Garden Snow - Finally

The last three storms have skunked the Garden for snow. I've been wanting to shoot there after a fresh dump, this was the morning. There wasn't as much snow as I'd hoped for but it was a pretty morning. If only there had been some clouds to the west.

The light came in late and strong due to a thin layer to the east. Still it was a pretty morning.

This first one is shortly after first light on Pikes Peak.

This is a manual blend for increased depth of field.

Canon 5DII, Tamron 28-75/f2.8

I always love early morning light on these rocks. It was nice to have some snowy trees to frame with. As has been said before, scenes like this are iconic for a reason.

I like the image (except the sky) but I'm not sure if it will make it into my portfolio. Let me know what you think.

This is also a manual blend for DOF.

Canon 5DII, Tamron 28-75/f2.8

I'm sure I'm not the first one to be struck by this tangled tree on Rattlesnake Ridge. It looked like a tortured soul to me. Good subject to practice with the 14-24 on. The detail in the bark at 100% crop is awesome.

Been a while since I posted, mostly because it's been a while since I've shot anything. It was nice to get out this morning. I hope you all had a great day too!

Canon 5DII, Nikon 14-24/f2.8

I wish I'd been up there just so I could see a real life Nikon 14-24 lens on a 5D2! These are nice, Kalin. My buddy Dave, who you met up there, sent me an expletive-filled text message about the clouds to the east, but you made the most of it with that first one. The second one is a classic. The tree? Well, lets all be thankful that a certain photographer with a hand saw must've missed that one!

I like the first two showing the gradual rising of the sun on the landscape. I prefer the second for the stronger colors.
This is one of those times when a bluebird sky isn't a liability, IMO. It doesn't overpower the composition, and complements the red rocks very nicely.

I also prefer the second one. The warm red rock surrounded by cool blue sky and snowy foreground is a certainly a classic concept and I love it. Nice to see some work with the 14-24/5DmkII combo too!

The second one also, as it is rocking my colormeter. Love that red, white, and blue. (With a little green thrown in for good measure). The other two are well done too.

#2 is certainly the strongest. Blue sky works well. I'm with you though ... not sure if it's strong enough for your portfolio of work.

It's good to see you posting/shooting. I too am shaking the rust off. Takes a couple hundred exposures, it seems.

I was goint to post mine that i took at the same time as yours from Siamese Twins, but theyre so hideous and boring that i refuse to post them! Quite frankly, it was the lamest sunrise ive seen at the GOG of the dozen or so ive seen. It was bad enough there were no clouds to the west, the one cloud to the east killed all the alpenglow. All i got out of it was a busted up elbow from slipping on the ice. So, im biased, but i say you ship me your RAWs and ill bundle everything up and burn it

Thanks guys. I love the 14-24. It's a little bit of an adjustment to shoot with it but the results are great. Focusing with live view is a life saver but it collects so much light that live view won't keep the shutter open very long. I'm looking forward to using it in some Escalante slots the end of the week. I just need to devise a safe way to carry it.

That second one has some POP to it! Very nice.