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Serenity at "the Bells"
Serenity at "the Bells"
hahn23


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Hidden Gem -- 1,000th Challenge! (Advanced Editing VII*)
Camera: Canon EOS-10D
Lens: Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM
Location: Maroon Bells, Aspen, CO.
Date: Sep 2, 2004
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/10s
Galleries: Landscape, Nature
Date Uploaded: Mar 4, 2009

 8:35 am on 9/2/04. The light was phenomenal as the wind laid down and the mirrored lake came into its glory. The aspen groves were just turning. There were three photographers at my sides. No one said anything, as we were busy trying to capture this very rare moment. In the intervening years, many of the coniferous trees have died. Maroon Bells, near Aspen, CO., is the most photographed spot in Colorado. I enjoyed reaching back to the RAW file and processing with the newer software. (Apple's Aperture) This image was captured with the use of 0.6 & 0.9 soft graduated neutral density filters.

[Mar. 17th, 2009 11:52:24 AM]

Last day of voting: It was a surprise to me to hear of the wide range or reactions to the color saturation and brightness. Some even suggested this was an HDR image. To me, this image represents what I saw with my eyes that morning in September 2004. Those who have never visited Colorado's high elevation lakes on a sunny morning with thin atmosphere may never have seen this kind of atmospheric event. It was magical, luminous light which I've only seen a few times since. This is not a HDR image. One image with saturation and vibrancy pushed only to the point of representing the natural scene. I understand the skepticism. Makes me question my monitor calibration, but I think I'm on target. The camera was the Canon 10D. At 6.3 Mpix, this was a big scene for that early DSLR. Contributed to the painterly effect, I'm sure.

[Mar. 17th, 2009 11:58:52 AM]

I was at Maroon Lake at sunrise. The alpenglow light touched the peaks. The lake was rippled at sunrise, but it smoothed out by 8:00 am. At the time, many viewers of the sunrise image were skeptical of the red light on the peaks. I'm glad I stayed around for the wind to lay down.

Statistics
Place: 47 out of 1129
Avg (all users): 6.6531
Avg (commenters): 7.5455
Avg (participants): 6.6641
Avg (non-participants): 6.5915
Views since voting: 2538
Views during voting: 720
Votes: 467
Comments: 82
Favorites: 14 (view)

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AuthorThread
 01/18/2010 02:20:59 PM
great colors!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
03/17/2009 10:24:10 PM
Pow. Just leaps off the page. Sensory overload. Not used to that in a landscape shot. Excellent.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 10:20:26 PM
Gorgeous. Crystal clear with wonderful colors, reflections, and sky. Great lighting. Very, very nice.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 10:04:12 PM
great colors- just my opinion but i might have toned down the green a wee bit-10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 07:19:42 PM
Wow great vivid colors. I love it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 05:40:10 PM
Very dramatic scenic capture! 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 05:35:23 PM
classic
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 02:46:48 PM
Incredible reflection, and stunning colours.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 02:27:14 PM
just like a painting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 10:31:52 AM
Wow, the colors here really pop!! Great clarity, great reflection.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 09:45:39 AM
amazing reflection, punchy colors, and very sharp, great job
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 08:55:49 AM
Breathtaking scenery, beautiful reflections. Painting like image. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2009 01:22:09 AM
Clear as a bell. Beautiful shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 11:04:07 PM
Beautiful place. Lovely reflection . Seems oversaturated to me.

Not voting yet.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 09:22:06 PM
gorgeous reflection and nice colors. I bet this would look magnificent blown up into a HUGE print!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 06:12:04 PM
Awesome shot. Love the reflections and the cloudy sky. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 04:31:53 PM
So colorful...I can smell the fresh air.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 03:39:09 PM
Too bright and with the horizon in the centre I struggle to know whether to look up or down
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 03:06:26 PM
Beautiful! Perfect reflection in the water and nice rich colors.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 02:40:22 PM
Nice shot. Good color and detail.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 01:34:20 PM
WOW, what a beautiful landscape and you capture it well. It almost loook like a painting. Good luck.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 11:42:23 AM
beautiful
six from me ;D
brano
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 11:27:38 AM
Typical over the top DPC landscape.... 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 10:10:45 AM
stunning scene love the reflections
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 03:43:39 AM
just beautiful spectacular capture of a spectacular location
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2009 02:08:07 AM
Superb reflections. Lovely place, I'd like to be there.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 11:27:03 PM
Surreal. 720x478 just can't do this one justice. I'd love to have one at 1680x1050 for my desktop. A 30x20 inch for the wall. Even though the bells are shot a lot this one is perfection. Congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 11:02:29 PM
Well composed and a great reflection.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 02:59:34 PM
Nice crisp lines in this image, the colors are nice.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 12:11:30 PM
Wow! nice clean,crisp pic. My only nit pick is the clouds in the upper left.But minor!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 12:09:12 PM
excellent exposure control and the clarity really creates a lot to see
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 12:08:35 PM
Serene indeed. Such a visual respite from the daily drudge. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 09:47:57 AM
Beautiful colors. Nice reflections.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 07:45:20 AM
stunning landscapes!!! with just color out of this world Wow!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 06:28:39 AM
Beautiful view with such a bright reflection
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 02:34:48 AM
excellent HDR, good luck !! 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2009 12:31:38 AM
Beautiful reflection...for me just a tad bit too much sharpening in the trees...other than that Perfect! 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2009 11:47:09 PM
Amazigng reflections, stunning colours, I can see why this is your favourite photo. I predict it will become the favourite of many others as well.

