In the garden-3 shots added

Yep, another shot from the GOGs...but I received a pleasant variation...fog We headed down at 5:30am yesterday to get some sunrise shots. The pea soup disappeared as soon as we got to I 25 and was clear all the way. The sunrise over Pike's was not too spectacular (it looked better behind me over the visitors center.) About 10 minutes after shooting we were in the park looking for things to shoot. All this fog started rolling in from the east so I thought some opportunities might appear. What a major change this made to the landscape. This is one of the shots I took. Comments and critiques most welcome.

Pam

That's a really strong comp, Pam. I used to enjoy foggy times in the Garden on a regular basis when I lived in the Springs, so this brings back memories.

I really like the fog as well, I'm glad someone was able to make use of it since I was stuck at work.

Great shot! Love the mood to this image!

I like it!

Ken

This is great! It really gives a feelling of "place" and defines the conditions at the same time.
with a strong anchoring foreground.

Don

Thanks very much guys. Your feedback is very helpful in helping me decide what images have impact and might be worthy of printing.

Pam

I am adding a few more shots from Thursday morning. Derek, here is a shot with the moonset visible. No clouds in the way here but it changed over quite rapidly to the fog in the first shot.

Pam

This one shows the lack of clouds at sunrise. In about 1/2 hour all sorts of clouds had come up behind Pike's peak......figures! You can just see the start of that to the lower left of the peak.

Pam

This was taken about 15 minutes after sunrise was complete. We ventured into the park and took this of Balanced rock with the moon visible. Clouds/fog were obscuring the sun in the east by this time.

Pam

Pam: I really like the moonrise on your 1st 'clear shot', if you can get any more detail out of the foreground, that would be a great shot. To be honest, ill disagree with the previous comments on the fog shot for the following reasons: It's unclear what the focus is, the plant or the fog/landscape. If it's the plant, the fog obviously isn't affecting it so the atmosphere is 'wasted' in a sense. If it's the landscape, the fog again is 'wasted' since it doesnt really obscure anything (the landscape is pretty undramatic) and the clear plant just distracts. I think for a fog shot to work well, the fog has to be a big dramatic element, and it isn't in this shot.

Pam,

Thanks for sharing your moon shots. I wouldn't have minded if had 'hijacked' my thread as I have been wanting to see what other folks have done in attempting to catch the moonset. It is amazing how much the moon moves during its cycle. It is much more southern than when I shot it on Monday. Although it does arc from south to north as it drops.

I agree with Stan about the first shot with the moon as well as the fog shot and the plant. I think you might be able to crop some of the foreground (a bit flat) out of the sunrise shot to emphasize the great colors in the sky.

- Derek

Stan, while I do value your thoughts on these images let me tell you mine. The second image (moonset)...the FG is not terribly worthy of notice so while I could've lifted the detail I chose not to. I feel the interest is the BG and sky. Too much focus on the FG would've made the eye linger too long on a spot not deserving it. The way I left the processing is much more true to conditions as they were. In actuality, this is not a thrilling shot at all. The only reason I posted it was for Derek's curiosity regarding current moonset in GOGs. Derek, cropping the FG would've eliminated the small leading snow trail in the left FG which I liked. Again, enough explanation for a mediocre image. As for the first shot with the yucca/fog.....I had no thought towards an aesthetically pleasing landscape while shooting this. I was seeing more of the opposition going on between the prickly, sharp, bright colored plant and the soft, muted rocks in the BG. While composing through the viewfinder this comp clicked "yes" in my head. I'm sure this sort of shot rankles with the purists. I believe in breaking rules and looking outside the box while shooting. Being too tied to "the rules" is not a good axiom for me personally but I can appreciate how it might not sit well with others. Thanks again for commenting and for allowing my thoughts.

Pam