The image below is my personal favorite of the photos I took of Maroon Bells at sunrise. I stopped shooting once the sunlight reached the tops of the trees and returned to the car to thaw out!
I simply could not imagine that Maroon Lake would be clear enough to reflect Maroon Bells at the optimum 'right at sunrise' time. Plus, we read that you have to be there upwards of an hour before sunrise to get a good spot (the perfect spot) as it is a very popular photographic opportunity. Every lake and river we had seen had been cloudy, muddy and windswept. We decided to take a scouting trip a day before and check things out before committing to leaving Carbondale before 4 in the morning! The images below are from that scouting trip.
But, first you have to get there and Tom takes his well earned position as photographer en route seriously. This is Mt. Sopris.
Wow! Arriving on the scene I was encouraged by the clear water coming out of the lake. That emerald water in Maroon Lake caused me to hasten my pace a bit
Lovely, very lovely lake. The bells, however, were gray. The cool pictures I had seen of them showed them as pink or gold, even maroon! OK, I was in for a very early shoot!
Aside from the 'perfect' spot to photograph the Maroon Bells across the lake, there are many other opportunities to get different angles and 'looks' as you walk up and down the lake's edge. I think Tom used every lens in his bag!!
The lake is located between two mountain ranges. Tom shows the beauty of the east side of the lake.
There are trails that begin alongside the lake. We saw a steady stream of people walking up the trails without any camera!! Perhaps their phone was going to record their experience. Much lighter way to go!
These are the mountains to the west of the lake. Spring green in full play.
The next morning we arrived lakeside at 5:30 and there were already two photographers that had set up their cameras. There were still some nice locations. A couple more arrived after us. It was cold!! Very cold! Very, very cold. But there was no wind chopping up the water. The reflection was clear. I was stoked!! Someone mentioned the ducks out on the lake.
I was not willing to change lens so this is what ducks look like in the late blue hour, way out in a dark lake when taken with a wide angle lens!! The ducks did not stay out there long enough to cause many ripples in the water.
Hurry up sun!!! I was so cold and shivering so hard that I actually considered giving up and returning to my car. The sky had lost its color and I had lost my enthusiasm. Yet, the Bells were changing color. Maybe, just maybe . . . .
Finally, the sunlight starts its way down the cliffs of Maroon Bells. The change in color is stunning!!! I realized quickly that I was going to need to use a 0.6 graduated ND filter to properly capture the full dynamic range.
Wow! It just kept coming. My photograph does not do justice to the transformation occurring in that rock!
This is Tom's favorite sunrise shot of the Bells.
Stopped just one time before getting to the car. Loved this reflection.
Tom stayed behind and continued to shoot after I returned to the car. As the sun rises higher in the sky the color on Maroon Bells continues to change.
Tom could not help but take one last shot before getting back into the car.
I warmed up a bit and then realized that a great opportunity was right in front of me in the parking lot. I rolled down the window and clicked.
After shooting Maroon Bells we decided to head up Castle Creek Road and check out the scenery and a ghost town named Ashcroft.
We stopped at Ashcroft on the way down the from 'the end of the road'. This historical site is being carefully restored by the Apsen Historical Society.
On the way home . . . . still some decent light.
We had finished a long and fulfilling day. I needed to pinch myself to believe how lucky I was to be in the position I am in to enjoy this sort of day. Thank you for joining us on this day.