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Waiting and watching for first light in the Rocky Mountain National Park is a wonderful experience, especially in such a beautiful location as Sprague Lake.
I was there before dawn on several mornings during my wife Liz's and my two week holiday in the area, I just couldn't keep away from such jaw dropping scenery.
On some mornings there would be an absolute calm, allowing Hallett Peak and and the surrounding mountains to reflect in the mirror like surface of the lake.
But on this particular morning, although the sky was cloudless, there was a reasonable breeze blowing, ruffling the waters and destroying any hope of a reflection.
Never mind though, as I like moving water almost as much as still water, and with a very long shutter speed there are some lovely blur effects to be had in those circumstances.
So there I was, in what must be one of the most photographed views in the park, with the place to myself.
I set up my camera on its tripod quite low down, to make the most of those foreground rocks so beloved by my fellow photographers, and waited for the light.
The day dawned crisp and clear, with the high peaks catching the almost horizontal rays of the sun as it broached the horizon behind me.
And for just a couple of minutes the rock glowed red as I snapped away for all I was worth, trying a variety of shutter speeds and varying degrees of blur on the water.
Of the exposures I made at the time, this one was my favourite, with a lovely contrast between the intense red of the directly lit mountains and the blue air light in the sky and water.
The colours soon muted as the sun rose higher in the sky, but I'm certainly glad I made the effort to be there to see such a sight.
Filename - rocky mountains sprague lake 02.jpg
Camera - Canon EOS 6D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @24mm
Exposure - 15 secs @ f4, ISO1600
Location - Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, U.S.A.
This image - 800x533px JPEG
Conversion - Adobe Lightroom
Comments - ND Grad filter used to darken sky.
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