Buttermilk Aurora at St Malo/Chapel on the Rock

[MonikaC]

Buttermilk skies couldn't completely hide the aurora at this iconic church on the Peak to Peak highway in Colorado. When I went up to RMNP afterwards, it was pretty much obscured by clouds.

 

[AlanLichty]

How far in advance did you plan out this shot? Perfect DoF for everything, smooth reflections, and a really nice 3D feel to the skies between the scattered clouds with the aurora backdrop and a few stars to top it off. Amazing combination and done right.

 

[MonikaC]

How far in advance did you plan out this shot? Perfect DoF for everything, smooth reflections, and a really nice 3D feel to the skies between the scattered clouds with the aurora backdrop and a few stars to top it off. Amazing combination and done right.

Umm, well, I chose the location the previous night after I saw the aurora was going to be KP7. I hadn't shot the chapel in about a decade, after the flood

 

[AlanLichty]

Your new portrait of the chapel looks much nicer

 

[Douglas Sherman]

Beautiful job, Monika.

 

[JimFox]

Awesome work Monika. That chapel is on my list to photograph one of these days. I sure like the look of those, good thinking.

I had seen that Estes Park would not be good, the forecast had been for clouds. Even though I still in Minnesota, clouds were going to be an issue in Northern Minnesota, so I started checking all over for clearly skies, including Colorado.

 

[MonikaC]

Your new portrait of the chapel looks much nicer

I think when I first posted that shot (not sure where), I said something like, "I tried to go to church, but there was a logjam at the door"

 

[MonikaC]

Beautiful job, Monika.

Thanks, Doug!

 

[MonikaC]

Awesome work Monika. That chapel is on my list to photograph one of these days. I sure like the look of those, good thinking.

I had seen that Estes Park would not be good, the forecast had been for clouds. Even though I still in Minnesota, clouds were going to be an issue in Northern Minnesota, so I started checking all over for clearly skies, including Colorado.

The intensity was supposed to maximize 9-midnight, but I started up around 8 & stopped at St Malo 1st. By the time I got up Trail Ridge at the Rock Cut, it was pretty much all socked in. Lots of people at the Rainbow Curve & Rock Cut. It looked like people expected to be able to see it with their naked eyes. One photographer was even facing south (no interesting foreground north) as he didn't see anything. I didn't hang around to see if it was going to clear as I've been spoiled with auroras in Iceland and Norway.