First hair cut for two year old, Colorado.

"X Shot" information.

ISO - 400

Shutter - 1/60

F/stop - 4.5

Lens - 24/70 zoom

Flash - Fired

Ken Papaleo

Colorado Photographer

kenpapaleo@highcountrycoloring.com

303-674-0615

Weekend Flash Back, Denver, Colorado, 10/25/2006.

"X Shot" information.

Camera - Canon EOS-1D Mark III

ISO - 400

Shutter - 1/250 sec.

F/stop - 8

Lens - 24 mm

Ken Papaleo

Colorado Photographer

kenpapaleo@highcountrycoloring.com

303-674-0615

Weekend Flash Back - Denver, Colorado. 2/8/2007

"X Shot" information.

Camera - Canon EOS-1D Mark II

ISO - 400

Shutter - 1/500

F/stop - 11

Lens - 500 mm

Ken Papaleo

Colorado Nature Photographer

kenpapaleo@highcountrycoloring.com

303-674-0615

Weekend Flash Back - Denver, Colorado 05/04/06

                                               "X-Shot" Information

                                  Camera - Canon EOS-1D Mark II

                                  ISO - 400

                                  Shutter - 1/200

                                  F/stop - 5.6

                                  Lens - 200

It was early morning on a spring day as I drove down to Denver. A storm was moving in and covered most of the sky except to the east. This caused a silhouetted Denver skyline. Pulling off the 6th Ave freeway at the Simms/Union exit, I parked my car, grabbed my gear and went to take a look. From this location the skyline was perfect and car lights were noticeable in the foreground. Using my 70 - 200 zoom and a f/stop with enough depth of field, the car lights and the buildings would be in focus. Once setting the  f/stop, the light exposure was taken from the bright section of the sky. I waited  until a line of car lights could be seen, then shot this image.

Ken Papaleo

Colorado Photographer

For information on this photo, contact e-mail address below.

kenpapaleo@highcountrycoloring.com

Weekend Flash Back - Monte Vista - 3/20/01

                                                                 "X Shot" Information

                                                                 Camera - Nikon D1H

                                                                 ISO - 400

                                                                 Shutter - 1/125 sec.

                                                                 F/stop - 5.6

                                                                 Lens - 16 mm

This photo was shot near the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge. It was warm for that time of the year and there was a lot of open water. The reflection in the mirror-like pond was great. I took my light reading off the brightest spot in the clouds and made sure my f/stop was big enough to get everything in focus. Many sunsets get even better when the sun actually sets and then the sky lights up. You should always stick around and see what happens.

Ken Papaleo

Colorado Photographer

Photo information contact e-mail address below.

kenpapaleo@highcountrycoloring.com

Del's Triangle 3 Ranch Photos - Clark, Colorado

 “X Shot” Information

Camera - Canon EOS 5D

ISO - 400

Lens - Canon 300

F/stop - 8

Shutter - 1/1000 sec.

After spending the night in Steamboat Springs, I was on my way to Clark, Colorado for a photo shoot at Del’s Triangle 3 Ranch. I had met the owner, Ray Heid, when I worked for the Rocky Mountain News. I arrived early to get shots of Ray and his son, Perk Heid, getting the horses ready. Once fed, brushed and saddled, the horses were ready to go. Ray and Perk wore some great looking coats that really added to the scene. The plan was to get shots of the two riders charging through a field of untouched powder. We started our shoot on one side of the field and worked our way over making sure we didn’t mess up all the snow at once. I was told the horses were good for about 6 passes. With every other  pass, I changed lenses starting with a 500, then a 300 and finally a 70 - 200 zoom. There were three things that I needed to be aware of for this shoot. The first was getting a good exposure reading, somewhere between the bright snow and the dark black horse. Second, a shutter speed at least 1/1000 sec. to stop the action and the third, a depth of field large enough to get both riders in focus. It was great recording these beautiful animals busting through the fresh powder and watching the smiles of the riders’ faces. It makes no difference what you use to cut through powder, the results are always the same, one big grin!  After finishing our runs Ray and Perk headed back to the barn. They needed to get ready for tourists that wanted to go for winter horseback rides. This ranch is one of several in the Clark area that provide horse riding experiences year round.

