Redstone Winter - Colorado Landscape Photography

The winter wind is sharp today but the sun is bright as I walk down the dusty dry dirt road. It is unusual to be so dry in January. The warm sun is welcome none the less and takes the sting out of the cold air. The white bare trunks of the cottonwood trees catch my attention as they stand out prominently against the red sandstone cliff that gives this valley its name, Redstone Canyon. My home.

Redstone Winter
The valley of Redstone Canyon is named for the beautiful red sandstone cliffs found there. A winter stand of cottonwood trees with their white bark showing prominently provides a contrast against the sandstone cliff.
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Etsy JulieMagersSoulen

Icy Forest in Northern Colorado

My boots crunched on the icy crust of snow. My breath steamed. The dogs' whiskers stood out in frosty contrast to their dark coats. My camera was inside my coat, warm and ready for the shot I was after. I had arrived. I took my camera out, pulled off my mittens, and fumbled with the settings as my hands stiffened in the frigid air. Satisfied that I had captured the moment, I put the camera back inside my coat and pulled my mittens back on over numb fingers. Calling to the romping dogs I turned and then headed back up the steep incline with thoughts of returning to my warm home and crackling fire. You may want to have a cup of hot chocolate ready when you view this shot.

Icy Forest
A snowy Rocky Mountain pine forest with an icy patina in Northern Colorado.
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Etsy JulieMagersSoulen

Winter Garden

The winter garden is monochromatic unlike the chaotic cacophony of color in the summer garden. A frosted leaf or branch becomes the focal point, etching an abstract pattern against a cedar wall. A single dried flower against a backdrop of white invites one to look closer to see the abstract beauty of a seed. Have you been to a winter garden? What have you seen?

Frosted Coneflower
A single dried and frosty coneflower stands bravely against the elements of winter.
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Icy Cherry
The branches of a young Canadian choke cherry, lacy with frost, trace intricate lines before a cedar wall.
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Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

Crystalline Roses

Crystalline roses sparkled in the pale morning light. The fog drifted through the trees coating every leaf and bud with a shimmering cold frost. My breath steamed. My heart quieted. Every season has its own exquisite grace. I had discovered the shy secret beauty of a cold winter's day. A rose. How unexpected.

Rose Sparkle
Icy and sparkling in the dim winter light, a cluster of ruby red rose hips highlight the winter garden.
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Crystal Rose
Sparkling and frozen, cherry red rose hips dangle like Christmas ornaments from the old red twig rose bush on a frosty winter day.
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Crystalline Roses Set
This pair of sparkling cherry red rose hips photographs will bring the beauty of a winter garden inside your home.
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Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

February 2010 Calendar for your Computer

Can you believe that it is almost February 2010? It seems like we just finished the holidays. But it is true, next week it will be February and I wanted to give you another desktop wallpaper with the new month on it. I hope you enjoy!

download this free desktop wallpaper calendar for February 2010 here

Easy Instructions
After clicking on the above link
you will be at my Flickr page. Simply click on
"Download the Original size"
at the top left of the page.
The file will then download to your desktop!

Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

Natural Objects of Art

Nature is my inspiration. Do you remember when you were a child and every little flower and bug in your backyard fascinated you? It is still that way with me when I allow it. That is when I pull out my camera and recapture the natural world of my childhood. My recent photos have sparked a debate in my family as to which one is the "best" or a personal favorite. Tell me which one you prefer.

Mahogany Winter
A mountain mahogany bush with its russet winter leaves contrasts with the soft tones of a fresh snow in Colorado.
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Winter Blues
Bare winter branches thrust up through the snow in a spot of sunlight filtered by green pines.
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Frozen Granite
A large snow covered granite boulder shelters a lone golden stem of mullein, a remnant of summer past.

Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

Abstractions in Winter

A winter's walk turns into a meditation. As I amble down the narrow snow banked lane the quietness of the forest seeps into me. The mind's chatter of the many things to do fall away and are replaced with an eternal moment. The common thorny brush turns into a work of art against the fresh snow. A single pine needle catches my attention and becomes center stage, highlighted by the soft glow of a winter sun. I pause and gaze at the beauty, my attention so totally focused on the pine needle that time freezes along with my breath.

Thorns in Snow
A jagged bare bush pokes through the fresh snow providing a contrast between the soft snow and sharp thorns.
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Solitaire
A single pine needle rests lightly on a bed of icy crystals producing a moment of zen.
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Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen

Sunset on Water

The holidays are past. I had a wonderful Christmas with my family and a great New Years Day celebration too. I am rested and ready to jump back into photography. I have many goals for this new year and am happy that I have all of you to be my guides for this journey. I appreciate your comments on my work more than you know. So without further adieu...

The sun sets early in northern Colorado at the beginning of the year. In the summer four-thirty in the afternoon would be early enough in the day for many outdoor activities to still be done. But in the middle of the winter it is time to head for home and sip wine by the fire. That is exactly what I had planned on doing when I drove the serpentine road around the frozen lake. But my eye kept wandering from the road to the beautiful light reflected on the ice so I pulled the truck over to the roadside to take a few shots. I hope you enjoy the serene vista of a frozen lake at sunset in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Mahogany Ice
A hillside covered in Mountain Mahogany drops steeply to an ice covered lake reflecting the setting sun.
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Sunset on Water
The approaching evening of a cold winter day paints the frozen Rocky Mountain lake in the subtle tones of a peach and pink alpine glow.
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Etsy Buy Handmade JulieMagersSoulen