I had a chance to visit Rocky Mountain National Park in early March in a winter photography workshop guided by David Kingham (www.davidkinghamphotography.com). It was a truly fantastic experience. For a Floridian like myself, the hike up to this spot called Dream Lake was a little tough, but worth it nonetheless. I find it very inspirational and reinvigorating to get out of my comfort zone and experience new and extreme environments and terrains so I can appreciate what I have, where I live, and the many opportunities and options I have as a photographer. Thank you, David, for such a fantastic experience!
This image is a composition of two different exposures blended together using Lightroom and Photoshop. The first exposure was for the highlights (the sky, the distant cliffs, and the snow up in the mountains). The second exposure was for the darker areas such as the foreground rocks and trees. While normally it would be advisable to not use a polarizing filter this time (the reflection of the mountain tops on the water would have been particularly interesting to capture) the wind caused the water to be far too disturbed and the reflection would have been too muddy. Instead I chose to use the polarizing filter to clear the water reflection and bring out the beautiful colors and textures from the submerged wood piles near the bottom of the image.
Image Details:
- Canon EOS 5D S with a 16-35mm L lens
- ISO 160
- Focal length: 23mm at f/13