Six Winter Aspens, Colorado

Almost three years ago we took a short road trip to the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado.  We never visit in the winter.  To me it is a place of wildflowers and waterfalls, alpine lakes and cool summer nights below big peaks and even bigger starry skies.  But we were bored with Moab and needed an escape so we packed up the truck and took off for the mountains.  Somewhere near Telluride I spotted these bare aspens in a vast snow covered field set against a moody sky.  The next thing I knew I was parked on the side of the road and had my 100-400mm lens mounted to the camera composing this scene.  I was so excited that I’d forgotten to throw on gloves or a hat.  Within minutes of working the metal lens and ballhead with bare fingers in those cold temperatures my hands had been rendered painfully useless.  I packed up and jumped back in the truck to thaw out the clubs at the end of my arms.

I knew right away that I’d made an image that excited me but it wasn’t until I downloaded the files that I realized just how much I loved the photograph.  It’s hard for me to quantify what it is about this photo that makes it one of my favorite photos from the last ten years of photography.  There was no epic adventure behind it, no heartwarming story of love or loss – it’s just a simple, roadside photo.  It isn’t colorful nor is it blessed with ridiculous, once in a lifetime light.  But something about it calls out to me.

Does there have to be a reason?  Do we have to identify what it is about an image that is so attractive to us?  I think not.  I tried for a while to figure out what it is about those bare aspens that I love so much but never came up with an answer.  These days, I don’t worry about it.  I just look at it and smile.

Read “My Favorite Photos of the Decade – Part Six” here