Sunday, March 18, 2012

Red Mountain Pass, Colorado in Autumn


While visiting Colorado’s San Juan Mountains in early October 2008, I traveled southward on Hwy. 550 over Red Mountain Pass. A short way south of the pass, I spotted some golden-hued aspen trees on an embankment, perhaps 50 feet above the highway.

I parked my SUV as far off the highway as I could and scrambled up the embankment, and was rewarded with a view of Bear Mountain and the Animas River valley I simply could not have captured from the highway. It’s my pleasure to share that view with you.

Bear Mountain and the Animas River Valley

To see this photo in a larger view, click here.

— Gerald Blank

Monday, March 12, 2012

Twilight At Lake Eola, Downtown Orlando


A few weekends ago my brother, fellow photographer, and partner in crime, Mike, accompanied me to downtown Orlando. Or rather, I accompanied him. He knows the ins and outs of downtown better than I do, as well as the best spots for cityscape photos.
Just after sundown, we ended up on the shore of Lake Eola, looking southwest toward the Orlando skyline.

Lake Eola, Orlando

The lighting of the evening sky was ideal. It seemed like I was in the right place at the right time, which I consider to be most of what makes a great photo. I shot a series of photos, pivoting my camera after each exposure, so I could stitch them together in Photoshop to create a panorama.

The other part of what makes a good image is an eye for detail, and one detail I missed was that, from my vantage point, the colored fountain at the other side of the lake was not centered between the two buildings beyond it. Had I chosen a spot 50 yards away, it would have been centered perfectly. By the time I realized this, the glow in the sky was gone. I was a little irritated at myself for missing that detail at first, then shrugged and thought to myself: “I’ll just fix it in Photoshop.”

That ended up being easier said than done, but I did get it done. The lesson was not lost on me, however: Taking a few moments to pay attention to everything in the scene would have saved me much trouble. If one is trying to capture an action shot, that can “make or break” the photo.

I hope you enjoy viewing this photo! You can see the full panoramic view I captured by clicking here.