Our first snowstorm of the season came rushing through the Wind River Canyon, and Thursday morning before 7 A.M. the electricity popped off.  This isn't unexpected in the canyon, and is just an inconvenience that you learn to live with when you live in the mountains.  We have to drive eight miles to make a phone call; we were told we'd be back on by ten o'clock.  The power was off for five hours, it came on just before their lunch break.  I'm smiling as I write this, because it is funny when you deal with life in the high-country.

     When the electricity went off I didn't even know it; I was outside photographing some beautiful, ethereal mountain light again.  Fall in the canyon is a wonderfully colorful time of the year, and early mornings are especially fragrant.  The smells bring back long forgotten memories of childhood under the huge oaks of Ohio.  I was jarred back to reality when my wife wanted to know, "What happen to the electricity!?"  I didn't even know it was off, I told her.  

     It became obvious we were going to get cold in a hurry.  Do I build a fire or wait for the Sun to break the eastern rim, and warm things up down here in this giant tear in the earth?  The light was great and it was warming up, so we let the Sun warm us up under the junipers, down by the creek.

     The lite snow melted almost instantly the Sun lit it up, and those crystal-clear mountain droplets just hung there on the branches of the pines.  I saw our star shining through the drips and wondered if I could take advantage.  You need to stop your lens down to narrow the aperture, and this will make our Sun a real star!  

     I processed the RAW files in the Canon software, since they should know best....right?  Then on to Lightroom for some finishing touches; more saturation, sharpness and some noise reduction.  Maybe a little more yellow and a bit of red, and that will do it.  Then add all the metadata, which takes some patience and typing.  But I'm told by "experts" it's important to some giant entity; any guesses as to whom?  Our favorite file has a magical appearance that Tinkerbell could fly through at any moment.  The colorful plant is known as the Red Willow by Native Americans.  The stars are not caused by some filter or special effects. Red Willow and Stars - Wind River CanyonRed Willow Fall Foliage with Stars from Melted Snow photographed in the Wind River Canyon, Wyoming.      A larger monitor will enhance the appearance of the stars and the color of the leaves.  This is no software trick; anyone can do it with a quality camera and some practice.  Perfectly melted mountain snow and canyon light not included.  Have loads of patience..........

     Wind River Canyon Blog and photography by Michael John Balog - Hogbats Photography - Wind River Canyon, Wyoming.

     *Visit Hogbats Photography for award-winning Hummingbird photographs and more from the Wind River Canyon.