Mike Amfahr’s Photography Blog
Winter is showing no signs of slowing down, with another wave of snow moving through this weekend. It is getting increasingly difficult to find joy from the seemingly endless winter, but I have tried to appreciate the beauty of the snowy woods. I found this image from Lake Ahquabi as a bright spot in the otherwise gray winter.
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With some decent temperatures finally moving in, I had a chance to spend several hours on a photo shoot at Lake Red Rock dam on the Des Moines River yesterday. It is a favorite spot of bald eagles, as well as pelicans, geese, ducks and enough fish for all of them. This juvenile eagle was circling the river in search of fish when I captured this “flyover”.
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One of our neighboring landowners has an old windmill that I always thought would make a good photo subject. Tonight was finally my chance to try it out as a beautiful winter sunset unfolded.
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Some people decorate their yards with artificial deer; this week we’ve had the real thing. With the bitter cold the deer that normally stay in the surrounding timber and fields have been hopping the fence, trading their timid nature for a chance to check out our bird feeders. This deer seemed to serenade us as it neared the house.
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During our brief visit to the Tetons this May, I headed up Signal Mountain on two different mornings to watch the sunrise. On this cool, crisp morning, fog was still hanging over Jackson Lake as I got to the summit before dawn. Before setting up to shoot the alpenglow on the peaks of the Tetons, I took this image near one of the parking areas. I liked the effect of how the fenced-in walkway fades quickly to the natural environment, as if civilization ends right at this point, leaving the natural world beyond untouched as far as the eye can see.
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Toward the end of our recent visit to central Colorado, I took Chief and scouted out the area near the Huron Peak trailhead. Just past the historic town of Winfield, we parked and hiked up the 4WD road in to a beautiful mountain valley. About 1.5 miles up the road, the buildings and tailings of the Banker Mine came in to view to our east. We checked out the area, and appreciated the duality of the hard life the workers must have had here, coupled with the gorgeous surroundings. This view is out the window of a long-abandoned cabin.
During the last evening of our recent trip to central Colorado, we headed to Independence Pass for the sunset. I walked up the path above the pass and waited for the nearly full moon to rise over the ridge to the east. I had photographed the moon over the peaks the previous two nights, but it had been higher in the sky; this time the moon seemed to rest on the ridge for a cool effect. This one was just before sunset at an elevation of over 12,000 feet.
During the first morning of our fall color trip, I headed to the Ditch Trail at the upper end of Snowmass Village. After just a few minutes, the view toward Mount Daly opens up above a stand of aspens; a great place to watch the first rays of the morning sun. I arrived a little early, and had to try to get my body to adjust to sub-freezing temperatures and icy winds as I waited for the sunrise. All was not lost, as a red fox trotted by on the slopes below me on its morning rounds, just before the view in this image unfolded.
Last week I took my first visit to the famous Crystal Mill near Marble. The historic site is actually an old steam generating station on the Crystal River, now partially restored and preserved. I passed on the 4×4 excursion and hiked the road, finding a fantastic display of fall color on my arrival. It is one of my favorites from the trip.
It’s fall color time again in the Rockies, and I’m looking back with fond memories of last year’s color. We spent most of our time last year around Ouray and Silverton, where colors were at their peak throughout the region, including this aspen stand near Dallas Divide. I can’t wait to get back this year…