this is one of my favorite mountains in colorado. it has a beauty and majesty about it, while at the same time it’s one of the few landscape scenes that actually intimidates me. the texture of the mountain and that razor thin edge that leads to the summit of the peak are truly breathtaking. when you’re able to capture a reflection of it in mirror lake - the lake at the base of the mountain in this photo, you have an incredible scene of colorado’s landscape.

it’s a pretty difficult hike to get up there - it’s about fifteen miles round trip, so there aren’t too many day trippers that make it to this location - particularly lugging all their camera gear. there’s camping at the lake, but permits are required and usually reserved within the first week or so that they’re available each year. this was my second trip to this location, and on this particular trip, i went with a friend and fellow photographer, jeremy janus. (https://www.jeremyjanusphotography.com/)

i used a 10-stop nd filter on this image to try to create soft, misty clouds moving above the peak as the wind was moving the clouds a bit when we’d arrived. by the time i got setup on the tripod with the nd filter, the overcast clouds had rolled in and refused to be blown any longer. so the effect i got on these long exposures was not exactly what i was hoping, but i do enjoy how the light poked through the clouds on the upper face of the peak, and the lighting of the clouds around the peak appeared to backlight the peak itself.

i hope you enjoy brooding lone eagle.