first light on the flatirons

date of activity: 12/25/08

Since I was going to (have to) spend quite a bit of Christmas Day with the in-laws, I decided to get up early and do something fun to start the day (not that spending time with my in-laws isn’t, um, “fun”)… so I went into Chautauqua Park to shoot the Flatirons at sunrise. I mean, c’mon, what better way to spend Christmas morning than standing on a snowy hillside when it’s 13 degrees out, waiting for sunrise, so you can photograph beautiful mountains at first light? And I even made it back home before my wife got up!

Chautauqua Park in Boulder is one of my favorite places to photograph the Flatirons. You get some great views from about halfway up the hillside. I have my favorite spot there, about fifteen yards north of the trail, which I always gravitate to. I like that particular spot because you get a lovely angle from which to view the mountain, and also get some nearby pine trees as foreground interest.

I processed these shots in HDR, which really brings out the lovely touch of alpenglow that painted the mountains this morning at dawn. (HDR is a blending of three different exposures, so that the details in the highlights, shadows, & mid-tones are enhanced.)

Thanks for reading about stuff I’ve photographed. ~Rich