Photo Round-up: Water, Coming and Going

A thundercloud rolls through the Yampa Valley, near Hayden, Colorado, bringing much-needed rain on June 5, 2010. (Photo/Elaine Cromie)

With last month as the driest March on record for Boulder, we take a look at the importance of water in human lives and on the planet. Our photographers and greater community explore water in various forms: water as vapor and as liquid, water in abundance, water scarcity and water for sale.

Ali Bibbo of Boulder, Colo. relaxes in hot springs near Potosi, Bolivia. The hot springs draw many tourists and locals alike to warm up from the low regional temperatures. Photographer: Elaine Cromie is a third-year news editorial major with an emphasis in photojournalism and visual story-telling. She is taking the third of three photojournalism classes offered at CU and is a regular contributor to The Boulder Stand.

Water diverted around a branch wedged next to a large granite boulder shows the force of the flow of Boulder Creek in August 2011. Photographer: Gavin Griffin is a sophomore at CU and currently taking Advanced Photography within Journalism and Mass Communication.

Water feeds all living things. In this shot a fresh batch of mushrooms stand tall amid the morning dew alongside a trail in California’s Point Reyes National Seashore. Photographer: Brendon Bosworth, the Boulder Stand’s editor, took the shot during a trip to California last November.

Americans buy roughly 28 billion bottles of water each year. At one point in her life, the photographer contributed to that number, thinking that only bottled water was clean water. Then, after living in Asia and not having a choice, she began to realize just how lucky Americans are. Most of us in this country can walk to the nearest facet, turn it on, and actually drink straight from the tap. Amazing! Cheers to drinking from the tap! Photographer: Kre Reischel is a marketing professional who traveled Asia, the South Pacific and Europe to climb and to explore the culture.

Check out an extended album of Elaine Cromie’s images of water on our Facebook page.

And join us next week as we explore the theme “engineered landscapes.” Rural settings that still show the ways in which we affect the world around us. Tunnels, mowed lawns, planted fields, whatever you surprise us with. If you’d like to participate, send your shots to beth[at]theboulderstand.org. Please include the date the picture was taken, why the photograph is relevant to the theme, the location as specific as you’re able to give, the names of any prominent faces, and a short bio. Then check back here on Friday to see what makes it in.