Aspen Crowns
When I hike, I have to look around and of course, look up as well. These Aspens were truly amazing. This is a 7 image composition making up one HDR image. ...
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When I hike, I have to look around and of course, look up as well. These Aspens were truly amazing. This is a 7 image composition making up one HDR image. Breckenridge, Colorado, USA
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Oct, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo when I was hiking above Breckenridge, Colorado, USA. I drove up there specifically for this photo shoot. The elevation was about 11,000 feet. I parked the SUV on the road and with tripod and camera gear on my back, hiked into the woods to get this shot. This is one of my Aspen HDR series.Time
This image was taken about 90 minutes before sunset - the light was long - the "golden light".Lighting
As this was taken shortly before sunset, the light was long and warm making the gold leaves appear even more gold. The sky was amazingly blue with some fast moving cirrus clouds giving it some depth. The problem was that the light where I was standing was very muted (and actually dark). I knew I had to bracket the images, so I took a lot of different sets of exposures. I spot metered and set the camera with the base exposure as the tree trunks.Equipment
This image was a lot of fun to take. I used my Nikon D7000 with my 24-70mm lens. Manual mode, Aperture at F6.3 with ISO 200. I was originally thinking I wanted a more wide angle, but instead, experimented with the zoom. I tried different f-stops and different focal lengths. It is fun with digital to see immediately what the images look like at different settings. I tried zooming in and getting just the crowns. That was unique, but not quite right. With experimentation, I decided on this shot at a focal length of 34mm. I added software to my D7000 which gives me 7 image brackets (instead of the standard 3). I placed my camera on my tripod and with remote trigger took a series of 7 bracketed images. Each bracket was +/- .5 stop. No flash. The final image was a composite of these.Inspiration
September is the ideal time of the year to witness the guided aspen spectacle. The peak colors last only about a week and to time this right, the weather must be fantastic and dry. It is difficult to predict where and when the leaves will turn in any given location. My inspiration for this hike was multi-fold... a) to experience the sights and take advantage of the amazing autumn weather we were having in September, and b) to capture a "unique" view of the aspens. Lots of iconic photos are shot from the side, I decided to try my hand at multiple-exposure and HDR imaging... with a different perspective - looking up! I had this image in my minds-eye as I was hiking.Editing
I have been trying to master HDR post-processing. My D7000 has a software modification on it to allow me to take 7 shot brackets (instead of the standard 3). All 7 images (+/- .5 stop) were brought into Photomatix Pro software and exported as one TIFF file. I decided to minimize (but not remove) ghosting, as it was windy at the crowns, and a little motion blurring added a nice touch to the image. Once I exported the image into lightroom, I didn't do very much. A touch of sharpening of the tree trunks, and just setting the white balance and setting the black and white points.In my camera bag
I carry a pretty big kit these days as I do lots of "car camping". In my car is always a nice sturdy Manfroto tripod. I have a travel one too, which comes in handy. I carry two cameras, multiple lenses and lots of other necessities. My new everyday camera is my Nikon D500, with my backup camera (my older D7000). I absolutely love the D500. Now, I shoot usable images up to ISO 10,000 with virtually no noise. The lens I keep on the D500 is the Nikon 16-80 mm VR 2.8 lens. It is amazingly sharp and fast and perfect for most of my everyday shooting. For my D7000, I keep the Nikon 18-200 mm vr lens mounted on it. It is a fine lens, but not as fast as I like so I always have my Nikon 70-200 VR 2.8 zoom. Finally, I have a Tokina 10-17 wide angle in the bag and for stuff really far away, I also carry a 2x tele-converter . Of course, lots of memory cards, a little thunder duster, assorted cleaners, etc. I shot a lot of tripod/remote trigger images (like this one). As for remote triggers - I still have a real low tech cable which I can probably toss now, but keep it in there just in case. I have a key-fob remote trigger for the D7000 and for my new D500, I have been using SnapBridge with my LG 7" pad. The pad is a new addition to my kit and find I love it. Most of the time I shoot in RAW only, but on occasion, I'll select RAW/FINE JPG, and with Snap Bridge, I can immediately send an image from my camera to social media. A few other little things I carry - a disposable shower cap. This came from my last stay over at the Hilton. I keep a couple - one to cover the camera in case of rain and one to cover my lens.Feedback
Colorado was my home for 25 years. Whenever I could, I would go out on "car camping trips" somewhere in the state. Colorado weather is always a crap shoot - even in the summer. Snow plows have been called out somewhere in the state every month of the year. The afternoon summer thunderstorms are tricky. And it can get very cold very quickly - the weather changes a lot! All that said, the only suggestion is be prepared. Even when it rains in Colorado, the humidify is low - which makes for unique photos. Little moisture in the air tends to give clear air. Have layers for clothes, and carry protective gear. Pay attention to the forecast and plan accordingly. To capture a similar image (in this case, there is only about 4 days a year when the conditions will be right), be spontaneous. Take advantage of the weather and just have fun. Now, I'm in South Florida, the humidity is on the other side of the spectrum. Even on a dry day, it feels like you are standing in the rain because of the humidity. This makes it hard for camera gear (and people). Just like Colorado, the suggestion is be prepared. HDR works best in high contrast situations. In shady/sunny areas, low light and so on. Think about your shot and compose it in your head. Don't just take "snapshots" and hope for a good image. Sure, sometimes we are lucky, but for me, the thought process is part of the experience. Have fun and happy shooting!
