Different Perspective

The last post was a view of Pike's Peak and some of the rock formations in the Garden of the Gods. In that image the rock formations really dominate the image framing the peak.

Today's photo is also of Pike's Peak and the Garden of the Gods, but from a very different and distant perspective. In the lower right quadrant of the image are the rock formations of the Garden of the Gods.

This photo is a panoramic consisting of 6 images stitched together.

Shadow Sandwich

Here is one of the frames from the time lapse experiment that I posted about last week. One of the things I learned is that one need not take the photos at the full RAW camera resolution in order to create an HD video. I glad that I didn't know that when I made the time lapse. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to have a full resolution version of this image.

Time lapse experiment results I

I've been wanting to do time lapse photography for a long time. After watching the sun rise and light up Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods many, many times. I thought that it would be the perfect location.

This is my first attempt. I did this to test out equipment, software, and techniques. I've got lots to learn.

I took 60 photos at 1 min intervals. I had to throw out the first 16 because they were basically black. One of the things I need to learn is how to handle this transition between night and day.

The video was created to display the photos at a rate of 1 per sec.

Big Mountain, Bigger Sky

I got bored recently with photography. Or maybe, I should say I've gotten bored taking pictures of the same old thing. I mean how many photos of Pike's Peak and Garden of the Gods do I need?

I guess the answer is more! Truthfully, I never get bored of watching the many faces of the peak. I just have this personality that gets obsessed with something and focuses a lot of time, energy and learning on that thing (photography, a game, dancing, poker, birding, etc). I devote myself almost solely to that subject. At least until the next interest comes along. It's all about ebb and flow. Time to catch that wave again.

Be sure to visit Skywatch Friday!

Sunrise on Pikes Peak and the Kissing Camels

I just returned from a long vacation in the Moab area, and a longer break from photography. There are a number of "reasons" for the break. I'm trying to take up running again, Kelly and I have been taking dance lessons, and I'm recovering from some surgery on my wrist. The surgery was no big deal, but it did leave me one-handed for awhile. To be honest, I'd have to say I've been a bit lazy as well.

This photo is not from the Moab area. It is from Colorado Springs. I'm only now posting it because I'm trying to learn how to use some new tools. I've been using Adobe Photoshop for a couple of years now. Recently, I got a very good deal on Lightroom and PS CS4. Currently its taking me much longer to do many tasks. However, I believe once I learn the tools, I'll be much faster.  For instance, I never had to take this photo into Photoshop.

One of the really nice things about Elements was the easy integration with uploading photos to Flickr or Smugmug. To do this with Lightroom 2, one must down load a plugin (for each sight).

Oh well, progress marches onward.

Pikes Peak Marathon

The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon were held this weekend. On Saturday, the race starts in Manitou Springs, elevation 6,300' (1,920m) and finishes at the Pikes Peak summit, 14,115' (4,302m). That's a 13.1 mile climb of 7,815' (2,382 meters) with an average grade of 11%. On Sunday, the Marathon is held. It's pretty much the same route, except that, at the summit, the racers turn around and run back down.

If you think the marathon is hard, consider that a number of people complete both the marathon and the ascent in the same weekend.

The photo above shows both the starting line and the summit house on top of the peak.

Kelly ran the marathon this year and finished in 7:09:41. That's about 1 hour improvement over last year. Awesome!

Sunrise on the peak before the Marathon start

That's part of my world. Be sure to visit My World Tuesday!

Pikes Pink

A 10-shot panorama of sunset on the north face of pikes peak.

Some of our 4th of July plans got rained out yesterday. I still fired up the grill, but did so under an umbrella while dodging lightening. Regardless, it was a great day to spend time with the family.

Off to the art fest!

The View

Today's photo is a continuation of yesterday's series. This is the view from the Devil's Head Fire Lookout towards the south at Pikes Peak. Sure looks small from this distance.

Be sure to visit Sepia Scenes to view some other sepia-toned images.

Zebulon

Sorry for the lack of posts the last few days. I've been a bit ill. I took Friday off to go camping up near Aspen, Co. However, I ended up staying in bed most of that day.

This is a statue of Zebulon Pike standing outside the El Paso County Courthouse in Colorado Springs. Behind him, you can catch a glimpse of the mountain that bears his name. Originally, he was facing towards the peak. He was moved when the county expanded the court house. I'm sure he is now wondering where that mountain went...

Many people believe that Zebulon stated that no one could ever climb the Peak. People from the Pikes Peak region find this immensely humorous, after all, many of them get to the summit by way of the Barr Trail, the Cog Railroad, or the Pike's Peak highway. In fact, 1000's of people run up the peak during the yearly Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathons (I've done the Ascent twice).

Actually, many historians believe that he said they could not climb it in the winter conditions found at the time he visited. According to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, the expedition was in summer uniforms and ill-equipped for the climb. Even though it is now June, the Peak is still covered with snow and would be a dangerous climb for anyone in summer clothing.

That's a part of my world - go to My World Tuesday to see others'.

