Colorado in the Fall....

pathfinder

If you have never seen apsen trees in the fall, it is hard to believe your eyes. They glow intensely, and are difficult to reproduce in sRGB or Adobe RGB. The yellow-golds are so intense they seem neon at times. Even yellow-green-gold at times.

But I keep going back, trying to capture them with a camera. Like trying to capture moonbeams maybe :dunno

Anyway, the sun was golden and low in the sky, so I could not resist a few frames. If I have even come close I will be thankful. Fall is already there at the higher elevations.

On the way up to Rabbitt Ears Pass


And turning around and looking the other way


If memory serves, north of Rabbitt Ears on the road to Wyoming.... we were riding about 400 miles per day - 3000 in 6.5 days.

erich6

This is such beautiful country PF. I love Colorado. Thanks for sharing!

Erich

David_S85

I have rarely traveled there in September. What a beautiful time of year there. Thanks for posting them PF.

4labs

PF spectacular!

pathfinder

4labs wrote:

PF spectacular!

Thanks 4labs, - maybe I'm getting closer, but I gotta say these shots are just a PALE comparison to the real thing.

They just knock your socks off, and I live in the midwest and am used to seeing maples and oaks in the fall - but aspens are really gorgeous for a very brief period around the third week of September in the mountains.

rutt

These are beautiful. How far did you go with the DM LAB steepening technique? I'll bet you can get that yellow closer, even in sRGB.

rutt

It certainly is possible to take the colors farther, even within sRGB:



You've probably already done something like this, but perhaps were afraid to put the pedal really to the metal. I started off with what you posted, so I'm really really crushing it (As David, my new stand-in, would say.)

Ann McRae

These are lovely, pathfinder. As one who has grown up in the 'aspen parklands' as my part of the province is called I am still awed by their brief fall beauty. I have 3 very, very large poplars in my back yard that haven't turned yet. When they do they are magnificent.


Here are some that I found last Friday:
http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/gallery/808954

ann

WaterfallRich

Beautiful!
Aspens in the fall is a scene I would love to see some day. Thanks for posting.

pathfinder

John, I did not use quite the curves you did - I agree that you seemed to bring up the yellows more strongly than I did - altho the yellows are out of gamut in both your image and mine. I thought perhaps the blue in the sky might suffer in your image but I cannot see that it did. SO....
I went back to a different image and retried with curves similar to yours in a and b, and then did an adjustment layer and painted out the curve adjustment in the sky and created this alternative.....
This is my first attempt



and this is my attempt as described in the above paragraph


The yellows begin to merge with orange, the greens are better seperated, not sure whether it is any better or even worse. The longer I look at these the harder it is to choose what is best

Thanks all for stopping by.

Andy

USAIR

Very awesome photos the sharpness and detail are amazing
They jump right off the page

Thanks
Fred

gubbs

Good stuff PF, especially like the rolling hills contrasting the rocks on this one!

mereimage

[Since we're rewoking shots I want to play too...re-did 3rd shot a bit



Mereimage

gus

gubbs wrote:

Good stuff PF, especially like the rolling hills contrasting the rocks on this one!

Im with gubbs here also. What a great scene to shoot. I dont like the oversaturated ones....as someone said the yellows merge on orange.

If i lived near those colours i would milk them for all they are worth.

We dont get a fall here...the temp just drops 5 degrees

Well done mate

pathfinder

Humungus wrote:

Im with gubbs here also. What a great scene to shoot. I dont like the oversaturated ones....as someone said the yellows merge on orange.

If i lived near those colours i would milk them for all they are worth.

We dont get a fall here...the temp just drops 5 degrees

Well done mate

The thing that really annoyed me was we were riding from right to left along this image as shot, and then around the left to the back of the rock pillar - just a great scene with side lighting and ABSOLUTELY NO WHERE to stop and park a motorcycle to get off the road - I even tried shooting sitting on the bike in the road - I finally gave up and rode on

pathfinder

mereimage wrote:

[Since we're rewoking shots I want to play too...re-did 3rd shot a bit



Mereimage

I like this crop - I'll have to give it a shot.

ian408

Ah, the fall color in CO is wonderful. Spectacular shots

But I think that some of the LAB work (pardon the pun) is over done. Almost
making the trees too yellow. And the sky is lost in this overworked shot.

I wonder if you'd get similar results with the Velvia action?

Ian