In the shadow of Longs Peak + repost

I am always on the hunt for local areas to shoot from, I stumbled on this a week or so ago whilst wandering around this historic farm area.
I wasn't expecting anything too exciting at sunrise Saturday am, but for a brief moment the clouds did pick up some colour - I just wish Longs was clearer, but it's close enough to my house I can keep going back!.

Composition using the barn is somewhat limited, if you use a higher vanatge point then you start getting houses etc in the shot, if you get down lower then Longs isn't as dominant.

Of the threee images I couldn't decide which I prefer, the last 2 are similiar I guess. I think in the Spring with fresh green it will look quite different too!.

#2

#3

#2 - Bravo!! My favorite, hands down.

#1 is nice, but the comp feels very tight and the light could be better balanced, imo. It's not that it looks unnatural, but the top is bright and fairly flat with the bottom being dark and contrasty. Again, not unnatural, but not the strongest quality for an image.

#3 - nice scene. The light isn't as strong as in #2 with Longs in flat, dark light and the warm glow fading in the foreground. The comp is also bottom heavy, particularly with those two foreground trees trunks so close to the edge of the frame.

#2 has the best comp and light. The warm/cool combo is sweet, and the light on Longs is fantastic in a very subtle way. Getting really nit-picky, only thing I'd have done differently is try to balance the comp left-right. It fells left-heavy with Longs and the barn left of center. The right 1/3 of the image pulls they eye away from Longs, the barn and the foreground sunlit trees, which might be okay if there were something over there to reward the eye. Cropping to the right edge of that large stand of trees might be worth experimenting with. Regardless - very very nice image.

Hi Nick! I'm a fan of #1! I prefer this comp and the pinks. When I first opened this thread and saw it I did a, "Oooh, that's beautiful! Who took that?" I was happy to see your name. I do agree some with Rick about the cloud. It does feel a little 'heavy' there, but I still prefer this shot over the other two.

I like a little bit about both 2 and 3. I actually prefer the light in 3 over 2 (3 is too gold for me; I like the softer light in 3), but I like 2's comp better. I also like the looks of Long's in 2.

Great work, Nick. I can't wait to see more #1's, especially in the other seasons!

I also much prefer the light and composition in #2.
I think Rick's crop suggestion would help the balance.
Possibly a 4x5 aspect ratio, with all of the crop on the right?

I know what you mean about the fleeting light Saturday morning. I was up at Dream Lake and if you weren't set up and ready, it was gone.

Nice shot Nick,
I love old barns and always on the look out for them as well.
I like #2 here the way the light hits the barn and comes through the scene. I think it’s a nice shot as is but if Longs Peak was clearer it would be incredible!

There's a great barn out in Milliken that I've been wanting to shoot but there is an active family that lives there and they park there cars next to it. Saturday's sunrise was beautiful out this way.
Kurt

Thanks guys for the honest suggestions and critique. I agree Rick that the right side in #2 and #3 are a little empty feeling, the light was changing so quickly I literally had one shot at each composition - but looking at it now, and with your suggestions I have some ideas when I go back!. Here is Bill's suggestion of a 4 x 5 crop, which definitely is more balanced I think!.

#1 composition I made too tight, you are dead on. Above the top pink clouds was boring white sky, so I zoomed in too tight - I should of allowed more room, then cropped down to a 4 x 5 format!.

Beautiful shots, Nick. My favorite would be #2 as well. A very nice find!

I really like your repost, nice rustic feel to it!

Nice stuff! That repost is really sweet. For the record, I'm pretty sure you're looking at Mount Meeker, not Longs Peak.

Todd you're right, this is the face of Mount Meeker, and you can't actually see Longs "peak" through the clouds - since Longmont is named after Longs Peak though, and this is where this is shot from, I figured "In the Shadow of Longs Peak" sounded better

I like 1 the way it is. I like the clouds at the top. The repost on 2 really makes it work. And 3 is just not grabbing me without any light on the mountains. Nice setting and wonderful light. I would be going back a lot to this spot too, if I were you.

I also like the repost.
The contrast between the warm and cool light is sweet.

Nick, I like the repost. It has a nice rustic feel and sense of place with the mountains and clouds. You found a neat place for the future.

Bill Brennan