If you get a chance to visit one of the most beautiful states in the US…Colorado…one wonderful place 2 explore is Boulder. I love this little college town. University of Co, the Flatirons, etc.. Just outside of town you can find the Boulder falls. Park along the road and in a 4 minute hike you find these lovely falls. Enjoy the view!
Tag Archives: Colorado
Boulder, CO – Super Infrared
This shot is def something different. About a year or so ago I had purchased a Nikon D70S and had it converted to LifePixel’s Super Infrared Filter. My current filter uses the Enhanced Color. I took the Super IR on a few trips and it was funky!! I prefer the traditional type IR photos…but this photo is kinda cool! I played around in Photoshop to get this one to work. It was tough carrying 3 cameras on trips…so I sold the camera with the Super IR filter.
It is almost spring back east…so for those IR photogs…get ready to photograph in IR!!
On a side note…today is my 1000th post on Places 2 Explore!! Unreal!
Colorado Springs, CO – Air Force Academy (HDR)
From the lovely Colorado Springs, CO you can find the beautiful AF Academy Cadet Chapel. Drive into the grounds (just takes a few minutes from the highway) and you come across the grounds of the Academy. Find a parking spot and just a few steps away, this super cool church stands out and draws in your attention immediately! Some info from the web: The Cadet Chapel was designed specifically to house three distinct worship areas under a single roof. Inspired by chapels at Sainte-Chapelle in France and the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi in Italy, architect Walter Netsch stacked the spaces on two main levels. The Protestant nave is located on the upper level, while the Catholic and Jewish chapels and a Buddhist room are located beneath it. Beneath this level is a larger room used for Islamic services and two meeting rooms. Each chapel has its own entrance, and services may be held simultaneously without interfering with one another.
Peter Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 16.0mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/7.1
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS6, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Photo Tools 2.6
On another note…the new onOne Software Perfect Photo Suite 7 is out!!! Check it out here!! Review coming soon!!
Morrison, Colorado – Red Rocks Amphitheater (HDR)
From Morrison, CO about 30 mins from Denver you can find this super cool location for concerts. Never been to one here…but I can imagine it rocks! This is one of the red rocks just over looking the venue that gibe it its name. More pics of the concert area coming soon. I may be showing my age, but when I was younger…one famous concert here was U2 at Red Rocks. How sweet would that have been to have gone to that! Have fun!
Colorado Springs, CO – Garden of the Gods (HDR)
From the beautiful Colorado Springs, CO…recently all our prayers go out to the families for the recent fires in this amazing location. In the heart of CO Springs you can find the Garden of the Gods. One super cool spot. Here you can park and walk the trails around these magnificent wonders of nature.
Some info fro the web…It was August of 1859 when two surveyors started out from Denver City to begin a townsite, soon to be called Colorado City. While exploring nearby locations, they came upon a beautiful area of sandstone formations. M. S. Beach, who related this incident, suggested that it would be a “capital place for a beer garden” when the country grew up. His companion, Rufus Cable, a “young and poetic man”, exclaimed, “Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.” It has been so called ever since.
Air Force Academy, Colorado – Cadet Chapel (HDR)
One of the coolest church designs is the Air Force Academy Chapel. This day I arrived after 6 PM…so unfortunately the inside was closed, but the outside was well worth the shot and visit! The Air Force Academy is located about 14 miles north of Colorado Springs, CO. From the exit, you go through a checkpoint and 4 miles down the road you can find the academy. Beautifully placed in the hills of Colorado.
Some info from the web: The Cadet Chapel is the most popular man-made attraction in Colorado, with more than a half million visitors every year. Groundbreaking began on the iconic landmark Aug. 28, 1959, and was completed in 1963 at a cost of $3.5 million. The Cadet Chapel’s principal designer and architect was Walter A. Netsch Jr. A Chicago native, Mr. Netsch studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, receiving his degree in 1943 and joining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was 34 when he completed the design for the chapel.
The chapel’s aluminum, glass and steel structure soars more than 150 feet into the Colorado sky. Its 17 spires can be easily spotted from Interstate 25, several miles east.
The Cadet Chapel staff’s mission is to inspire men and women to become leaders of character through spiritual formation.
Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 19.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 Exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/8
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
Denver, Colorado – Capitol Building (HDR)
From Denver, CO the Capitol Building is a beautiful location for an HDR! I remember I was on my way to the airport this day and stopped in for a couple quick shots. The interior dome rocks! With this shot I added a little different look…almost looks Egyptian? …Using onOne Software Photo Tools. Have fun!
Talke Photography Settings:
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 12.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 9 Exposures (+4 to -4)
Aperture: f/11
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
Boulder, Colorado (Infrared)
One summer late afternoon I took a cruise up the mountains that overlook Boulder. These were near the Flatirons. I loved the views all around. I had my infrared camera and decided why not take some shots of the green pines near me and see how it looks. Looks like a winter shot! Gotta love what IR can do to the surroundings. It has been a whimsy winter this year…so enjoy the snowy look in this IR shot!! Spring is almost here!!!
Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D70S (Converted to Infrared)
Infrared Conversion: D70S modified by LifePixel
Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.6-5.6
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 95.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/6 second
Aperture: f/22
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, onOne Software Photo Tools 2.6, Nik Color Efex pro
Boulder, CO – Hotel Boulderado (HDR)
From the lovely town of Boulder, CO…you can find the classic Hotel Boulderado. I was up here at 5 AM this day to capture the hotel in HDR. It always happens..you try to capture a subject at quiet time and some people are always up walking around at this super early time. The fun of photography! Waiting for peeps to pass on by!
Some info from the web: As one of the first Boulder hotels, the hotel’s name comes from the words “Boulder” and “Colorado” so no guest would forget where they had stayed. The hotel has become a National Register Landmark and is a member of the National Trust’s Historic Hotels of America.
The Victorian elegance of the property will embrace you from the moment you step foot into our lobby. Our stained glass ceiling and cantilevered cherry wood staircase, elegantly furnished guestrooms, and comfortable antique furnished sitting areas will impress even the most discriminating traveler.
The magnificent lobby foreshadows the luxurious decor of each of our 160 guestrooms and suites. Many of our rooms feature spectacular views of the Rocky Mountain foothills. All of them welcome you with comfortable surroundings and an array of modern conveniences. The in-house award-winning restaurant, gift shop, and lounges all ensure that you can accomplish any number of tasks just a few steps outside your guestroom door.
Since we opened on New Year’s Day in 1909 as Boulder’s first luxury hotel, we have sought to provide the highest level of service to our guests. Hotel literature from the 1920’s stated “every guest may expect the best and get it.”
Talke Photography Settings:
Lens: Nikon 12-14 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 12.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 Exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/13
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, HDR Efex Pro, Coloro Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
Boulder, CO – Sunrise Circle Amphitheater (HDR)
From beautiful Boulder, Colorado…I had finished up work one afternoon and it was near 5 PM and I decided to take a drive up Flagstaff Mountain. I had never been here so I entered in the GPS coordinates and arrived at a small parking lot. From here there are a few trails. Yikes. I had no idea which direction to take. Luckily I saw a cyclist and asked him for directions. I started the 15 minute uphill climb. There is a road, but it only open for weddings, events, etc…so the gate was closed.
I arrived up top and walked around grabbing a few pics. I finally found the amphitheater and snapped away. A cool spot for a wedding indeed..or any type of ceremony. Maybe one day a cool spot for star gazing! Some info from the web:
Since the purchase of the eastern slope of Flagstaff Mountain from the federal government in 1898, citizens have enjoyed this area and its spectacular views. Flagstaff Road was constructed in 1906, and the addition of the loop road and parking areas in the 1930s made the summit more accessible to visitors. The Sunrise Circle Amphitheater, Green Mountain Lodge and the Halfway House were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1934 and 1935. The CCC also constructed a camp near Flagstaff and worked on several building and trail building projects during the 1930s. The trails and structures have been in continuous use since that time. The addition of accessible trails to the Amphitheater adds to the enjoyment of these facilities by everyone who visits Flagstaff Mountain.
Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 24.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: 7 Exposure HDR (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/13.0
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, Color Efex Pro, Photo Tools 2.6
Places 2 Explore 