Lake Jewell
Brief sunlight shining on trees during a stormy monsoonal morning at Lake Dillon, Colorado
Brief sunlight shining on trees during a stormy monsoonal morning at Lake Dillon, Colorado
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Aug, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this at Lake Dillon in Summit County, Colorado. A great access point for several renowned resort towns including Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and VailTime
This was almost an hour after Sunrise, and one of the only points that the sun had peaked through the cloudsLighting
I woke up to Monsoon fueled thunderstorms. I was not anticipating any sun peaking through all the storm clouds, but almost a full hour after sunrise there was a brief period that a small hole broke in the clouds revealing the sunlight. I had watched it crawl across the landscape as the clouds moved. I positioned myself on the lake shore waiting for the slowly moving light to hit across this small inlet until the perfect timing of illuminating the trees. Those brightly lit trees really contrasted to the drama of those dark storm clouds hovering around Peak One in the backgroundEquipment
I used the oldie but goodie Canon 50D with the Canon 18-55 kit lens and a manfrotto tripod and cable releaseInspiration
watching that small sliver of sunlight peaking through serious storm clouds and hitting these trees almost too perfect to be true, contrasting against the dark storm clouds looming around the mountain peak in the background. I was as giddy as a kid visiting Disney World for the first timeEditing
This was an exposure fusion. a processing technique using three bracketed exposures blended together similar to HDR but producing a slightly more natural look than HDR. Then basic curves contrasting in Photoshop and some dodging and burning to make the clouds pop. I also adjusted colors in LAB mode in photoshop.In my camera bag
I am currently using a Canon 5D MKII with battery grip and a Canon Rebel T2i, I have 3 Manfrotto tripods, one with an acratech ballhead and another with a gimbal head for smaller telephoto lenses and the third I use for video. I have 2 L series lenses, the 24-105 and the 70-200 F4. I also have a Rokinon 14mm F2.8 I use for my astrophotography. A Canon 50mm F1.8 for video, and some astrophotography, the Sigma 70-200 F2.8, Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro, and a 2x extender. I have 2 aftermarket speedlights, a flashlight for light painting and several spare batteries and memory cards for each cameraFeedback
I specifically timed this photo trip to coincide with Colorado's fleeting monsoon season and rainy weather in hopes of getting dramatic morning light, usually summer sunrises in Colorado are very boring, almost consistently devoid of clouds. With that in mind I was prepared to get wet, and wet I did get, plus getting into shelter a few times due to dangerous lightning, something to always be prepared for. Also patience and persistence are ever such important virtues getting up every morning for several mornings for that ideal lighting condition. That morning I took this it was rainy and dreary, but I hung out well after sunrise (with food poisoning to boot) in hopes to get just that small glimmer of light.
