I've been recommending Emerald Point to folks looking for a spot around Breckenridge. At the same time, I've never shot sunrise from here (though I have been here many times). It always seems like I'm on my way to somewhere else. Last weekend, I was finally in Breckenridge with nowhere else to be, so I made the short trip out swan mountain road to emerald point trail.
Normally I would have used a longer lens to give the peaks more prominence in the frame, but I really like the little clouds this morning and wanted to include them in this way. Also, there were some scattered clouds to the east which killed most of the aplenglow on the peaks. I shot several focal lengths this morning and part of the reason I chose this one is that I liked the sweep of the lake and the clouds through the image. I also liked the symmetry of the soft white clouds and the jagged white rocks. I'm sure Todd won't like that the water is lighter than the sky, but I thought that it gave it a more surreal appearance like a pool of mercury.
Anyways, I'm back off to Breck this afternoon. I hope to get some good stuff while I'm out.
Posted by Jesse Speer on July 13, 2007 at 12:04 PM
This is a beautiful photo Mel. Great composition.
Posted by Doug Andrews on July 13, 2007 at 12:20 PM
Very nice Mel. Love those clouds. The colors seem a little washed out in the lower half of the shot.
Posted by Don Bartram on July 13, 2007 at 12:22 PM
I don't know what the other focal lengths looked like but this one is great. I think the clouds are a real asset.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on July 13, 2007 at 12:53 PM
Doug,
Could you be more specific? On my monitor, things look OK.
I think this is a great photograph.... well-balanced composition and beautiful color. Nice work!
Posted by Doug Andrews on July 13, 2007 at 1:12 PM
Mel, the colors of the rocks and trees just seem rather pale looking. Not washed out from overexposure, just pale (for lack of a better word). I thought maybe it's my monitor, but the upper part of the sky has a nice rich blue to it.
Gotcha.Thanks for the clarification. I wasn't sure if there was something wrong when I saved the image for web presentation. The rocks are a weird white color like new cured concrete. There is a combination of black and green lichens growing on them. I really haven't seen rock outcroppings like this in many other places around Breckenridge. This is what they look like in the daytime. They're picking up the blue from the shade and maybe some magenta off the clouds in this shot.
The beetle kill is unbelievable this year. We've been going to Breckenridge since I was born. There has been beetle kill along this section for a long time, but it was always just a few trees. The last couple years have been SHOCKING. The Frisco side of the lake is absolutely decimated. Just outside this view, they are basically clear cutting to remove the dead trees. The effects on erosion and the ability of the soil to hold water are going to be profound. I don't know how they could possibly keep up at this point.
I also noticed bad beetle kill in the White River forest especially around Tennessee Pass and Homestake Res. when I went to Holy Cross. The low altitudes look like Frisco did five years ago. If we don't receive significant rainfall, it won't be long before it looks like this.
I've noticed the dramatic beatle kill in Summit this year. What's even more SHOCKING is driving Hwy 9 along the Gore Range. It looks like fall colors out there, in the pines. Scary.
Discussion
17 repliesI've been recommending Emerald Point to folks looking for a spot around Breckenridge. At the same time, I've never shot sunrise from here (though I have been here many times). It always seems like I'm on my way to somewhere else. Last weekend, I was finally in Breckenridge with nowhere else to be, so I made the short trip out swan mountain road to emerald point trail.
Normally I would have used a longer lens to give the peaks more prominence in the frame, but I really like the little clouds this morning and wanted to include them in this way. Also, there were some scattered clouds to the east which killed most of the aplenglow on the peaks. I shot several focal lengths this morning and part of the reason I chose this one is that I liked the sweep of the lake and the clouds through the image. I also liked the symmetry of the soft white clouds and the jagged white rocks. I'm sure Todd won't like that the water is lighter than the sky, but I thought that it gave it a more surreal appearance like a pool of mercury.
Anyways, I'm back off to Breck this afternoon. I hope to get some good stuff while I'm out.
Could you be more specific? On my monitor, things look OK.
Mel-
The beetle kill is unbelievable this year. We've been going to Breckenridge since I was born. There has been beetle kill along this section for a long time, but it was always just a few trees. The last couple years have been SHOCKING. The Frisco side of the lake is absolutely decimated. Just outside this view, they are basically clear cutting to remove the dead trees. The effects on erosion and the ability of the soil to hold water are going to be profound. I don't know how they could possibly keep up at this point.
I also noticed bad beetle kill in the White River forest especially around Tennessee Pass and Homestake Res. when I went to Holy Cross. The low altitudes look like Frisco did five years ago. If we don't receive significant rainfall, it won't be long before it looks like this.
Mel-