Painter

Wordless Wednesday

Sunrise at the Park

Ute Valley Park - It is one of the best urban parks that I've ever seen. Perhaps, it's because I have such easy access to it. Ever since I moved to Colorado Springs, I've lived near it. There's a great little pond, an overgrown canyon, open prairie, great mountain biking, hiking and running trails, and great views of Pike Peak! Click here (Edit: Fixed link) to see all my posts of the Park. Additionally, it's a fairly quite park. Nearby Garden of the Gods can be packed with people on the roads; driving really slow and gawking. I feel so lucky to live close to the park, and I hope it show though my photos.

That's My World! Head over to My World Tuesday to see others'.

YAPP: Yet another Pikes Peak

Generally, I like Blogger. However, I really wish it had a better system to allow communications between people - maybe something more like Wordpress where you can have threaded comments. I've considered moving to Wordpress to get that feature, but their version of comment threads is only a partial solution (imho, it needs the ability to subscribe just to a thread) and I don't have the time to learn and create a new blog just for a partial solution. Anyway, I find it very, very awkward to maintain conversations.

This image is another shot of Pikes Peak. I never get bored of looking at the ever changing view of this beautiful Peak.

Be sure to point your browser over to Monochrome Maniacs for some great monochrome images.

From the Westering Sun

Here's another sunset shot from the series that I took at Mueller State Park. The park is just west of Pike's Peak. One cannot see the actual peak in this image, only the western slopes.

Be sure to visit Scenic Sundays before the next sunset.

PS: As is was a drizzly rainy day and I'm a bit of a desert rat, I created a banner for the blog. What do you thing?

Morning Reflections

Downtown Colorado Springs has a number of beautiful old historic buildings, statues, public art and, of course, great views of Pikes Peak. This shot, taken at sunrise, captures Pikes Peak and the St Mary's Catholic Cathedral as their images reflect off of the American Nation Bank building. I have to be careful driving downtown in the morning because I find this view distractingly dangerous.

That's my world. To view photos from around the world, travel on over to That's My World Tuesday.

Wordless Wednesday

Click here for other Wordless Wednesdays.

Skywatch Friday: It was a dark and stormy...

It looks pretty cold and windy up top as the storm blew through. I'm glad I was down here in the 'warm'.

Speaking of which, taking pictures in the cold has its own challenges. First off, its impossible to handle the camera while wearing nice cozy mittens. After a winter morning shoot, I usually can't feel my fingers anymore.

More important is the issue of bringing the now sub-zero camera into a nice warm, humid house. Condensation is not good for your camera. I used to collect the silica gel desiccants that come with some products (shoes, electronics, wicked witches, etc). By placing the desiccants and the cold camera equipment in a plastic bag until the temperatures equalize you can help keep moisture out of the camera and off of the lenses. Recently I found a silica gel desiccant product that can be reactivated in an ordinary oven. Unfortunately, I expect it to last for months before it needs to be reactivated - I guess I'll have to find another way to warm my numb, blue fingers.

Be sure to checkout other photos from Sky Watch Friday

Siamese Twin Arch

Here's a view of Pikes Peak as seen through the Siamese Twin Arch. I've been going to the Siamese Twins in Garden of the Gods quite often. There are a lot of interesting photos - if only I could capture them. This photo is about the 4th attempt of this view.

Click on this link to see another photo of the Siamese Twins. I'm still working on a shot that shows the whole formation.

See the angled, almost straight line going up the mountain? That is "The Incline" - the remains of an old cable car. It's a great hike and an awesome workout. A local running club, the Incline Club, used to use the Incline for training. Click on this link to see another picture of the incline.

Skywatch Friday: Raining Fire

I was at a friend's place the other night. Looking out the back, I saw a great sunset happening over the distant Pikes Peak. Luckily I tend to keep my camera with me, and took a few shots. The sky looked pretty impressive with this mass of dark clouds hanging over the mountain with a narrow band of color at the bottom.

Be sure to checkout other photos from Sky Watch Friday

PS: The title "Raining Fire" is from John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High"

Classic View

Here's a classic composition of Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. This shot has been done by many people. I've lived here for quite some time and decided that I finally needed to attempt it. Given the snow storm this week, I decided that this was a great time. I got to parking lot just before 6 AM. I discovered two other photographers had the same idea. Two or three others joined us in the next 1/2 hour. Like I said, it is a popular shot.

While I was there I captured a few less obvious shots. I'll share them in the coming weeks.

Click the link for other great shots from Scenic Sunday.

Skywatch Friday: Pikes Peak or Bust

Pike's Peak dominates the western skyline of Colorado Springs. The peak can be seen from many miles around, and served as a landmark for settlers making their way across the Kansas prairies.

The phrase "Pike's Peak or Bust" was a common motto of prospectors during the 1859 gold rush. There is a toll road that you can drive to the peak. Humorously, you pass through the "town" of Bust, CO (population 2).

Click the line for more great photos from SkyWatch Friday.