Elk Avenue Big Snow

Elk Aveune Big SnowSnow came quickly and in abundance early in the winter of 2007-2008 in Crested Butte, Colorado blanketing the colorful, Victorian era shops with tons of fresh white powder.

Today we're getting the first big snowstorm of our winter season. It's about two months late, but we're thrilled to see it. 

It's amazing the transformation our little town makes under fresh, deep powder. It becomes like a movie set. In fact, it has been just that a few times back in the day. Walking down Elk Avenue, our main street, feels like walking into a fairy tale. It was especially so during the winter of 2007-2008. We had nearly 400 inches of snowfall that winter. The snowbanks between the street and sidewalk provided a safe, quiet haven as you walked by the colorful shops and restaurants. Besides being a magical experience, it provided some pretty great photos. Several of my most popular images were captured that winter. They continue to excite the magic eighteen years later.

Photographers and artists get excited for our big snowstorms because they create a big change in our everyday scenery. That change does not last very long, though. Even before it quits snowing, the plows and shovels come out to help us get around, walk without falling, and find a place to park, spoiling the freshly fallen powder. But the opportunity for new, different photos is awesome and puts us all to work at the crack of dawn.

Everyone else gets excited because it means that we may have great wildflowers next summer, and the rivers and lakes will fill up, sending precious water down the rivers to millions of our friends and neighbors.

I like this particular photo and composition because it shows almost a complete block of buildings buried under fresh, deep snow. The Old Town Hall building with the bell tower, and being the tallest, at the right end of the lineup, anchors the composition and provides a place for your eyes to land. Compositionally, it's all about finding good lighting on a great subject, then leading your eye through the image. The line of the snowbank against the shops provides a bit of a leading line as well. This photograph was taken about 20 minutes before sunrise so the light is nice and soft. It was followed by a yummy breakfast at Paradise Cafe. And, that's why I like "Elk Avenue Big Snow".