Sunset-apalloosa

It seems harder and harder to get out to shoot lately. So I was excited to be able to take a Moto-Photo trip on my motorcycle up to Loveland pass the 26th of June. It was a nice ride over Hoosier pass, with a stop for a late lunch in Breckenridge (and a chat with Tony L.). I got to the pass about 5pm, hiked up the ridge to the west and waited for sunset.

This shot is about 7pm with the last light hitting the ranges to the north.

As always, comments and critiques are welcome.

Canon 5DII, Tamron 28-75 f2.8

#2 I was impressed with how much snow is still in the high country. You could still ski at A-Basin.

I liked the graphic feeling of the bare spots through the snow on the ridges.

Canon 5DII, Canon 100-400L IS

#3 Just color and lines

Canon 5DII, Canon 100-400L IS

#4 Last color in the sky

Canon 5DII, Canon 100-400L IS

#5 Last color #2. Are any of these peaks to the north named/significant?

I kept the foregrounds a little dark because I wanted to emphasize the graphic elements, plus it was getting pretty dark.

Canon 5DII, Canon 100-400L IS

#6 Pika-boo! "look like a rock, look like a rock..."
Before sunset, I had some fun shooting the Pikas. Hand held long telephoto with an extender proved very challenging when it comes to focus and clarity.

#7
The weekend of the 4th I was in Roy, Utah (north of SLC) with my in-laws. Their place looks west over the Great Salt Lake and they routinely get great sunsets. These were from the 3rd. Due to cell towers and other stuff in the view, I decided to shoot some tighter crops. The layers of clouds were nice to have.
Which works better for you, the vertical or horizontal compositions?

The color in the raw captures was intense. I had to dial down the saturation a bit. Overall the processing in these is pretty light.

Canon 5DII, Canon 100-400L IS

#7

Canon 5DII, Canon 100-400L IS

#8
Nearly the last light. Started getting purples and the sky started loosing the orange glow.
Canon 5DII, Canon 100-400L IS

Our local San Francisco Peaks are almost snow barren now, so these reinforce what I have heard about this years CO snowpack. Of these preferences are #3 & 5.

#9
Last one, I promise
Canon 5DII, Canon 100-400L IS

Nice set of images Kalin! #s 5 and 8 are my favorites. I love the shades of color in the sky on both.

The mountain that figures the most centrally in your Loveland Pass photos (the rocky-topped one near the middle of photo #5 and others) is not officially named but is often referred to as The Citadel. The notched-topped mountain to the left of The Citadel is Hagar Mountain and the mountain to the right of The Citadel is Mount Bethel. More info:
http://www.summitpost.org/the-citadel/151299

Nice set, Kalin. On #3, I'd crop off most of the black bottom, leaving just a sliver, maybe 20% of what's there.

Thanks for the suggestion, Todd. I also planned to clone out the sticks/fence posts/hairs (or whatever those things are)!

Thanks for the mountain name info, Josh!

Sweet sweet set, Kalin! #5 really resonates with me. I also like the post sunset colors in the last few. Nice work!

I have to agree with others on #5!

Wonderful set Kalin. Loved the sunsets at the end.

Beautiful images! Love the color in #3 with the little wisp of a cloud in the middle.