“X Shot” Location Information

1. Drive time from Denver to Clark, 3 - 4 hours

2. Head west out of Steamboat Springs on US 40.

    Turn right on hwy. 129 ( 7- 11 store on corner).

    Follow 129  north for approximately 18 miles to the

    Clark Store. Turn left after the store on Road 62.

    This road  forks twice - always turn right, go for

    about 2 1/4 miles, look for corrals on right.

3. Their web page address www.steamboathorses.com 

Ken Papaleo
Colorado Photography

All photographs for sale, contact e-mail address below
kenpapaleo@highcountrycoloring.com

Hudson Garden Photos - Littleton, Colorado

“X Shot” Information

Camera - Canon EOS 5D

ISO - 800

Lens - Canon 24 -70 zoom

F/stop - 4.0

Shutter - 1/30 sec.

I headed to Littleton for a photo job at Hudson Gardens, that freelance writer Colleen Smith sent my way.  Hudson Holiday is an outdoor holiday lighting extravaganza that opened November 21 and would run through January 3rd, on selected evennings. The weather had improved to a balmy 16 degrees, up from the earlier single digit days. After arriving at the gardens around 4pm I checked in with Rodney Lontine the COO of the Museum of Outdoor Arts, for guidance on the shoot. Back at my Jeep I layered up due to the cold temps, plus a hat, a pair of gloves and good warm boots. I brought my Canon EOS 5D, some lenses, tripod and a cable release. Due to the cold, I brought along extra camera batteries and hand warmers in an inside pocket of my coat. Setting out before sunset I found locations I felt would look good at dusk. As the sun set a huge layer of clouds moved overhead but left an opening along the horizon to the west where blue ski could be seen. The extraordinary sky along with some tee pees lit from the inside made my “X Shot”.  I secured my camera on the tripod and used a cable release for the rest of the shoot.  I set the exposure with my macro lens, reading from the  colored lights. After that I moved around the large area taking the needed pictures with out any problems. Rodney wanted a shot of the horse-drawn carriage that took visitors on a tour of the lights. A couple of concerns popped into my mind. First, firing a strobe at night at a horse could be a problem, plus it wouldn’t light up the whole subject matter evenly. Second, it was a black horse, of course! Searching around I found a section where there was decent light coming from the side plus there was snow on the ground that would reflect more light onto my subject. I took a reading and waited for the carriage to come through and got my shot. On my way back to the parking lot, I decided to play around with a real slow shutter speed and no tripod. I fired the camera and moved it around during the long exposure. I got a couple of more nice shots. It was a magical place to shoot and I had fun being there.

“X Shot” Location Information

1. Drive time from Denver - 30 minutes

2. Address is 6115 South Santa Fe - Littleton

3. The gardens are just south of the Bowles

    intersection

4. Dress warm for viewing is at night!

Ken Papaleo
Colorado Photographer

Colorado National Monument Photos - Fruita, Colorado

 “X Shot” Information

Camera - Canon EOS Mark III

ISO - 400

Lens - Canon 500 mm

F/stop - 5

Shutter - 1/1000 sec.

