Picture of the Day - September 2, 2009

"Alpenglow on Mt. Shuksan"

Photo courtesy of Winston Rockwell.                     (Click on the photo for a larger view) Some of the finest landscape photographs published on this site are the handiwork of master photographer Winston Rockwell, and today's picture certainly fits nicely into that category. The following is his story behind the image: "Mt. Shuksan, in the North Cascades of Washington, is one of the most-photographed peaks in the country, and for good reason. Between its rugged beauty, the availability of a lake for perfect reflections, and easy accessibility to even handicapped photo- graphers, it offers opportunities few other places can match. On this particular afternoon, I'd gone to the mountain on a weekday just to get away for a while and to enjoy the scenery without the massive crowds that usually converge on this spot on weekends. I'd spent most of the afternoon photographing the surrounding area, and came back to the aptly-named 'Picture Lake" for late afternoon and sunset. It took a couple of hours of waiting for just the right moment, but I was able to capture the alpenglow on the mountain as the sun set. Alpenglow is a very fleeting thing. It comes quickly, tinting the slopes with shades of rose and ochre, then just as quickly disappears. From the first hint of color till it fades back to gray, the glow usually lasts less than five minutes. If you want to capture it, you have to be ready and waiting when it comes. I was fortunate on this day... the alpenglow coincided with a mirror-perfect reflection, and gave me a wonderful opportunity to capture another example of The Artist's handiwork. This world we live in is an amazing place, and I count myself blessed to be able to see and capture images like this one, which so many people will never get to experience except in photographs... This photo was taken from a tripod with a Canon EOS 5D equipped with a Tamron SP24-135 lens. 41mm, 1/10 second @ f/11."      --Winston "Rocky" Rockwell Please visit www.northwestnaturalimagery.com where you will find many more of Mr. Rockwell's spectacular images.     Visitor Comments... Name: Phyllis Helton Town: Bristol, VA Amazing photo. I would love to have a jigsaw puzzle of that one.     Name: Nathan Roundtree Town: Sioux Falls, SD Breathtaking!!!!     Name: Ed Morrison Town: Dunwoody, GA This is definitely one of the most beautiful images I have ever seen featured on this wonderful site. Mr. Rockwell, I LOVE your work.     Name: Gordon Brugman Town: Gatlinburg, TN I’ve come to expect nothing but the best from you, Rocky, and once again my expectations have been beautifully met. Great shot.     Name: Ron Trees Town: Spokane, WA I have to whole heartedly agree with Gordon’s comments here! This is a spectacular photo Rocky. The Alpenglow is beautiful, as is the rest of the photo. The reflection is just amazing here as it is very close to as detailed as the actual mountain. Very well done indeed!!     Name: Susan McAllister Town: Cleveland, TN One more reason why I return to TodaysPhoto.org day in and day out. Breathtaking photo as always Mr. Rockwell!   Comment on today's picture  |  View previous "Pictures Of The Day"  |  Submit a photo Why I publish the "Picture Of The Day"