• snow,  winter scenes

    Quiet Snowfall

    March 6, 2013
    Quiet Snowfall

    A quiet winter snowfall is quiet for a couple of reasons. First snow does not reflect sound well, it absorbs it so that much of what you would normally hear is muffled. The pores in the snow cover are responsible for the quiet conditions. When acoustic waves travel horizontally above the snow, the increased pressure of the wave momentarily pushes some air into the pores. This air returns to the atmosphere after the wave passes, but some energy has been lost from friction and thermal effects. Over a short distance, this mechanism can significantly reduce the sound energy in the acoustic wave. Secondly, most animals seek shelter when it snows and therefore there are many less bird sounds immediately after a snow storm. I guess you could include a third reason, most people stay inside when it snows.

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  • Cityscapes/Urban,  landscape,  natural areas,  trees,  winter scenes

    No Game Today

    February 24, 2013
    Roland Moore Park

    It”s Sunday morning so I spent my morning in the Cathedral of Nature. There was a special winter storm program going on and I didn’t want to miss it. The snow starting falling last night around midnight and is expected to continue all through the day. With these conditions who wouldn’t want to be out there exploring it. Before I’d gone far I noticed the basketball courts in the park and stopped to grab a shot. No games today. My next stop was the Arapahoe Bend Nature Area. About the time I arrived the wind had picked up so I was not able to stay our there as long as I wanted. It is so quiet during a snow storm. Birds are not singing but nestled against the wind and snow. And, that quiet is meditative and soothing. Now it may be a soup day and a good book.

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  • sunrises

    County Road 26

    January 14, 2013
    Sunrise on County Rd 26

    “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” ― John Steinbeck

    I’ve had enough. Winter is not my favorite season. That may sound strange coming from someone who has lived most of his life in Colorado. Yes, I know, winter has much to offer for those who are brave enough to bare the cold. I do not ski, downhill or cross country, but I do enjoy snowshoeing. It’s more my speed.

    I remember as a teenager going the fair grounds where the city would flood one of the older buildings with a couple inches of water, let it freeze, making a skating rink out of it. After taking several laps, and our hands were cold, we’d stop and warm ourselves at the large wood burning stove. Good memories.

    I am heading for warmer temperatures, Phoenix to be exact, with anticipation of celebrating my dad’s 84th birthday on the 17th. Heck their lows have only been in the mid 30’s. The above image was taken last winter on one of those cold mornings along County Road 26. I’m out of here.

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  • animals,  landscape,  snow,  winter scenes

    A Cold Winter Day

    December 26, 2012
    Animal Tracks

    Christmas day was cold out here. The high only reached 15 degrees. The sun came out in the early afternoon, offering glimpse of blue sky, so I drove out east looking for winter scenes. I had a location and scene in mind but it did not offer me what I wanted. With the attitude of not giving up I found these animal tracks interesting. I was not the only one looking at animal tracks as it seemed like there was a hawk or falcon perched in a tree every mile or two. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

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  • Art,  leaves

    The Feeling

    November 2, 2012

    Fallen Leaves

    “The photographic process is so simple. A gorilla took a picture used on a National Geographic cover. There is a danger in that photography is so easy. The taking is easy. The feeling is difficult.” – Paul Martin Lester

    I can be drawn to a technically perfect image, standing in awe of the photographers skills. However, I most enjoy an image full of power, tugging at something inside of me or speaking to me but not necessarily a technically well done image. I wonder if that is due to my inabilities to always create technically perfect images. I have found this to be true when assessing a series of images I may have taken from one scene. Out of 100 images there may be one that just shouts. It could be due to composition, the changing light, a bird moving through the scene, the reshaping of clouds, a person walking into the scene, a boat that suddenly appears on the water, a smile or change in posture that suddenly appears in a portrait. Somehow within that one image I find a feeling. The other 99 may not have it.

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