First attempt at Garden of the Gods (trees)

ashfordphoto · Feb 16, 2007

Here are some pictures I took at Garden of the Gods. It was my first atttempt shooting - so I would love to hear suggestions or see results that you get when playing with em.

I was playing around with how to frame - but I'm fairly sure I'll leave out the "andrew ashford photography" from now on

LaFoto · Feb 17, 2007

I quite like your Photo 2 here. Maybe there is a little too much sky above the tree (it is fairly much in the centre), and a bit too much black at the bottom, but to tell you the truth: it does not bother me that much.

ashfordphoto · Feb 17, 2007

Thank you. I've been playing around cropping #2 - but I feel like if I take out more sky then it makes the whole image center and that ruins how simple I feel it looks. I'll play around with the bottom though, I haven't thought about that!

lostprophet · Feb 17, 2007

love the 2nd shot

abraxas · Feb 19, 2007

I agree with LaFoto on #2- I think if you cropped right at the top of the hard straight shadow at the bottom sticking out to the right, and the top off at a 4:5 ratio it'd turn out pretty nice.

1 & 4 look a bit washed and too contrasty to me.

3 is interesting, but could do without the freelance goober about a third of the way up on the right. I like the sky tone.

danir · Feb 19, 2007

I like 2 and 3.
Interesting shots.

Dani

parsec · Feb 19, 2007

I haven't posted here in a long time, but I just had to chime in since I grew up in the Springs and worked in Garden of the Gods as a tour guide/park rangerish type in high school. I really enjoy the two photos of the junipers. Were you here a few years ago when they convicted that one photorapher for cutting down a juniper that was in the way of the shot he wanted? People were really upset since most of those trees are older than Christ. anyway, I hope to go back in the coming weeks to take some photos of my own, since I know a few choice spots that I bet others don't (i.e. not along the beaten path).

ashfordphoto · Feb 19, 2007

no, I just moved here in June with my wife. When we were out in the morning taking these shots, she wanted me to go to the restoration areas to take some photos...but I said "are you kidding me!?!?! no way!" I couldn't even imagine cutting down one of those trees!

I imagine that GoG is going to be one of the main places I'm going to go to learn the art of photography - so I would love to see your pics posted when you take em. It would help me a lot to learn, for sure.

abraxas - is there a way to lighten that one shadow you're talking about? I feel like if I crop too much of the ground out, I'd have to crop more sky out, and then I feel like it would lose a ton of composition and just be a flat centered piece. Any thoughts?

parsec · Feb 20, 2007

I'm not so sure how much you would be able to learn from me. I'm new to photography myself as well. But I will post once I get an opportunity to get down there. I live on the west side of Denver now, so I don't head down to GoG often these days.

Mama_Destiny · Feb 20, 2007

Great pics! Im in the Springs area too,and I took a pic of the same tree in # 2 about a year ago!

LOL! I too would crop some of the top from that pic.
GOTG is definitely a great place to get creative!

abraxas · Feb 21, 2007

ashfordphoto said:
...
abraxas - is there a way to lighten that one shadow you're talking about? I feel like if I crop too much of the ground out, I'd have to crop more sky out, and then I feel like it would lose a ton of composition and just be a flat centered piece. Any thoughts?

It doesn't look like it can be lightened from what it is.

You have an 'ok to edit' so I'm trying this;

I lightened the shadow a bit by making a duplicate layer, cloning the right of the shot into the left, erasing what wasn't cloned, and adjusting the opacity of the layer until it looked reasonable. I cropped the shot to a 4:5 ratio setting the tree off to one side a touch.

IMO, this is okie-dokie for the internet, but is probably lost as a print photo. I've done likewise with my centered compositions and have never had one come out without hacking it into smaller and smaller and smaller pieces. Usable for the internet, but not for something I'd like to see hanging on a relatives' wall unless they really loved me and I wanted to take advantage and torment them a bit

- I'm a terrible big brother.

From what I remember, that is a killer photo area. I was there about 10 years ago. I think there's a place called Seven Falls nearby? Victor/Cripple Creek was cool too.

Shots like these are what you learn from, at least I do. I really try to stay away from center comps.

parsec · Feb 22, 2007

abraxas said:
From what I remember, that is a killer photo area. I was there about 10 years ago. I think there's a place called Seven Falls nearby? Victor/Cripple Creek was cool too.

Shots like these are what you learn from, at least I do. I really try to stay away from center comps.

That's right, I also worked near Seven Falls for the same job I mentioned earlier. Anyone who goes there should also drive along Old Gold Camp Road for some great views of the city. But the best thing to do if you have some time is drive to Victor to see all the abandoned gold mines in the area. Very scenic and historic area, and it's not super touristy like Seven Falls is, with the exception of Cripple Creek. That town was better before casinos were legal.