The First Snow of the Year

Today was full of dramatic weather.  Lots of low clouds and most importantly, the first snow of the year.  We didn't get any at the house but up around 10,000 feet they got a few inches.

I went out to get a tool for my irrigation system and just couldn't resist all the interesting pictures.  Jasper and I spent the next two hours or so poking around.  The cloud deck was just above Park City's famous white barn.

Heading up into Guardsman Pass, the trees are changing and the clouds were swirling.

And snow!  Jasper was romping around and chasing snowballs.  I don't know why he likes snow as much as he does.  I think he was meant to be a husky.

Even without any real sunlight, the aspens were quite pretty.  I hope to get some nicer shots of these tomorrow morning.

Looking back towards Park City, you can see all the different types of clouds.

For about 5 minutes, the sun poked through a hole in the clouds and lit up little sections. It was gorgeous!

I was trying to figure out how to get the lighting right for the clouds and the trees.  I finally decided the only way was an HDR composite.

Then I went over the top (artsy) and tried a very dramatic look.  I know it isn't realistic, but it actually does a better job of capturing the mood.

Lots of photography opportunities in the next few days!