Interesting Photo of the Day: Lake Irwin Wildflowers

Lake Irwin Campground is a popular area for hiking in Colorado. At an elevation of 10,200 feet, the area can be seen blooming with wildflowers in July and August. Landscape photographer Ben Strauss happened to be there during peak season and captured this absolutely beautiful image:

wildflowers at lake irwin

“Wildflowers at Lake Irwin” by Ben Strauss (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

Strauss captured this image from a spot near Irwin Lodge, which he had scouted out the evening before. The composition is amazing with purple wildflowers in the foreground, Lake Irwin at the center, and the Anthracite Mountain Range as the backdrop. The sunrise lighting with the colorful sky and clouds adds to the beauty of the image.

“This image is a vertorama composed of 6 separate shots panning upwards.”

Strauss shot each of the six frames at 28mm, f/11, 1/40 second, and ISO 400. He later stitched the images up in Photoshop. Also, to make the wildflowers pop, he dodged them up a little. What a beast of an edit!

When asked why he took a vertical panorama instead of using a wide angle lens, his answer was simple. He didn’t own a wide angle yet. A vertorama is a poor man’s wide angle. What do you think?

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