshoes, again...) to the best angle for this shot. The afternoon sun lit up the storm clouds as the snow
still fell on Ute Mountain, in the Ute Mountain Reservation near Cortez. The geomorphology of Mesa Verde, highlighted by fresh snow, gave the
composition some interesting added form and texture. The surreal tree provided contrasting foreground to complete the composition.
A friend, Carrie Bogdan, wrote to me about this photograph, sharing that it made her "feel exhalted, haunted, and lonely all at once...." Me too.
the deep mud of the desert; having scary drivers sliding out of control and wrecking into my vehicle; or being scary myself and wrecking into
something because I was speeding up a twisty, switch-backed road chasing the light and clouds. And to top it off, I'm doing all of this while
knowing that I'm missing out on a great powder day on the slopes! But the rewards can outweigh the gratification of a single powder day... With
the constantly changing light encountered driving through waves of a storm and glimpses of some of the most interesting clouds to be found in
the Inner-Mountain West, opportunities abound for wonderful photographs!
I took this shot of Ute Mountain at an overlook as I drove across the plateau of Mesa Verde. The clouds parted for at least an hour as I waded
through thigh-deep snow (I forgot my snowshoes, again...) to the best angle for this shot. The afternoon sun lit up the storm clouds as the snow
still fell on Ute Mountain, in the Ute Mountain Reservation near Cortez. The geomorphology of Mesa Verde, highlighted by fresh snow, gave the
composition some interesting added form and texture. The surreal tree provided contrasting foreground to complete the composition.
A friend, Carrie Bogdan, wrote to me about this photograph, sharing that it made her "feel exhalted, haunted, and lonely all at once...." Me too.
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