Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: MattBurt on May 16, 2016, 01:54:27 pm
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A favorite landscape location of mine is American Basin which is in the San Juan range near Lake City, Colorado. For landscape shooting I usually go mid summer when the wildflowers are in bloom and waterfalls flowing. It's spectacular!
I also like to go in the spring right when the road (Cinnamon Pass) gets plowed high enough to get up there via 4x4. This time of year the snow is still deep and often still piling up. My friends and I go up there for easy snow access for backcountry skiing. Lots of options available and the setting is hard to beat for aesthetics.
After hearing the road was passable, my buddy and I went up yesterday as I like to do. I often celebrate my birthday on skis up there although the timing worked out this year a few days before my 45th. I take a small(ish) crop sensor weather-proof camera and zoom to capture the action. My current ski cam setup is a weather resistant Pentax KS-2 and 18-135 variable aperture zoom that fit in my ski jacket front pocket for easy access.
Quality is generally good enough for the weight/bulk penalty which when climbing mountains can be taxing.
I hope some adventure photos are ok here. It's not strictly landscape & nature but those elements are surely present!
The approach. We are headed for the couloir on the left.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7698/26433710764_39cf5ecd2a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/GgRFgS)IMGP1932-Edit (https://flic.kr/p/GgRFgS) by Matt Burt (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbnet/), on Flickr
After some strenuous climbing we made it up, and then back down before we headed to another aspect where we were looking for softer snow.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/26970735241_fb1c59448f_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/H6j4Wz)IMGP2024-Edit (https://flic.kr/p/H6j4Wz) by Matt Burt (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbnet/), on Flickr
On the move
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/26433707904_910f369ccc_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/GgREqy)IMGP1952 (https://flic.kr/p/GgREqy) by Matt Burt (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbnet/), on Flickr
Topping out again for another run. And to get clobbered by that squall behind my friend. Once it passed we had an uneventful ski back to the car. Fun day!
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7655/26970737051_2940625eb5_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/H6j5tM)IMGP2098 (https://flic.kr/p/H6j5tM) by Matt Burt (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbnet/), on Flickr
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Looks like good fun.
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It looks cold… but well worth the vistas. I especially love the first one. It show how minuscule we are.
By the way, happy birthday!
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Thanks! It actually wasn't that cold, relatively speaking although we had some cold moments mostly due to wind.
It's kind of a magical place or it feels like it anyway. I'll be back up there in July probably, maybe to climb the 14er Handies with my family.