Someone need new glasses?

A field of wildflowers at Roxborough State Park. I applied an Orton Effect to the photo. I really like this effect on some photos. It gives the image a real painterly feel to it. What do you think? Do you like or dislike this effect? How do you feel about manipulating photos in the first place?

Starting tomorrow, I'll be on vacation for the next week. We have some family visiting and we'll be doing some travel around Colorado. I may or may not have a chance to post.

Until then, happy shooting!

2:30 AM

Yesterday was one of the few days that Roxborough State Park opened early enough to allow people to shoot the sunrise. They opened at 5:00AM for the 5:35AM sunrise. I've been wanting to catch one of these sunrise openings. The early openings in April and May were raining, overcast days. Today was the day!

I made sure I got there about 4:30AM so that I stood a good chance of getting the spot I scouted out during my last trip (see Scouting Roxborough). I was the third in line at the gate. Over the next 40 minutes (yes, the ranger was late), the line of cars waiting grew to 13. It felt like a race - not a relaxing morning of hiking and shooting! Once we all got to the parking lot, I grabbed by camera bag and tripod. The ranger asked me if I'd seen the bear as we were driving in. I had - it was a good size bruin. Too bad it was too far away to get a photo. Somebody used that diversion to get to the spot I scouted out. However, this second choice of place is not too bad either.

The whole time I was here and taking shots, I keep thinking to myself that I was missing the real show. The sky to the east had a fair amounts of clouds and looked like it may be the best sight. I decided to stay where I was because I didn't know of any good spots from which to shoot the eastern sky.

As with most photo trips I take, I learned something: when scouting a location, look for other possible alternative angles/shots depending on possible alternative weather and light conditions.

After capturing a number of versions of this popular composition, I hiked around a bit looking for compositions and subjects that express my style a bit more. Some of these photos are sure to appear in future posts.

Oh, and the title? That’s the horrible time that I had to wake up at in order to get this shot…

Be sure to visit Scenic Sundays!

Scouting Roxborough

Last weekend I decided to drive up to Roxborough State Park. near Denver, CO. It was a bit of a risk because we were having a snow storm, and the drive involves going over the Palmer divide, a notoriously messy drive in bad weather. To my surprise, I found it to be raining on that side of the divide.

Roxborough park features red, white and yellow sandstone formations. You can find similar formations all along Colorado's front range. I took the trip to scout out locations for a sunset shoot. It's a good idea to know the area somewhat before stumbling around in the dark looking for a good place to catch the rising sun.

At the park entrance, I read that the park opens at 8:00AM. Bummer. When I inquired about the chances of getting in early, I found that the park generally opens once a month to allow photographers in for sunrise shooting! Now, I just need to set the alarm and somehow wake up at 2:30AM on the appointed day.

Be sure to point your browser to Scenic Sunday for other great scenery.