Back to vote, I gave this a 9.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2009 08:09:27 PM
Interpretation of Topic: Wonderful for Nature Lovers
Photography: Exquisite
Viewers Reaction: Awesome
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2009 07:47:05 PM
Wow, beautiful. I love all the different shades of green
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2009 07:25:01 PM
Overdone with software. Unreal.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2009 06:34:54 PM
a classic, great color and reflection
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2009 01:19:02 PM
Beautiful. Great colors without too much saturation.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2009 10:04:34 AM
I could see this on a postcard. Great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2009 06:01:36 AM
lovely view and great calm reflections. The sky really adds to this
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 11:05:16 PM
finally some color and focus...wonderful...extra point
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 10:49:37 PM
I'm hoping to leave comments on as many photo's in this challenge as possible... out of (currently) 1124 images, I gave 30 of them a 9. Your image was one of those 30.

Serenity indeed, a fantastically crystal clear reflection in the water. Great use of primary colours, and the compositional lead in lines work from all angles. A really lovely shot, and I expect a finish in the top 5%

Good luck for a strong finish in this challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 08:17:53 PM
This challenge is just about killing me! So many wonderful amazing photos entered just like this one. Excellent reflection and composition, makes me want to pack my bags right now and travel the world in search of this place. Excellent work, congratulations of a stunning photo, a fav and a 10 for me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 07:05:14 PM
wow. I love the mirror effect with the saturated colors.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 03:23:07 PM
Amazing image, the colors, detail and reflections are extraordinary.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 02:58:07 PM
Great clarity and colour. One of my favourites of yours.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 01:36:36 PM
Beautiful image, possibly a bit over-processed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 12:35:21 PM
Beautiful
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 09:46:27 AM
Beautiful shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2009 03:40:34 AM
Very slightly overdone in the color department IMHO. Still it's very striking and mostly pleasing to the eye.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 08:16:15 PM
Beautiful colors and detail. 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 05:09:19 PM
This is a really good image; if this was one of mine I'd perhaps take the yellow saturation down a little, but only you know what the best colour settings were.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 01:12:24 PM
Beautiful reflection image, very centred, very peaceful and balanced. My one nitpick is the [sharpening?] halo at the top of the cliffs at top left.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 12:11:23 PM
great landscape, love the rich colors
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 12:09:19 PM
beautiful scene
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 11:15:27 AM
Just wonderful. What a sight that must be in person.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 10:15:48 AM
Wow...Love the mirrored lake.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 09:34:39 AM
Beautiful scene and good composition. I'd tone down the yellow-greens, though, as they look rather overwhelmingly bright on my monitor.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 08:45:27 AM
Congratulations on being part of this 1000th challenge on DPC. Keep up the good work!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 08:27:00 AM
Classic view of the bells, with beautifully captured reflection. I would dial back the saturation on the yellows and greens just a small bit to give it a more natural feel.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 07:41:28 AM
great scene but too oversaturated for my taste. Not bad though, I like the composition
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 12:40:30 AM
Stunning scenery shot. The reflection looks like a water colour painting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2009 12:09:48 AM
absolutely breathtaking..beautiful
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 11:44:20 PM
gorgeous clarity and colors!!almost like a painting
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 08:51:17 PM
Supurb detail and outstanding sharpness.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 07:12:47 PM
wow, amazing reflection and great lines
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 06:47:31 PM
oversaturated a bit
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 05:25:32 PM
I would be giving this photo a little bit higher of a score if I didnt feel it was overprocessed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 04:10:43 PM
Great light, awesome reflection.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 03:44:05 PM
beautiful. It is a bit oversaturated, however, and sky color seems false.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 12:54:30 PM
A bit too bright for me but still a nice shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 10:40:40 AM
Reminds me of Idaho, nice flow, and feel.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 09:59:18 AM
I love the reflections and colors!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 04:28:12 AM
Very nice but I would have preferred 15% less saturation
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 03:08:13 AM
Really nice shot, just a little oversaturated for my taste. Love the composition though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 02:49:08 AM
Spectacular reflection. Too HDR for my taste. Should do well :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2009 01:49:55 AM
breathtaking!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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