West Peak in Fall
I love the view of the West Spanish Peak from this spot. The outcrop of the dike ends here with a natural arch in the wall. The dike leads directly to the mountain which was capped by clouds lit up by the sun on this evening as if there was a light behind the mountain. It was a truly spectacular sight, especially with the shafts of sunlight spotlighting the wall in front of the mountain.
This photo is proof that the secret to great photography is to capture interesting light (not that I think this is necessarily a great photograph). I captured the photo below at this same spot a couple of weeks earlier during the afternoon; while it was a beautiful scene, it did not make a very interesting photograph. I think that the magical light in the clouds and the contrasts in color are what makes the photo really special.
The image at the top of this post is the one I added to my portfolio. The light was constantly changing, so I took several different pictures of the scene. I had a really hard time both deciding which image was my favorite. Initially, the photo below was the one I added to my portfolio, but I was never really happy with it. The light in the clouds was truly dramatic, but the processed image looks a bit “over-cooked.” The other image was captured only 2 minutes earlier that this one, but the light in the clouds was much less intense. Usually, I would definitely go for the image with more drama in the light; this time it just seems to be too much. Let me know what you think in the comments.