Narrow Margin

Yesterday I awoke very early to capture some sunrise shots. Rather stupidly on my part, I didn't check the weather report when I made these plans. The morning turned out very cloudy, misty and, ultimately, rainy.

My buddy and I threw our plans away and headed for Red Rock Canyon open space here in Colorado Springs. That's right, yet another Red Rock Canyon. I got very few photos worth keeping, but we had a great morning of hiking.

It's been a few years since I've visited this park. I'm now really eager to return as I saw lots of potentially interesting shots.

Hike over to Scenic Sunday for some other great scenes.

Rain in the Garden

This image of the Southern Gateway rock is another shot from my Garden of the Gods Series. It was raining up on the mountain, and it threatened to rain while I walked up to the ridge that overlooks the park. I got back to the car in time to prevent soaking the camera. This ridge is same place, but a different angle (and day) from that used in the Classic View shot. I fiddled around the with PSE a bit to bring out the structure in the clouds. It's really hard to capture them on a gray day. But the water really brings out the colors.

I did not take a single shot today. Instead, I worked all day on re-designing my website. Seemed like a good idea as today was also very damp and drizzly. I've gotten spoiled by being able to wear shorts the last few days...

Be sure to hike on over to Scenic Sundays.

Scenic Sunday: Colored Soils

Here's another shot from the Paint Mines Interpretive Park showing three of common color soils that you can find there.

Be sure to check out other Scenic Sunday posts.

My World Tuesday:The Tenacity of Life

This photo was taken the same time and place as the Classic View shot. I spend a lot of time in Garden of the Gods. I love finding different perspectives and seeing new things.

This is one view of my world. To see others from around the globe, visit My World Tuesday

Also, be sure to join me tomorrow for a very special Blast from the Past.

Geologic Layers

Earlier this year I spent some time shooting at the Paint Mines Interpretive Park. I got there early on a clear morning. Although the light was gorgeous, it was unsuitable for photographing the canyons. In retrospect, I realized that I what I really needed was diffuse light. I reckoned that it would fill in the shadows. Friday, I got the chance to test this hypothesis. This time, the sky was overcast. I arrived at the park around 11 AM. The light was bright and very diffuse, lighting up the interior of the canyon nicely. Overall, I think the light was easier to work worth. I can't wait to try again - in this canyon and others. I will be back to the Paint Mines as I don't feel that I've captured it adequately yet.

Follow this link for other scenes from a very Scenic Sunday

Abstact: Red and Blue

I live on the northwest side of Colorado Springs. At lunch I often take walks in Ute Valley Park, Garden of the Gods, along the Santa Fe Trail, etc. I, of course, take my camera. Familiarity and harsh noon light, makes it a challenging time to take pictures. But it is a great way to exercise, both physically and creatively. In a week of lunch time walks, I may take around 100+ pictures. Most of the pictures are experiments. Playing with different angles of familiar sights, unusual subjects, new techniques. Most of the are utter failures. This photo, I think, works. I like the simplicity of form and color in contrast with the great texture of the rock.

Sunrise at the Garden

I left the house before the sun came up this morning. It was -8 C and there was not a cloud in the sky. My objective: to get a shot of Pikes Peak lit by the rising sun. I did get a few shots like that. I'll post one later. This shot is of the gorgeous morning light on some of the rock formations in the Garden of the Gods park.

Rework

Here's a shot I took at the Paint Mine's park near Colorado Springs. Although I liked the original, I thought it lacked some punch. Here's a slight edit of the photo. I reset the black and white points, removed some color cast and added a little sharpening. I think this is pretty good...