Highlands Ranch Photo Club Meeting
August 5, 2008
Debbie welcomed everyone to the meeting. She noted that the September 9 meeting will be a tutorial on PhotoStory 3, a free Microsoft program. Our photo club meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of the month at the Highlands Ranch Library.
Debbie Miller
Fall Color Photography Locations
Debbie presented a number of locations where fall color is especially good in Colorado. Her presentation included maps and photos from many of the locations.
Some suggestions very near Denver:
- Kenosha Pass on US285
- Guanella Pass off US285 or south from Georgetown
- Boreas Pass from 285 to Breckenridge
- Golden Gate State Park
- Peak to Peak highway
Good areas near Colorado Springs:
- Mueller State Park
- Wilkerson Pass
- Old Stage Road leaving from the Broadmoor to Cripple Creek
Some central Colorado fall color areas:
- Monarch Pass on U.S. 50
- Marshall Pass
- Road to St. Elmo
- Cottonwood Lake Road off Cottonwood Pass
- Road to Vicksburg north of Buena Vista
- Independence Pass, the west side
- Aspen and Maroon Bells
In the Crested Butte area:
- Schofield Pass Road - some bad roads, needs 4-wheel drive
- Ohio Pass
- Kebler Pass west of town - Debbie's personal favorite
Other areas:
- Grand Mesa
- McClure Pass on CO 133 south of Carbondale
- Steamboat Springs
- Owl Creek Pass
- Many others
Some techniques for shooting fall color:
- Early and late light are good.
- Avoid front light.
- Backlighting provides a nice glow.
- Yellow leaves contrast nicely with a blue sky.
- Overcast skies provide a soft light and saturated color
- A polarizer cuts glare from the leaves, especially if they are wet.
- Set the white balance a little warm if overcast.
Debbie suggested other sources of color. In addition to aspen, she likes to photograph cottonwood trees. The gambel oak or scrub oak in Roxborough are nice. She also likes to shoot alpine tundra when it turns color in late August.
The best time to catch aspen color is probably the third week of September through early October. If it is wet in September, there may not be good color.
Suggested Web sites:
We thank Debbie very much for the time and effort she put into gathering these excellent suggestions for fall color trips in Colorado.
Additional Notes and Upcoming Meetings
Several club members brought interesting photos to share. Jim had pictures from the Great Sand Dunes National Park as well as animal and bird shots. Rodrigo showed the Highlands Ranch windmill in many different seasons, Maroon Bells, and hummingbird photos. He used fill flash to capture their color. Dale had experimented with some pictures from Roxborough by cropping and adding painterly manipulations. He also showed a multiple exposure using his digital camera.
September's meeting will be a tutorial by Nancy Crombie on using PhotoStory 3, a free Microsoft program. As always, you are invited to bring photos to share at the end of the presentation!
View reports from previous meetings - News Archives
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