Now I was not impressed at all later on in my hike when I discovered that at some point I had inadvertently turned off the Image Stabilization (IS) on my big Canon lens, which sent me from a point of elation to the depths of despair just like that. I really wanted that shot! We had cleared the ridge to find ourselves about 50 yards from a curious trio of deer peering at us from the brush near the summit in perfect morning light. I could not believe my eyes! I fired off a few shots, but as you might imagine the sight of Big Dog was causing quite a bit of consternation in the herd. No matter, I was pretty sure I had nailed the shot and we walked around the other side of the mountain from where the deer had gone in order not to disturb them any further.
As we strode along I was looking forward to getting on the computer and processing those images and creating a good seller! That is until I noticed that the IS was off. Then I figured it was all over, the likelihood of getting that shot without the IS with a 400mm lens was about as good as threading a needle with a climbing rope. But I consoled myself with the idea that I would probably get a good enough shot to show on my Instagram account.
It was a beautiful morning… there is nothing like a trek through the high country at first light, before anyone else is up, before the wind starts blowing, when the mountain air is still cool and crisp with bright sunshine to warm my old shoulders. It was very quiet this morning too, only the sound of the birds happily chirping, my own breath and the clanking of Big Dog’s harness to break the silence of a perfect mountain morning.
Now back at home in front of the computer is where I am quite impressed with myself 🙂 I did get a salable capture from the set, hand held at 400mm, no IS, 60 years old, heart pounding from the climb, and all while holding on to a very exuberant 90 pound dog who very badly wanted to go play with the deer! I think maybe the shot could have been a little better with the IS turned on, but I am truly amazed that I was able to get this capture 🙂 Of course now in front of the computer, after I have done all my titling and keywording, I see that there is a fourth deer in the image, peeking out from behind one of the others, oh well, the more the merrier!
As always, this shot and more are available on my website for purchase as wall art and tons of cool gift, household and tech items!
Okay, for anyone wanting to know for sure, the highway opens at 9:00 a.m and you need to be heading down by 4:30 p.m. The fee to the peak is $15 per person and only $5 per person if you wish to go no further than the Catamounts and Crystal. $5 seemed a small price to pay after having driven all the way down there, so I paid the fee and proceeded on to Crystal with a couple of stops along the way for short hikes and some pictures of a cute looking deer herd.
As I sat once again contemplating life with coffee and a donut at the Donut Mill in Woodland, I got the call that I was waiting for! Go down to the bank and get the earnest money, the sellers are going to sign! So off I went to pick up my friend and take the check over to the real estate agent 🙂 Once that was done, we decided that today would be a good day for a road trip to Cripple for another look at the house and maybe some shots of the historic abandoned gold mines that I have been planning for a while now.
After a short visit to some colorful Cripple Creek establishments and a drive past the prospective new abode, we decided to head over to Victor to photograph a couple mines I have been eyeing for some time now. The afternoon lighting was just right, the weathered wooden ruins of the mines against the amazing Colorado high elevation blue sky. The old Dodge truck took us up the rough gravel road to the base of the mines for an amazing photo session to capture this important era of American history.