Well there goes June. The wildfires just killed my motivation for the mountains in June. The smoke just wipes out the natural color and clarity of the mountains.
My big trip was supposed to have been in the Gore Range. I had it planned out until I got to the Gores that morning and the smoke was just too depressing for all the summit shooting I had planned. I immediately called my brother in Glenwood and asked if I could head west away from the smoke and basecamp out of his house. I went with an idea that I wanted to shoot inside a forest of trees, where smoke wouldn’t impede my images. Kebler Pass came to mind. Thus the few images I submitted a week ago. Overall I really enjoyed my 24 hrs in the Kebler Pass area; so much so that I will return next spring. Kebler has a special place in my heart and I don’t think I’ll ever stop going there. I just love the ample free camping, lack of crowds and most of all those crazy stands of aspens. Big Aspens too, often too big to even get my arms around. I suppose I’m a bit of tree hugger? So be it!!!
After Kebler, I spent the night at my brothers and decided on a trip up to Snowmass Lake to climb UN12, 902, a rarely climbed twelver that resides on the rim of jagged spires that surrounds the Pierre Lakes Basin. This rim of rock harbors great mountains like Capitol Peak, Snowmass Mountain and Clark Peak.
My objective was a sunrise shot of Capitol Peak and Snowmass Mountain in optimal light along the skinny ridge. I chose to scout out the route that evening to lay a track with my gps so I could make the summit in the dark the next morning. I made the summit and the composition just didn’t do it for me. I knew I would be coming back up here in 10 hrs. I was basically beat up tired after a 8 mile backpack, and 2 mile climb totaling 4,900-ft. I would sleep in the next morning.
However, while the sun set I was privileged to watch our Great Maroon Bells from a very different perspective sink into darkness from about the least visited place I know.
I shot 9 vertical images to stitch into a pano format. I used a pano head which is a invaluable tool for these kinds of scenes.
The next morning I packed my tent and backpacked up to the Trail rider Pass area and set up a tent at 12,000-ft in the tundra. That evening I climbed a snowfield into east Fravert Basin area and looked for a tarn to set up an evening shoot. BTW Fravert Basin is about 12 miles from the closest dirt road let alone paved road. It felt great just getting away, back into my beloved Elk Mountains...
So there goes June, its time for Wildflowers!
Here's my June Gallery. As usual comments and critique welcome!
Your ability to find unusual comps by scaling remote and under-appreciated peaks constantly amazes me Kane. "A Maroon View" takes the cake for me in this collection, even if it was not the result of the shots you had previsualized before your trip. I agree with your impressions of Kebler Pass. There is no place like it in the world. I love the aspen trees of all regions of the West but those that grow along Kebler are unmatched. The soft light in your aspen photos, combined with the inclusion of the lush ferns is very pleasing. Congrats on a productive month.
Beautiful set of images, Kane. I particularly like Surrounded, Aspen Forest with Lupines, Glowing Trunks, and Zig-Zag Sunset. I definitely need to make a summer trip up to Kebler now.
The best part is that you were able to "get away" as you obviously needed to do. And, what a place to get away to. I enjoyed your explorations of the forest, and yes, the Kebler Pass area is incredible for the number and size of aspens. Such a treasure.
Now, onto your images: Tundra Trip! Tundra trip! Tundra Trip! Tundra Trip! Great eye to see and compose this so well! Love the color, the patterns, lines, and texture contrast. Next, Zig-Zag Sunset resonates with such beauty in an ephemeral way. I enjoyed the whole collection, and you did have quite the productive trip.
Hear, hear!!
You've really got a good eye for a pleasing composition, and your 'development' of each and every one of these is flawless.
I really like all of the beautiful fern images, esp. 'Surrounded' and 'Glowing Trunks'. I like the composition and vitality of 'Tundra Trap' and don't feel the processing to be pushed at all.
I've always liked your pano. captures of the mountain ranges as that format just works well. Love the kiss of light on 'A Maroon View'! Excellent work, Kane! May the rest of your summer suck this badly.
Very strong collection - both the intimates and sweeping vistas are impressive. Sweet Dreams though is my fav - I could sit there and take in the sublime view and soft pastels for a looooong time. Tundra Trip is also very intesting; perhaps a bit too Kuyper-esque with the colors for my tastes, but I can certainly see why you were tempted to get creative.
If I can read between the lines of your post, and the comments on the images, it seems that you're a bit disappointed in your June "take". You had big plans, were able to execute some of them (but not others), and some of those plans didn't work out as well as you'd hoped.
That's okay.
Not every month is going to give you a portfolio image. Not every trip is going to give you a portfolio image. At least not now, when you've reached the photographic maturity to have a very solid portfolio already. You're exploring, experimenting, and learning, and that's almost the best any of us can hope for.
Of the images, two things stand out to me: "Sweet Dreams", as an image, and the ferns in many of the forest shots. "Sweet Dreams" is a wonderful 'quiet' image. Very nice to have some color in those clouds, and there's good layering. In a gallery, it's not an image that would stop someone in their tracks, but I think it's one that someone would come back to a couple of times.
