Sunrise light on Castle Peak, 14,265' ~ just after a rainstorm passed. My vantage point was Taylor Pass.
Posted by Todd Caudle on August 4, 2008 at 11:14 AM
Amazing how much is added to this just by having a little bit of the mountain caught in a cloud shadow. Nice shot, glad to see you made it up there to play.
Posted by Joshua Hardin on August 4, 2008 at 7:23 PM
Nice color Dave. The peak itself appears a bit hazy on my monitor, although the foreground looks good. A slight bump in contrast might help. That's a cool perspective of Castle.
Thanks folks - when you suggest a "bump in contrast", what does that mean? The mountain was in diffused light and I try to go light on my P'shop work.
John - Taylor Pass is a 4WD road between Aspen and Crested Butte/Gunnison and runs parallel to Pearl Pass. I talked to Todd C. about an option to get up in altitude without wrecking my already crappy knee and he suggested Taylor. I also consulted Darren Kilgore's killer site: www.mycolorado.org, read the beta and viewed about a million pics. Castle Peak, (and Conundrum just to the right in this view) is not only a photogenic and iconic Elk Range 14'er, but is relatively easy to climb when compared to the Maroon Bells and other difficult climbs in the Elks. From Aspen: drive up the Castle Creek Road to Exprees Creek Rd., right before the "town" of Ashcroft. 5.5 miles of moderate 4-wheeling gets you to the ~ 12,000' pass.
Oh yeah, the camera bag - I bought a Lowepro AW Rover for light hiking/landscape work. The bungee cord for tripod is improved and the extra space in the top compartment is great for a jacket, more lenses, etc. It carries the weight pretty well.
Posted by Joshua Hardin on August 5, 2008 at 12:13 AM
By contrast "bump" in this case I would burn or darken the shadows on the peak. The snowfield highlights are not blown at all and are fine as they are. The hazy appearance might be due to the CA wildfire haze we've been experiencing lately. I agree it doesn't require an extreme Photoshop correction, but the shadows don't appear as defined as they could be. Just a personal preference, I really like your perspective on this shot!
Very nice, Dave! You always post good stuff, but this is a favorite of your more recent posts. I agree with Todd - the first thing that struck me was that subtle graduation of light on the mountain tops.
Posted by John Mumaw on August 5, 2008 at 12:25 AM
Thanks very much for the detailed info., Dave!
Posted by Mel Ladewig on August 5, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Nice shot Dave. The graduated light on the peak is really nice.
Posted by Jack Brauer on August 8, 2008 at 3:07 PM
Wow that is some stunning light, Dave! Great vantage point too. What a beautiful mountain.
Discussion
9 repliesI agree with the suggestion of a slight contrast bump in the mountain peaks.
I'm not familiar with this area....can you help fill me in?
Oh yeah....did you decide on a camera bag?
John - Taylor Pass is a 4WD road between Aspen and Crested Butte/Gunnison and runs parallel to Pearl Pass. I talked to Todd C. about an option to get up in altitude without wrecking my already crappy knee and he suggested Taylor. I also consulted Darren Kilgore's killer site: www.mycolorado.org, read the beta and viewed about a million pics. Castle Peak, (and Conundrum just to the right in this view) is not only a photogenic and iconic Elk Range 14'er, but is relatively easy to climb when compared to the Maroon Bells and other difficult climbs in the Elks. From Aspen: drive up the Castle Creek Road to Exprees Creek Rd., right before the "town" of Ashcroft. 5.5 miles of moderate 4-wheeling gets you to the ~ 12,000' pass.
Oh yeah, the camera bag - I bought a Lowepro AW Rover for light hiking/landscape work. The bungee cord for tripod is improved and the extra space in the top compartment is great for a jacket, more lenses, etc. It carries the weight pretty well.