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James Hamilton, M. D.
The Story Behind The Picture (Post #8748)
I want to thank all those who gave me their interpretations of that photograph. They were all correct! (Remember, there are no wrong answers when giving your thoughts on what a landscape scene conveys to you.)
In Post # 1685 on 23 July 2017 I told part of this story and included one sunrise scene with it. But here is a little more background on some of the many images I made 6 days before that posting:
It is rare that the Pikes Peak Highway opens in the very early morning for us crazy photographers to drive up and photograph a sunrise. But that happened on 16 July 2017 and I was 12th in line when the toll gate opened at 0430 hours. Driving this serpentigenous road along a few sheer drop-offs in the dark was a bit challenging (but fun!). About 50 or so cars of intrepid, tripod bearing camera enthusiasts reached the summit and staked out prime spots to capture the sunrise, forecast to occur at 0544 that morning. The wind was unbelievably strong giving the ambient temperature of 34 degrees a chill factor in the low twenties. Fortunately, most of us were dressed like it was deep winter. We all had to keep a good grip on our tripoded DSLR's lest they blow off the edges of the rocks which were the best viewing areas for this spectacle. To avoid having people in our wider angle compositions we were quite spread out ("social distancing" before it was a household word).
The sunrise was right on time and the clicking of shutters being released could be heard even in the wind. It was a phenomenal show! The reds, oranges and purple hues reflected and refracted off the clouds set against a darkened blue sky along with an ocean-like appearance of thick wavy clouds thousands of feet below covering the entire southern part of Colorado Springs was, as is an overly used term today, awesome.
After I had taken about 70 shots the sun was high enough that the drama was waning. So I went around to a different area of the summit and captured a few "you can see forever" scenes looking northeast as the sun bathed the forests and some of the reservoirs on the slopes of Pikes Peak.
After that, I packed up and descended to about the 12,000 foot level where I spotted two resilient pine trees clinging to some boulders. These were perhaps the last of the trees to survive at timberline. They were like sentinels who were rewarded by a view of the sunrise each morning of their existence. That is the picture in Post #8748 above.
Dave B.
Your comment on a view of Nevada after California had fallen into the ocean was unique and something of which I had not considered! It may take eons or it could happen in one cataclysmic event. The cloud covering certainly does look like a roily ocean and others also saw that in this photo.
MM,
A beautiful interpretation of God in the glory of the universe and the promises of Christmas that you saw in this photograph. I am always amazed at God's palate in the world around us and I feel privileged to live in a time when photographic technology permits me to image His work so easily.
Mike McL.,
Anyone who has stood on a mountain and was lucky enough to experience a sunrise or sunset and the ocean or clouds below will probably never forget the moment. It brings to mind lines from two of my favorite songs: John Denver's Rocky Mountain High - "he climbed cathedral spires, he saw silver clouds below" and Judy Collins' Both Sides Now - "I've looked at clouds from both sides now, from up and down and still somehow, its cloud's illusions I recall...".
Joe McC.,
Serenity. Definitely! And that felling was all over me even at the semi-crowded top of the Peak.
Donna,
Hope. You read it just like I did. Each time I find myself in the wilderness or the mountains I get a renewed feeling for the world. That may sound corny, but there is just something about nature.
Frank,
Peaceful, restorative, calming and a sense of eternity. Yes x 4! I just wish I - and others - could get out there more often.
Larry,
Yet another great song that transports the mind. One that I had not considered.
Jack,
As I said above in Post #8757! But, you have a point. One would think if the horizon is distant enough the curvature of the world could be appreciated. That usually requires higher vantage points than the 14,115 feet at the top of Pikes Peak.
Mark,
Good technical comments! And, yes, all that goes through my mind as I compose a picture. What to leave in, what to leave out. The "rule of thirds". Where is the light and how to use it. What aperture to use - in this case I set a narrow aperture to use the flare and create a partial "sunstar". The sun was high enough by the time I got down to timberline that it was too big so I intentionally cut off part of it, otherwise it would have dominated the whole scene. At that altitude there were no large trees to "hide the sun" which is my favorite way to include sunstars.
Dave M.,
No fancy lenses! But I almost always use a circular polarizing filter which gives better definition to clouds and sky.
Happy New Year to everyone and may the world bring you happiness!
Jim
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