Colorado-based photographer Connor Scalbom thinks there is something special about winter landscape photography. He’s traveled all over the state to capture its colorful landscapes, using cameras like the Sony Alpha 7 III and Sony Alpha 7R III paired with lenses like the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II, Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master and Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. Keep reading as he shares his favorite spots to photograph winter landscapes across the Centennial State.

Top 3 Winter Landscape Locations

Crested Butte

Right off the bat, Connor recommends heading to the western side of Colorado. He says his hometown of Crested Butte is a spot that’s becoming more popular and for good reason. He loves photographing here because you get a combination of street and landscape photography. The town itself is an adorable winter village, like something out of a snowglobe. Then, set against the impressive landscape, it’s a photographer’s dream – offering countless compositions and opportunities to be creative.

Telluride

Crested Butte is a great stop on the way to another one of his favorite places – Telluride. The rugged mountains are widely known for alpine skiing, and also make the perfect subject for landscape photographers. With countless hiking trails to make interesting landscapes and an iconic main drag with a view of the mountains, it’s a winter wonderland.

Telluride is known widely for its alpine skiing. And those same rugged mountains are great for landscape photographers. There are countless hiking trails to make interesting landscapes. You can also just spend time in the town, there is an iconic main drag with a view of the mountains. 

San Juan Mountains

The San Juan Mountain Range covers the southern part of the Colorado Rockies. It has quite a few jagged volcanic peaks, alpine lakes and other diverse and beautiful terrain. There are many spots to explore within the region, and Connor particularly loves Ouray, a quaint mountain town that lends itself to photography. 

“The mountains look quite different in Telluride and San Juan,” he says. “In Denver the mountains seem more gradual and clustered together, but in Telluride and San Juan they seem to stand on their own. You have a lot of deep valleys that are kind of like box canyons, and it’s pretty wild when you get there and look at it. They’re a lot more photographable and a lot more beautiful, in my opinion.”

Get Creative – Find Your Own Favorite Spots!

To find your own great spots, Connor recommends looking online. “You can find a bunch of great blogs that list places to check out. But that means those are pretty popular. You should avoid shooting the same composition you’ve seen over and over again. You have to get pretty creative.”

He also says he always gets up early to just explore the area. This has led him to find some great hidden gems. “Sometimes you don’t find anything, but other times it totally pays off.”

See more of Connor Scalbom’s work on Instagram @connography_.