Rocky Mountain National Park - Dragon's Tooth Couloir

boulderNardo

I've finally been getting more and more into photography and have had a lot of chances to practice this winter season. I've been mostly shooting skiing action shots - I finally got an ultra-wide angle lens (Tamron 11-18mm) for my Canon 40D (mostly to take more dramatic skiing shots) and have started taking some landscape shots. Here's my first attempt yesterday in the Rocky Mountain National Park off of Bear Lake Trailhead - we skied the couloir to the right in the first picture

Would appreciate any kind of feedback - postive, negative, constructive!
Thanks!
-bernardo

#1




#2




#3




#4

Marc Muench

I wish I could a been with you Great location and wind action for skiing shots. I would have liked to seen a skier under the rocks in the first shot which I think is a great composition.

boulderNardo

Marc Muench wrote:

I wish I could a been with you Great location and wind action for skiing shots. I would have liked to seen a skier under the rocks in the first shot which I think is a great composition.

Believe me, I would've loved for you to be there... And definitely believe me, I would've loved for someone in my group to sack up and ski that line in the first picture so I could photograph it. Unfortunately nobody did, I had to take the picture and then ski that line myself

The wind was indeed blowing mad strong, I wasn't sure how to handle it in postprocessing, whether I should heal/clone the sky or whether it actually looks good with the wind blowing like that. We had about 40mph winds on top of Flat Top mountain It was my first time shooting landscapes primarily and definitely a good learning experience (see previous skiing action shots at http://bernardo.smugmug.com).

Thanks for the comment!
-bernardo

Gary Peterson Photography

Great

boulderNardo wrote:

Believe me, I would've loved for you to be there... And definitely believe me, I would've loved for someone in my group to sack up and ski that line in the first picture so I could photograph it. Unfortunately nobody did, I had to take the picture and then ski that line myself

The wind was indeed blowing mad strong, I wasn't sure how to handle it in postprocessing, whether I should heal/clone the sky or whether it actually looks good with the wind blowing like that. We had about 40mph winds on top of Flat Top mountain It was my first time shooting landscapes primarily and definitely a good learning experience (see previous skiing action shots at http://bernardo.smugmug.com).

Thanks for the comment!
-bernardo

I am glad you left it the way you did. As a skiier/boarder and climber, I like the rawness of the image, and it helps me feel the location and conditions. We should shoot together one of these years....I would love to have some shots of me hucking as I am sure you would as well! I just spent the last month doucmenting cat skiing operations in Idaho and BC, and got some amazing shots, and after getting so many first tracks, began to wish that there was another shooter along...

boulderNardo

Gary Peterson Photography wrote:

I am glad you left it the way you did. As a skiier/boarder and climber, I like the rawness of the image, and it helps me feel the location and conditions. We should shoot together one of these years....I would love to have some shots of me hucking as I am sure you would as well! I just spent the last month doucmenting cat skiing operations in Idaho and BC, and got some amazing shots, and after getting so many first tracks, began to wish that there was another shooter along...

Gary, Don't be surprised if I'll take you up on that offer - I'd love to ski with another photographer! Exactly like you said, I love to photograph other good skiers hucking big cliffs or skiing exposed lines - but I would also love to see myself in a photograph taken by an able photographer!

Hit me up whenever you come this way (I'm in Boulder, Colorado) and I'll make sure to hit you up when I head your way (which way's that? :)_ )
-bernardo

Gary Peterson Photography

Spokane is due West of ya!

boulderNardo wrote:

Gary, Don't be surprised if I'll take you up on that offer - I'd love to ski with another photographer! Exactly like you said, I love to photograph other good skiers hucking big cliffs or skiing exposed lines - but I would also love to see myself in a photograph taken by an able photographer!

Hit me up whenever you come this way (I'm in Boulder, Colorado) and I'll make sure to hit you up when I head your way (which way's that? :)_ )
-bernardo

Cool! I am based out of Spokane, but travel all the time. I will be in the Salt Lake area April 24-28th, and will shoot a bot there before I head over to Moab for some tower action.

ian408

I really like that first shot as well. About the only thing I wish is that it was a
little wider to capture the expanse. I think you need about a 14mm and one
crazy skier in that shot

Eia

That first one is intense!

~Eia~

thebigsky

I agree, I like them all and that first shot is very powerful, I've only ever skied once and it scared the life out of me and the thought of being in the position you were when you took that picture makes my knees go wobbly.

Great sense of scale and drama, love it!

Charlie

cwphotos

Awesome Images. Gotta love deep blue skies and snow. Something about it is awe inspiring.

Pezpix

Ah the infamous Dragons Tooth Couloir. Gives me shudders even thinking back to those long ago days when I ventured along the continental divide and Flattop and Hallets in the winter. Great capture. Being a Longs Peak lover, of course, that shot is my favorite

Thanks for sharing!

boulderNardo

Thanks so much for the comments guys, sorry for the late reply - was out on another 3-day backcountry trip, hopefully more scenics to come.

I'm personally very proud of #1. Lucky shot! I'm glad someone recognized Long's Peak in the background!! I'm going to work on some different post processing to bring some of the detail in the snow back - I've been doing postproc work on a non-calibrated and very bright LCD and I know I've been messing some of it up.

-b