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Archive 2013 · Garden of the Gods

  
 
dsjtecserv
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Garden of the Gods


In late June I took advantage of meeting in Denver to go down to the Sangre de Cristo range and Great Sand Dunes National Park. On the way I stopped at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs for a morning. Here are few from that visit.

1. Before sunrise. The little lenticular-shaped cloud caught the pre-risen sun and the hung around, changing shape but not moving much, for about the next hour.
http://www.pbase.com/dsjtecserv/image/151181866/original.jpg

2. North and South Gateway Rocks, and Kindergarten Rock at sunrise. The nuances of red on the illuminated rock faces are really beautiful in the full-sized, wide gamut version, but I had to dial back the saturation a lot in order to convert this to sRGB. Too bad.
http://www.pbase.com/dsjtecserv/image/151146993/original.jpg

3. These were taken a few minutes apart. In the first the cloud was really striking, but the sun was behind a thin cloud that limited the brightness of the rock. In the second the sun had mostly come out again to full brightness, but the cloud had broken up a bit. I have my preference between the two, but I'd be interested in which one you all prefer, and why.
http://www.pbase.com/dsjtecserv/image/151272948/original.jpg

4. The Central Garden area showing all the primary formations in the park. Even though the lighting had become unremarkable by this time, I still think the arrangement of the rocks and the meadow make for a really nice composition. Whets my appetite for what is possible in better light.
http://www.pbase.com/dsjtecserv/image/151224360/original.jpg

5. Giant Footprints. They don't look all that much like footprints even from the proper angle for observation, but it still is a dramatic, goblin-like formation. Again better lighting could make this a really nice scene.
http://www.pbase.com/dsjtecserv/image/151240332/original.jpg

As always, I'd appreciate comments and suggestions.

Dave



Jul 11, 2013 at 09:43 PM
Scott Kroeker
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Garden of the Gods


Love 1 and 2 Dave.

Some insane clouds on #3.

Great view in #4. Is the horizon really curved like that?

I like #5 but you have a dark spot in the sky. My guess CPL + UWA lens? I would work on that to make it more even toned.

Great set! Jealous of your adventures!



Jul 11, 2013 at 09:54 PM
dsjtecserv
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Garden of the Gods


Scott, thanks. Yes, the horizon appears curved because of the alluvial slope from the Front Range mountains to the right, and some distant hills to the left, while Colorado Springs (which is in somewhat of a valley) is in the middle.

You are right about polarizer and the sky. While it is noticeable, I left it because I felt it played well with the composition and wasn't worth spending a lot of time on for a middling image.

The tower of Babel scene was the highlight of the morning. I wish all the elements had come together at the same time.

Dave



Jul 11, 2013 at 10:02 PM
AndrewThomas
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Garden of the Gods


Hi Dave...nice series of images...Tower of Babel No 1 is my favourite, I like the more symmetrical feel to it, and the colour of the rocks is more appealing. Its a great place we visited a while back that is really very striking. The challenge is to not sure too much of civilisation in the images!
I'm really looking forward to your Great Sand Dunes images!
cheers Andrew



Jul 11, 2013 at 11:35 PM
JimFox
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Garden of the Gods


Hey Dave,

You got some very cool clouds here, it's amazing how fast they change. My favorites are #1 and 4. As for #5, I agree with Scott, the polarizer is a bit too much in that one. My thinking is if the shot is good enough to post, then it's good enough to PP properly... Those are some cool features in that shot, it wouldn't take much to adjust the sky. Now... where are those rocks at. I have been to GoG a few times over the last 6 months, but I don't think I have caught that area.

And back to #4... that is a really sweet shot you got, even if the light isn't ideal. That is a composition I tried to work the last time I was there because it is so cool how all the formations are laid out there.

Jim



Jul 11, 2013 at 11:58 PM
Chuck Eklund
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Garden of the Gods


Beautiful set and the clouds! Wow.

Chuck



Jul 12, 2013 at 12:54 AM
Tom Nevesely
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Garden of the Gods


An amazing set of images. They all look fantastic. As for my preference for #3, I would would choose the first one for a couple reasons. One, the cloud is really cool, and two, I l actually prefer the soft light on the rocks.


Jul 12, 2013 at 08:46 AM
AMaji
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Garden of the Gods


great series... Tower of Babel No 1 is my favorite too.


Jul 12, 2013 at 09:29 AM
CW100
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Garden of the Gods


+++ Tower of Babel for the clouds


Jul 12, 2013 at 12:31 PM
dsjtecserv
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Garden of the Gods


Thanks, Andrew, Jim, Chuck, Tom AMaji and CW100. Andrew, you are sure right about the civilization being in the background nearly everywhere you look. For reasons I'll explain later, the conditions at Great Sand Dunes were a disappointment so I won't have much; don't hold your breath! Jim, Giant Footprints is right on the Palmer Trail that loops around the Garden Drive road, and is very close to the road near the intersection with the Juniper Way Loop. It has use trails all around it so there are a lot of angles to experiment with, especially in different light.

Dave



Jul 12, 2013 at 07:54 PM
pplskills
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Garden of the Gods


Second to last picture owns. That would make an awesome poster. Hope to visit Colorado someday soon. Keep up the great work.


Jul 12, 2013 at 08:02 PM
ckcarr
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Garden of the Gods


These are all very nice!

I go with the Tower of Babel #1 as my pick, #2 is just a bit too bright when the sun hits. Plus I really like the Central Area panorama.



Jul 13, 2013 at 03:44 AM
Kee Woo Rhee
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Garden of the Gods


Hello Dave,

Out of all those wonderful photos I love the second shot of #3. Just perfect sun lit, broken cloud, and nice composition. PERFECT!

Kee



Jul 13, 2013 at 06:57 AM
dsjtecserv
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Garden of the Gods


Thanks pplskills, Craig, and Kee. Craig, coming from someone who really knows red rock, I really appreciate it, and I agree!

Dave



Jul 13, 2013 at 12:12 PM
alatoo60
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Garden of the Gods


Dave,

Almost missed commenting on this fantastic series. Love them all.

Sasha.



Jul 25, 2013 at 12:43 AM
dsjtecserv
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Garden of the Gods


Thanks, Sasha.

Dave



Jul 25, 2013 at 07:49 AM
Dalmas
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Garden of the Gods


All great shots, although I prefer Tower of Babel 1 because of the dramatic appearance.


Jul 25, 2013 at 07:51 AM
ScaryFox
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Garden of the Gods


The whole set is incredible! You did so well there. I like the natural and not over the top processing.
The stand-out for me is one. I love the intensity in the clouds against the more subtle rocks.

Ute



Jul 25, 2013 at 02:31 PM
David Leask
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Garden of the Gods


Gorgeous shots Dave, well captured one and all
David



Jul 25, 2013 at 03:17 PM
morris
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Garden of the Gods


Great work Dave. The first 3 are my picks

Morris



Jul 25, 2013 at 05:05 PM
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