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jamesharrisphoto
Columbines in American Basin, Colorado
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Columbines in American Basin, Colorado



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The Colorado Blue Columbine, the state flower of Colorado, in full bloom in American Basin, San Juan Mountains, southern Colorado....
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The Colorado Blue Columbine, the state flower of Colorado, in full bloom in American Basin, San Juan Mountains, southern Colorado.
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cameraNIKON D7000

settings Aperture 18/1 ISO 400 Shutter 1/40 Focal Length 160/10 

upload_dateNov, 2016

Views

1228

Likes

Awards

People's Choice in Mountain Wildflowers Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Grasslands And Meadows Photo Contest
Peer Award
Mikhailan dreamonlittledreamer kurtsnyder Badgrandad Raysterlee terrylearn keithhilderbrand +45
Superb Composition
JamesHarmon lulu2 Cherry-Blossom larryollivier randalpair mateobrigande kathyk_abq +10
Top Choice
stanvgriep GerCooper CAphotos edwardlrose Vash01Photo jantaylor_0908 AngelLappmarkSe +4
Absolute Masterpiece
DMilestogo victorninestrong Danisti closetoHOme Alwolfe Gayde Parallel
All Star
Byronfairphotography rhamm JayneBug pramodnikam zoricasjovanovic
Outstanding Creativity
StasysZakas AmielTPhotography ulpu tracyhalman
Superior Skill
mcampi jillbrooks glendagriffith
Magnificent Capture
SteBil30 janzark brianbaitystudio
Genius
DELETED_tinawiley

Top Ranks

Beautiful Flowers Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Beautiful Flowers Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Our Natural Planet Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Strong Foregrounds Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Our Natural Planet Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
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Strong Foregrounds Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 3
Strong Foregrounds Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
Strong Foregrounds Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 3Top 10 rank
Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 3Top 10 rank week 2
Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 3Top 10 rank week 1
Grasslands And Meadows Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Green Landscapes Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Green Landscapes Photo ContestTop 30 rank week 2
Grasslands And Meadows Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Compositions 101 Photo Contest vol3Top 30 rank
Green Landscapes Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Compositions 101 Photo Contest vol3Top 20 rank week 2
Compositions 101 Photo Contest vol3Top 20 rank week 1
Backcountry Photo ContestTop 30 rank
The Color Purple Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Fields and Forests Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Fields and Forests Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Covers Photo Contest Vol 37Top 20 rank
Covers Photo Contest Vol 37Top 10 rank week 2
Covers Photo Contest Vol 37Top 10 rank week 1
My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 2Top 20 rank
Celebrating The Green Color Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Wide Angle In Nature Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Wide Angle In Nature Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 16Top 10 rank
Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 16Top 10 rank week 3
Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 16Top 10 rank week 2
Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 16Top 10 rank week 1

Categories

5 Comments |
kathyk_abq
 
kathyk_abq May 22, 2017
Beautiful! I thought this was Yankee Boy at first, but that whole are is so beautiful! :)
Alwolfe Platinum
 
Alwolfe August 25, 2017
Stunning!
Byronfairphotography PRO+
 
Byronfairphotography November 01, 2017
Beautiful scene. / Voted
Rahillz
 
Rahillz January 15, 2018
Beautiful
lulu2
 
lulu2 November 04, 2021
Stunning excellent capture

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#wildflowers #wildflower #columbines #colorado #san juan mountains #American Basin #alpine #tundra #mountains #mountain #lush #flowers #flower
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

In American Basin, about 10 miles west of Lake City. American Basin is in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Time

This was taken late morning, but it was almost 100% overcast which diffused the light so that the colors were saturated and there were no harsh shadows.

Lighting

Complete cloud cover made for the perfect lighting situation for mountain wildflowers. No harsh sunlight or shadows.

Equipment

This was shot on a Manfrotto 190B Pro CF tripod, using a Nikon D7000 and a Tamron 10-24 ultra-wide zoom lens. The flowers in the foreground were actually only about 6" away from the lens, and I was able to pull in tremendous depth of field bring everything in focus from right in front of the camera to the mountains that were more than 1/2 mile away.

Inspiration

My goal as a professional landscape photographer is for the viewer to look at one of my photos, and literally be able to "walk right into the scene". Using composition that strong on leading lines, I want the viewer to feel that they are right there at the time I clicked the shutter. Using extreme depth helps the viewer to experience the beauty of the places I photography. American Basin is one of the most spectacular places for viewing Colorado's state flower, the Blue Columbine. These flowers are most prolific at very high altitudes, and because of this, the window of time that these flowers are best to photography is only 1 to 3 weeks.

Editing

No special post-processing except for the usual minor settings I use in Adobe Lightroom 6.

In my camera bag

Besides a Nikon D7000 body, I carry a Tamron 10-24 lens, a Sigma 18-250 macro lens, a Yongnuo YN-468 flash, a Nikon ME-1 Stereo Microphone, and these are carried in a Tamrac Expedition 5 bag.

Feedback

If you want to shoot these types of photos, then you'll need to have a very wide-angle lens. I find that a wide-angle zoom gives you the most options, and there are plenty of options (and price ranges) for lens that cover 10-20 or 10-24. Some of my favorite photos were shot with the Tamron 10-24, including this one: https://www.viewbug.com/photo/23989231

See more amazing photos, follow jamesharrisphoto

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