Turning off I-70 at the Fruita exit, I headed south towards the Colorado National Monument. I decided to enter the monument from its western entrance and follow the 23 mile road called Rim Rock Drive to Grand Junction. The highest point is 2,000 feet above the Grand Valley of the Colorado River below. It didn’t take long to see the splendor of the area filled with colorful canyons and magnificent freestanding rock formations. Weathering and erosion formed this area and it will continue to change. The shadows in the area would be coming quickly since most of the views are off to the east of the road and below. I tried to use my 16 and 500 mm lens for most of the shoot because it would give me a unique look at the monument. I used the shadows to create depth in my photos but exposed for the sunlit rocks. As I drove I could see what areas got sunlight compared to the shady areas that still held some snow. It made an interesting photo opportunity for me. But with one side of the canyon in bright sun and the other in deep shade, exposure would be a problem. I decided to come back to this spot once the whole canyon was in even shade and that’s what I did. It was getting dark and I hadn’t made it to Grand Junction yet. With a sliver of the moon coming up over some rocks, I headed back to my hotel in Fruita. Next morning I got up early and drove Rim Rock Road almost to Grand Junction. I stopped at a switch back  that overlooked the city and set up for a sunrise photo. After shooting the city at predawn, I spotted this great looking tree and started shooting it with my 500 mm lens. While shooting, a raven landed on the tree and I thought, “Great!”, then another raven came in for a landing, “X Shot”. As I enjoyed my good favor, the mirror on my new Canon EOS Mark III locked up! I still had my Canon 5D but was bummed out and decided to drive back to Evergreen. It turns out my Mark III had to be sent back to Canon, with a shutter problem, maybe a month for repair. I have used my 5D for some shooting but mainly relied on my big boy. The 5D is a good camera but the motor is slow and that is limiting. For the next four weeks I plain to pick subjects that I can comfortably cover with the slower camera.

“X Shot” Location Information

1. Drive time from Denver 4 hours.

2. I-70 west to the Fruita exit. South on hwy. 340

    Turn right into the park on Rim Rock Road.

3. Remember late afternoon light is nice but comes early

    and doesn’t last long.

Ken Papaleo
Colorado Photographer

Walden, Colorado Photos

“X Shot” Information

Camera - Canon EOS Mark III

ISO - 400

Lens - Canon 500 mm

F/stop - 4.0

Shutter - 1600

I visited Walden, CO during the summer to photograph moose and anything else that caught my eye. Arriving midday, I first checked out the Arapaho National

Wildlife Refuge. This time of the day was not the best for spotting moose, like most wildlife, evenings and mornings are more productive.  So I went into town and stopped at a cafe, asking about moose sightings. The cashier said somebody saw moose that morning at North Michigan Creek Reservoir, not far from Walden. Arriving at my destination around 5 pm, I started my moose search.  I came up empty but did get some nice shots of people fishing on the lake at sundown. I went back to my motel and spoke to the clerk, who informed me that she had seen a family of moose, back at the wildlife refuge that morning. After getting a detailed location of the sighting, I went to bed thinking that I had a good chance of reaching my goal in the morning. Arriving at that location before sunrise, I prepared my self for the shoot. Even though it was warm, I dressed in long pants, long sleeve shirt and a hat. Then I covered myself with bug spray because the area was near a lot of water and the mosquitos would be awful. I found the bridge she told me about the night before and  within minutes the family of moose were spotted. All I had brought was my 500 mm lens on my MarK III. Moose stay a good distance away and I figured using this lens would keep me safe. I shot the adult moose for awhile and then I noticed a youngster sitting in the shade of a tree. I knew this was my “X Shot” and fired away. After I finished and headed toward my Jeep,I noticed the bull moose was now between me and the bridge, my way out. I edged toward the moose hoping he would take off, but he raised his head and made a loud noise. My plans changed quickly and I retreated to wait for the family to move away from my exit.  After checking several times they were finally gone. Back in my truck, I viewed the images and liked what I saw. My trip was a success and I headed to my home in Evergreen.

“X Shot” Location Information

1. Drive Time from Denver to Walden, about 3 hrs.

2. I took I-70 west to the exit for Empire, hwy 40, north to

    Granby. Hwy 125 north out of Granby toward

    Walden. The Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge is

    south of Walden.

3. Mornings and evenings are the best time to spot

    moose.

Ken Papaleo
Colorado Photographer