I think the ferns are very nicely done. I'm about to say something heretical, though, about the trees: I think there's too much detail in most of the tree shots. There's too much depth, to my taste. I almost wish there was some fog for the back trees to fade into. Alternately, if you want to experiment with it, you might try going for less depth of field and let some of those back trees go out of focus. I don't want to put myself out there as an expert, but compare this relative to this and I think the image with less detail is actually more successful.
Eh. Just something to think about.
Really, though -- it's a solid month's take, and your skills in both capture and post-processing continue to tick upwards. Enjoy it.
Discussion
10 repliesMy big trip was supposed to have been in the Gore Range. I had it planned out until I got to the Gores that morning and the smoke was just too depressing for all the summit shooting I had planned. I immediately called my brother in Glenwood and asked if I could head west away from the smoke and basecamp out of his house. I went with an idea that I wanted to shoot inside a forest of trees, where smoke wouldn’t impede my images. Kebler Pass came to mind. Thus the few images I submitted a week ago. Overall I really enjoyed my 24 hrs in the Kebler Pass area; so much so that I will return next spring. Kebler has a special place in my heart and I don’t think I’ll ever stop going there. I just love the ample free camping, lack of crowds and most of all those crazy stands of aspens. Big Aspens too, often too big to even get my arms around. I suppose I’m a bit of tree hugger? So be it!!!
After Kebler, I spent the night at my brothers and decided on a trip up to Snowmass Lake to climb UN12, 902, a rarely climbed twelver that resides on the rim of jagged spires that surrounds the Pierre Lakes Basin. This rim of rock harbors great mountains like Capitol Peak, Snowmass Mountain and Clark Peak.
My objective was a sunrise shot of Capitol Peak and Snowmass Mountain in optimal light along the skinny ridge. I chose to scout out the route that evening to lay a track with my gps so I could make the summit in the dark the next morning. I made the summit and the composition just didn’t do it for me. I knew I would be coming back up here in 10 hrs. I was basically beat up tired after a 8 mile backpack, and 2 mile climb totaling 4,900-ft. I would sleep in the next morning.
However, while the sun set I was privileged to watch our Great Maroon Bells from a very different perspective sink into darkness from about the least visited place I know.
I shot 9 vertical images to stitch into a pano format. I used a pano head which is a invaluable tool for these kinds of scenes.
The next morning I packed my tent and backpacked up to the Trail rider Pass area and set up a tent at 12,000-ft in the tundra. That evening I climbed a snowfield into east Fravert Basin area and looked for a tarn to set up an evening shoot. BTW Fravert Basin is about 12 miles from the closest dirt road let alone paved road. It felt great just getting away, back into my beloved Elk Mountains...
So there goes June, its time for Wildflowers!
Here's my June Gallery. As usual comments and critique welcome!
http://www.kaephotography.com/gallery/june/
My favorite though is "Surrounded".
Now, onto your images: Tundra Trip! Tundra trip! Tundra Trip! Tundra Trip! Great eye to see and compose this so well! Love the color, the patterns, lines, and texture contrast. Next, Zig-Zag Sunset resonates with such beauty in an ephemeral way. I enjoyed the whole collection, and you did have quite the productive trip.
You've really got a good eye for a pleasing composition, and your 'development' of each and every one of these is flawless.
I really like all of the beautiful fern images, esp. 'Surrounded' and 'Glowing Trunks'. I like the composition and vitality of 'Tundra Trap' and don't feel the processing to be pushed at all.
I've always liked your pano. captures of the mountain ranges as that format just works well. Love the kiss of light on 'A Maroon View'! Excellent work, Kane! May the rest of your summer suck this badly.
If I can read between the lines of your post, and the comments on the images, it seems that you're a bit disappointed in your June "take". You had big plans, were able to execute some of them (but not others), and some of those plans didn't work out as well as you'd hoped.
That's okay.
Not every month is going to give you a portfolio image. Not every trip is going to give you a portfolio image. At least not now, when you've reached the photographic maturity to have a very solid portfolio already. You're exploring, experimenting, and learning, and that's almost the best any of us can hope for.
Of the images, two things stand out to me: "Sweet Dreams", as an image, and the ferns in many of the forest shots. "Sweet Dreams" is a wonderful 'quiet' image. Very nice to have some color in those clouds, and there's good layering. In a gallery, it's not an image that would stop someone in their tracks, but I think it's one that someone would come back to a couple of times.
I think the ferns are very nicely done. I'm about to say something heretical, though, about the trees: I think there's too much detail in most of the tree shots. There's too much depth, to my taste. I almost wish there was some fog for the back trees to fade into. Alternately, if you want to experiment with it, you might try going for less depth of field and let some of those back trees go out of focus. I don't want to put myself out there as an expert, but compare this relative to this and I think the image with less detail is actually more successful.
Eh. Just something to think about.
Really, though -- it's a solid month's take, and your skills in both capture and post-processing continue to tick upwards. Enjoy it.