In the gold mining days, 1850′s, you would see the peak from Denver and the slogan became “Pikes Peak or Bust” because the peak was so prominent even though there wasn’t gold discovered in the Pike Peak area until later in Cripple Creek. Coins were minted in Denver in the 1860′s as Pikes Peak Gold.

Katherine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful after seeing the view from the top of Pikes Peak. I saw this mountain everyday growing up in Colorado Springs and every time I go to visit my parents it stands tall in front of me reminding me of how grand the mountain truly is today. The view of the large mountain is visible from most east-west streets in Colorado Springs and I never get tired of the view.

I was driving down to Colorado Springs on Mother’s day to visit my parents and Pikes Peak was looming large over the front range on the way down. Snow still covers the mountain top and on this clear day the view was magical with clouds rolling overhead. I had to pull over on the way down and capture this amazing mountain one more time. You can understand why the Spanish Settler’s called it El Capitán – The Captain.

Pikes Peak – Click to Enlarge or Purchase

Capture Notes:

• Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
• Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
• Extender: Canon 2x EF Extender III CANON 2X (Teleconverter)
• Filter: B+W 77mm Kaesemann Circular Polarizer MRC Filter
• ISO: 100
• Focal Length: 255 mm
• Aperture: f/8
• Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec.
• Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac, Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4

The post El Capitán – Pikes Peak appeared first on Colorado Landscape Photography by Rick Louie.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

A thunder strike along the plains of Colorado.

The post Thunder Strike appeared first on Colorado Landscape Photography by Rick Louie.

The Sangre De Cristo Mountains don’t look that spectacular up close, but really shine when you get away from the range and the Great Sand Dunes in front of the mountain range really give this scene some perspective and contrasts. I’m going to have to try to swing down to the park before all the snow melts off the mountains. I would really like to capture this sunset shot again but with the use of a tripod next time.

If you didn’t know, The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is the most inexpensive U.S. National Park. The cost is only $3 to enter the park. It’s truly one of the hidden gems that not many people visit, but sure has some spectacular images to be captured. The surrounding San Luis Valley is a slice of Americana and definitely can be experienced while visiting.

Great Sand Dunes Sunset – Click to Enlarge/Purchase

Capture Notes:

• Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
• Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Autofocus Lens
• Filter: Singh-Ray Daryl Benson 4×6″ Reverse Neutral Density Graduated Filter (3-stop)
• ISO: 1600
• Focal Length: 35 mm
• Aperture: f/11
• Shutter Speed: 1/40 sec.
• Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac, Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4, Nik¤Software Dfine 2.0 Software, Nik¤Software Sharpener Pro 3.0 Software Plug-in for Mac and Windows

The post Great Sand Dunes Sunset appeared first on Colorado Landscape Photography by Rick Louie.

Ryan Wright and I arrived to 40+ mile an hour winds and when the sun dropped it was a bone chilling wind. When we arrived there was still four hours of daylight left so we decided to head out in the wind and hike around the dunes in hopes of getting some images in the late afternoon sun. The hike was brutal with especially with when the wind blew straight into your face. The sand just felt like little needles poking you in the face. Hiking in the dunes is already a good workout, especially when every step you take you sink into the sand 3-4 inches with every step. If you want a good workout, this is the place to go! The one thing I’ll say is that when you finally finish the hike you certainly feel a sense of accomplishment!

Windswept Dunes – Click to Enlarge/Purchase

Capture Notes:

• Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
• Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
• ISO: 100
• Focal Length: 110 mm
• Aperture: f/11
• Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec.
• Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac, Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4

The post Windswept Dunes appeared first on Colorado Landscape Photography by Rick Louie.

If you ever want a really good workout try hiking in sand and add on top of that winds blowing from the side, in your face and then with every step, you feet sinking into the sand another 3-4 inches. I’m not exactly sure why we ventured out, but there we were hiking along the dunes with backpacks full of photo gear. What we do for the shot (shakes head). So the long story short, the weekend trip was cut short and will have to happen again later this year.

I’m still processing my images from this weekend, but I thought I would share a quick Spring Snow image. We definitely need the moisture here in Colorado and I’m guessing this year we’ll see even more snow in April. I’ll share some Sand Dunes images and more of the story with you later on this week. Have a great week everyone!

Spring Snow in Denver – Click to Enlarge/Purchase

Capture Notes:

• Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
• Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
• ISO: 200
• Focal Length: 185 mm
• Aperture: f/8
• Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec.
• Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac, Nik¤Software Silver Efex Pro 2 Software

The post Spring Snow appeared first on Colorado Landscape Photography by Rick Louie.