I never realised how popular a pastime photography is in the United States until I conducted this sunrise time lapse shoot at Sprague Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park.
Still suffering (benefitting?) from the seven hour change in time zone from my home in the UK, I was wide awake and raring to go at 3am.
Looking out of the window of the Historic Crags Lodge where Liz and I were staying for two weeks in Estes Park, right on the edge of the Rocky Mountain National Park, I was greeted with a sky full of stars, so I made the most of the opportunity by getting up and driving into the mountains.
Liz and I had visited Sprague Lake on the previous day, so I knew a great viewpoint from which to watch and film the stills for this time lapse as the night faded away and the first rays of the rising sun hit Hallett Peak to the west.
When I got to my chosen location I was greeted by the lovely sight of the nearly full moon just starting to set right behind the mountains, lighting up the few bands of cloud that had drifted over and with the whole scene reflecting perfectly in the still waters of the lake.
I also had the entire lake to myself, a situation which lasted about an hour, up to the point that twilight kicked in.
Then it seemed that the photographic floodgates opened as individual enthusiasts and groups of quite serious looking snappers, laden down with gear, started arriving.
I'm glad I arrived so early, as my chosen spot seemed to be the focus of everyones' attention, but with my tripod firmly rooted and camera ostentatiously clicking away every six seconds no-one seemed to mind me not moving.
In fact I met several really helpful home grown photographers who were quite happy to work around me and share some local knowledge about good places to visit - thanks guys!
So I spent the latter half of this morning's time lapse shooting session with tripod legs intertwined with those of the other photographers, watching in wonder as the crisp mountain sunlight hit the high peaks and worked its way down as a band of liquid gold across the hills and forests until eventually reaching the rocks in the foreground of the composition.
The perfect reflection came and went as the odd breeze ruffled the surface of the lake, but right at the end of my session the wind died and the lake became a mirror once more.
Checking back after the shoot, I was amazed to find I'd taken over 1500 still images over a two and a half hour period.
It felt like no time at all.
Filename - rocky mountain timelapse 02
Camera - Canon EOS 6D
Lens - 17-40mm zoom @ 17mm
Exposure (start of sequence)
5 secs @ f4, ISO800
Exposure (end of sequence)
1/200 sec @ f4, ISO100
Capture interval - 6 secs
Location - Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, U.S.A.
This clip - HD 720p
Clip duration - 28 seconds
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