Thought this might be the perfect time to get my spring solstice, end of winter newsletter published! Coincidentally, I just got back a couple of rolls of film that I’ve been working on throughout the winter, just in time for this publication.
I had a roll of Kodak Portra 160 film loaded in my Canon EOS 7 film camera with the intention of shooting some street photography and sporting events including closeup images of people, which never seemed to materialize. But I thought the film did a beautiful job on this doe mule deer standing in the snow.
I also had a roll of Ilford FP4 125 speed film loaded in my old Canon A-1, with the intention of shooting some nice bright detailed wildlife images in snow. That never quite seemed to materialize either, but I did get a few captures that I like. Unfortunately, it has been a long time since I have shot film in bright snow and I was too lazy to use my incident meter, which by the way, I had with me at the time. So the result was a lot of underexposed captures.
However the combination of a slightly underexposed image coupled with blowing snow during a cold winter storm, resulted in the above capture that I find very interesting. It reminds me of the images of some of the early pictures from expeditions to Mount Everest! Perhaps this could be Edmund Hillary traversing a snow field!
The Portra seemed to add to the coldness of this winter scene, with it’s slight blue cast. I thought the frost on these winter aspen trees looked quite stunning!
The detail produced by the FP4 on this old abandoned gold mine and head frame made this one of my favorites from my winter of shooting.
I worked hard to capture some motion blur of the South Platte River drifting through the frozen canyon. You can see a faint hint of the golden light of sunrise in the water just before it spills over the boulders.
A Few of My Favorites
Here are a few more of my favorites from a winter of shooting film. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as enjoyed the shooting!
What Do I Have Planned for Spring
Springtime is one of my two favorite times of the year for photography, falling only slightly behind autumn due to it’s magnificent colors and wildlife action. Of course I’m charging the batteries for my digital Canon R7 as the great blue heron and osprey prepare to return, but I’m also excited to break out my Kodak Ultra 400 film stock, which has been my favorite color film thus far. I enjoy the speed boost of 400 speed film, and the colors and contrast of that stock are quite stunning.
A New Book
After a year off from book writing, I’ve recently been encouraged by sales of Thundering Hooves at a bookstore I’ve been working with. Simultaneously, I’ve gotten an idea for the next book in my series of wildlife novels is starting to formulate. I had considered ending my book writing endeavors, but our new wolves are under constant attack, and Colorado’s wolf project is in danger of being halted in it’s infancy as ranchers and politicians work on a ballot measure to repeal the wolf plan approved by Colorado voters. Despite public outcry, the government is continuing unabated with it’s efforts to eradicate wild horse herds from the western landscape, at the behest of the ranching industry. As I discussed the war on wildlife in a Substack note, the title of my next installment came to me… Obviously, The War on Wildlife will be a great title for the book!
Wildlife Advocacy
I know the plans of the new republican administration for our wildlife are disheartening, but now is not the time to roll over. I urge you to incessantly contact your state and federal representatives to make your opinion known. I’ve already written to Doug Burgum, the new Secretary of Interior to voice my opinion about their plans for our wild horses, and to DOGE to suggest that as a cost savings they eliminate the entire Wildlife Services division of the USDA.
I will also be trying to counter the narrative being spread by ranching propagandists about livestock losses to wolves, by publishing the total numbers of wildlife losses to the harsh winter, disease, car collisions, etc. I haven’t found a source for those numbers yet, but it is my intention to find it. Let me know if you have any information about that for me.
Looking Forward to Warm Weather
In any case, I’m looking forward to the warm weather and a busy summer of photography!
Steven W. Krull is a renowned photographer and author who has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Please visit his website at S.W. Krull Imaging to view his work, including thousands of prints for sale, stock images for commercial use, and his library of published books.
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Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 