Snow Tango Part 2

Snow Tango 2Cottonwood trees seem to be dancing in a Colorado spring snow storm near Crested Butte.

This morning at breakfast one of the other "regulars" at Paradise Cafe mentioned that part of this iconic couple had fallen to the ground. I had to drive down to the site to, sadly, confirm that he seemed to have dropped his partner in the dance.

The tire-swing had fallen a few years ago and for a few winters had been decorated with Christmas lights. I did not get that photo! Now, today, the tango has ended. These changes to an iconic scene remind me as I hurry to and fro that I might not get a second chance to photograph a location as I see it today. Stop the car. Take the photo. Even if the scene is not perfect. Take the photo. It may be my last chance.

I have had the opportunity to photograph these trees many times and I have frequently stopped and taken their picture. With each stop and edit, a vision develops about how I can capture not just a snapshot of the scene but how I can create a unique image. That's my job. To create, capture, save, present, and archive my unique point of view or vision for a scene is my job. Considering the scene above, I loved the fresh snow that helps define the delicate branches against the foggy surroundings. The fog removes all the color from the scene except for the trees creating a surreal landscape photograph. The atmosphere was fantastic! I did not even see the tango element of the photograph until I posted it to social media in search of a title. One of my best college friends offered the title "Spring Tango". Since spring snow is a rarity in most of the country, it became "Snow Tango" instead.

This is the second edit of this photograph. The first one is all white without the vignetting around the trees. This second version has more depth and is more interesting, in my opinion. I guess I'll have to live with this version since he has dropped his partner leaving the scene completely changed.