Chautauqua without the Flatirons

This is my first image of the year. There was some crazy light and atmospherics going on, but not on the Flatirons themselves, which would be off to the left of this shot. I struggled with this image because the wind was howling and the tripod was shaking. I wound up putting my 5DMKii into continuous mode and just firing away. Out of 60ish shots, I got just a few that were sharp enough to keep. I also shot at high ISO and unfortunately also under exposed a little bit, so I had to do some noise removal. I'd love to hear any thoughts on this image.
Thanks,
Paul

Paul, this is a beautiful image. I would honestly consider a tighter crop to bring more attention to the amazing light on those rocks. As for the tripod shaking issue, if you have a center column you can hang your pack on there and it helps a ton. I have shot in very high winds with no issue.

Outstanding color and light and what a moment you captured with it striking that one formation so strongly! Gorgeous work, Paul!

I tend to agree with Koveh about cropping. I would try cropping in from the left to bring the lighted rocks closer and keep the nice color on the treetops to the right of the rocks. Just a suggestion. Otherwise, a great shot.

This image is amazing especially considering the elements that were against you. It is very painterly and serene. I kind of like the cropping idea but I hate taking away from the tones in the sky. I know the light on the rock draws your eye but the sky grabs me.

Paul that is a great shot! In the cold and wind too!! I like the photo as is but thats me. It would be interesting to see if the crop improves it or another perspective.

Paul, very nice work. Suggested Crop should enhance the image without sacrificing the story.

Bill Brennan

You definitely found something unique out at Chautauqua, the purple tones throughout and the glowing rock are really nice Paul!. You could perhaps crop a little from the top, but it works well as it is!.

Really nice scene, with great atmosphere - literally and figuratively! I could see cropping a scoche off the top, but not much more; it's as equally important, imo, as the rocks. The lack of sharpness is troublesome, however. I've experienced that wind way too many times; if hanging a rock bag or your camera bag from the center column doesn't do the trick, you can try getting the tripod very low to the ground and using your body and bag to block the wind and blowing snow. The other thing I've done is just patiently wait for that occasional, momentary lull in the wind.

The scene looks awesome, but the best part looks blurry. Unless the original file is clearer, you're stuck with a small jpeg, which is kind of a bummer. I agree with Rick--there are ways to deal with the wind, high ISO and continuous mode may not be the best one

I couldn't disagree more with the crop suggestions.
Don't think you can spare one inch from this natural beauty. That lit rock is just magnificent!
I'm not seeing any blurriness outside of typical web compression stuff. Did the whole image warrant noise reduction?
If this doesn't look optimal to you because of lack of sharpness, consider trying a free trial version Focus Magic (10 free tries). It can perform minor miracles in many situations.

I really like the image as is, you know, comp, color, and exposure; though it does seem just a tad soft to me.

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate your input. Looking at this image on my work computer today really made me see the softness. I'll rework this and repost if I get something good. John, thanks for the reminder about Focus Magic.

Nice to see something different from that area, but this one just doesn't do it for me.

An interesting shot, I like the color.