Garden of the Gods

Tyson and Jen took me to Garden of the Gods in Colorado several years ago and I’ve been wanting to go back since then but haven’t been able to do so until this trip. The pictures I took the first time I was there were destroyed by an early version of iPhoto that was unable to handle RAW format, but showed jpg versions of the photos as being downloaded. It was one of those moments when you question your commitment to high-tech approaches to photography.

It’s hard to take a bad picture in the park, or even across the road from it, as shown in this shot. That’s Pike’s Peak in the background:

Garden of the Gods

Here’s the view from the first visitor’s parking lot, if you stitch together a couple of wide-angle shots:

Garden of the Gods

This rock wouldn’t seem so remarkable in most areas, but the fact that it’s the only rock that’s not red makes it stand out:

Garden of the Gods

It’s hard to get any sense of how big these rocks are in photographs, but you definitely get a sense of that in this shot taken in the middle of the park because of the people standing at the base of it:

Garden of the Gods

As I walked through the park I was amazed at how different the formations looked from different perspectives:

Garden of the Gods

I couldn’t imagine leaving the park without a final stop at the “balancing” rock.

Garden of the Gods

The park is obviously a “tourist attraction,” the kind of place I tend to avoid, but I’m pretty sure I’ll stop by the next time I’m close to it, I find it that fascinating.

I’m sure these shots are actually much better than the shots I originally took. I used HD Pro for all of them, and the combined shot is better than any of the single shots used to produce the new shot. That said, combining and manipulating them to get the best shot possible takes a considerable amount of time.

5 thoughts on “Garden of the Gods”

  1. Next time you’re in Colorado Springs, look me up and I’ll buy lunch! I’m out of town this week, but that’s where I live.

    1. Most importantly, I’d have to remember to get contact information before I leave, paul.

      It crossed my mind that you were in the area when I drove through, but I didn’t have a clue how to confirm that.

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