Since I knew from prior experience that Maroon Bells can be a very crowded spot for photographers, especially on weekends during fall color season, I got up at around 3 am to head for the lake and claim my tripod spot. It was cold waiting under the stars, but my hopes for a glorious sunrise kept me from dwelling on the mild discomfort. Since the night sky was clear and cloudless, I proceeded to take a few time exposures of the stars.
My Canon 40D is not particularly renowned for having state-of-the-art high ISO/low noise capability among DSLRs. But, sometimes one has to use what you have, as opposed to what is best. This is a 30" exposure at ISO 1600 and f 1.8 using a EF 50 mm lens. There is more movement of the stars visible at high magnification than I would prefer due to the earths rotation during the 30 second exposure. Still, the image reminds me of the excitement that I felt while waiting in the cold night air. Some of my posts here strive more to tell my story than to attempt to be works of art :)
As the sun began to peak over the valley, the top of the peaks got a touch of glow on them. Not necessarily a "world class" sunrise, but to paraphrase sometimes "a bad morning out photographing beats a good day in the laboratory". The exposure here was 5" at f 8, ISO 400, 36 mm focal length.
Later in the morning, the golden aspens in the valley surrounding the lake were illuminated. I made a trip back to the room to pick up my wife, who was traveling with me on this trip but didn't want to get up at 3 am with me.
The focal length in this image was 18 mm.
Here is my wife, Vickie, resting in front of the lake. Since she retired from teaching, her main hobby has been scrapbooking. I sometimes get chided that I need to remember to get some images with people in them, too- not just landscapes.
