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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #217 – Opposites

Sprague Lake – Winter and Summer


This week, Tina challenges us to think in opposites. She writes, “How many times have you heard the phrase “opposites attract”? Having heard it, have you ever really thought about it? Whether yes or no, this is your chance to focus on it by sharing some examples of opposites through your images. Sunrise/sunset as above or black/white as below are two examples of opposites in nature. Can you think of others?“ You can read her entire challenge post here.

Rocky Mountain National Park is beautiful any time of the year, so this week, I picked two views from similar spots along Sprague Lake. I used the Image Compare tool to feature the two photos. Though I captioned the images “Winter and Summer”, the images were actually taken much closer together in the seasons, but about four years apart. The winter scene was taken in November. At that altitude in the mountains, the winter snows show up early in many years.

The summer photo was taken in mid-September, a summer day in most parts of the country, but at the high altitude, signs of fall are definitely visible.

Paria Viewpoint, Bryce Canyon

For my last set of opposites, another image pair, this set from Bryce Canyon’s Paria Viewpoint. If you look on the left side of the snow-covered image, you can see the spires that are featured in the first image.

We arrived at Bryce Canyon on a rainy, foggy afternoon. We headed into the park for a quick preview and saw our first view of the Paria area shrouded in fog and light rain falling. By the next morning, Paria Viewpoint was an entirely different scene after the season’s first snowfall.

I hope Tina forgives me for a shorter-than-usual post. We are on the road, now in upstate New York, traveling daily until the end of the month when we will be back in Fargo. For now, I’m signing off and getting ready to head to Niagara Falls for an excursion on Maid of the Mist and a 6-hour tour of the several falls in the complex.

The Lens-Artists team invites you to join in the weekly photo challenge. A new challenge is published every Saturday at noon, eastern time. If you’d like to participate but are unsure how to get started, you will find the details here.

John Steiner

40 comments

  6. Beautiful post John – I’m so envious of your snow-covered Bryce image. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen but even more glorious covered in snow!! Terrific opposites, thanks for joining us while you’re off the grid! Enjoy the falls, looking forward to those images too!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Tina. That morning only allowed us two viewpoints as all the main roads through the park were blocked with snow cover. We were very lucky to be there for the first snowfall of the season.

      Reply

  8. The contrasts are amazing! Our winters rarely get that cold, so we don’t have such a vast difference between summer and winter.

    I hope you enjoyed your visit to Niagara Falls, John, and I look forward to seeing and reading all about it!

    Reply

  13. Great contrasts John. I loved the icy Sprague Lake. And to see how different it looks in the summer. And Bryce. Breathtaking any season, but the snow gives the spires even more definitive lines, don’t they.Enjoy Niagara Falls, and the changing seasons. Donna

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  18. Stunning comparisons. I have seen photos of Bryce Canyon with and without snow and while I wonder if it will be easier to visit when there’s no snow, the snowy view is fascinating enough to keep me thinking about going there in winter.

    Reply

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