Some Fall Color Shots [WITH REPOST]

Finally got around to going through some images taken this fall and thought I would post a few. These were all from the Kebler Pass area, 2 days before the winds came through and blew all the leaves off the trees. Had some interesting times in the San Juans with trees falling all over the place and witnessing a 100 foot pine tree crash in the forest, but came through unscathed and got to use my winch an awful lot. Love to get your critiques on these. (Compression is killing all of these)

#1

#2 X Marks the Spot

#3

Scott - these are insanely beautiful! In a year when most people got shut out, you captured some absolutely fantastic images.

I love them all but #3 blows me away even more than the first two.

I like these a lot Scott...what a difference a couple days makes. I was there just after you and almost nothing left.

I'm with CAZ. All of them are nice but #3 is especially sweet.

WOW!

#3 is exceptional!

Beautiful images! That first one makes the aspens look like standing paintbrushes. Nice work.

Three of the best I've seen this year....congratulations!
I think you could stand to slightly darken the upper left corners in #1 and #3.
#2 looks just a tad bit oversharpened.

Aside from those nits, these look great. You were blessed with some nice light.
HDR blending?

Fantastic! The light on #3 just blows me away.

All are very nice, but #3 stands out. When I looked at these images last night there was something that just doesn't look quite right to me and I think John hit it. #3 looks like it was a little bit over saturated, sharpened, or maybe a little HDR blending and it shows up in the high peaks and sky. It would be interesting to learn what you did in processing this image.

I love #1 and #3! On #1, I'd be tempted to crop a bit from the top, or darken it a bit. My eye is drawn upwards in that image, but the real beauty is in those trees. #3 does have a slight HDR look to it, apparent mostly in the slight uneveness in the sky (from left to right). I'm just being picky here, Scott. These are absolutely beautiful images.
BTW, thanks for the fisheye tips. I finally bought one. Great fun.

Scott, nice work. Each one has its own unique qualities and composition.

Bill Brennan

Thanks for posting these. It seems like we haven't seen a lot of fall images yet this year and the peak in most areas of Colorado was weeks ago. I suspect a lot of people are holding back for the contest. It's nice to see someone's work so far!

I love the scene in #3, but I have to agree with John/Steven/Paul that it looks a bit artificial especially in the peaks and the sky. Maybe a little bit more contrast up there would help it out.

These are all very nice. I'm partial to #1. #3 has potential for greatness but it does have too much of HDR appearance for my tastes. A little extra contrast, especially in the mountains and sky, would kick this up to my favorite. Looks like you had a productive autumn!

Thank you everyone for your comments.

John/Steven/Paul: Only #3 is HDR. The sky is uneven left to right because the sun is just off to the left of the photo, all individual photos are like that. The post does look a little bit off, I think a lot of that is because of the compression, it had to be saved at a quality level of only 4 to fit in the file size constraints. I will play with the image a bit more as far as saturation and sharpening though. I'll play with the sky and the peaks as well, they seem to be a little off too.

Joshua/Bret: I think that is a good suggestion for the contrast in those areas. I'm new to doing HDR and I've got a bit of a learning curve to overcome. Thanks for the help.

Wow, amazing shots! IMHO, #1 could look even better with a boost in contrast, and by cropping a little off the top so the empty spot in the upper left corner disappears. #3 is just stunning. Great work!

Looks like you got some really nice color in #3. Great shots.

With all your suggestions I went back and tried again. I use Photomatrix and have always used the option "Generate HDR Image". This time I used the "Exposure Blending" feature and I think the outcome is significantly better, especially in the problem areas of my original post. I'd love to get your thoughts.

Your repost looks far more natural to me. What an outstanding shot, and I had similar thoughts upon viewing the first three as others, so some minor adjustments to the first two and I agree you have some of the best images from fall in Colorado yet. That third one is just killer and the first one has a great tele comp.

I like the repost of #3, much more natural looking. Great shot with great composition. A two stop grad/soft edge might have helped with the slightly overexposed horizon.

BTW, Ive been to that outcrop on the Irwin Trail. I hiked right on by upset that I couldn't stay the night. Evening light there would be insane.

Great work Scott.
I do prefer the re-post of #3 and I also agree with Brett about cropping a bit of the top of #1

What a world of difference between the first version and this reposted one...way to go!
So glad you decided to spend some more time with it. This is just lovely, Scott.

The repost is much better. The top left corner is a bit bright, but that can be addressed. The rest of the image looks very natural. Good work.

I like the first shot of #3 best. The varied lighting is nicer. #2 and 3 are my favorites. #1 could use a contrast boost.

Ken

These are all great fall compositions. #3 is definitely the killer shot but the others are really nice too. Where is this? Anyway, the first version of #3 definitely had a bit of the HDR look to it but your fix is a big improvement, IMHO. Exposure blending with Photomatix will almost always give you more natural result, although I'm doing more of it in Photoshop these days. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks everyone for your valuable feedback.

Jeff, these are all taken on Kebler Pass, just outside of Crested Butte.

Jeff Beard, the 3rd shot was taken from the Dark Canyon Trail/Irwin Trail, from Horsepark Ranch, off the Kebler Pass Road. Its about a 2.5 to 3 mile hike north to the outcrop. The Dark Canyon Trail/Irwin Trail continous to th Oh be Joyfull Pass area. I've hiked a bunch of the peaks in the area and there's actually better views in the Gold Basin area west of Mount Owen. You just have to work a little to get there.

Here's an old crappy shot from the same vantage.

http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/345054.JPG

The first shot is likely a zoom shot from the Kebler Pass Road of the many aspen stands below the south face of Marcellina Mountain.

Great images, Scott! I really like # 2 and 3. I do like your repost of # 3. That is a fantastic view. Nicely done.

#2 really does it for me ... and there's no denying the special qualities of #3. The upper edge still seems a bit "overbaked" but that is a special image.