Ken Papaleo: X Marks the Shot

Staunton State Park opens in Pine, Colorado.

"X Shot" information.

Camera - EOS 5D Mark II

ISO - 400.

Shutter -1/1000 sec.

F/stop - 5.6

Lens - 24/70 zoom.

"X Shot" information.

Camera - Canon EOS 5D Mark II

ISO - 400

Shutter - 1/200 sec.

F/stop - 22

Lens - 70/200 zoom

LOCATION.

1. Staunton State Park is about a hour from Denver.

2. Take US Highway 285 south to Shaffers Crossing, about 6 miles west of Conifer. Look for signs for

park.

3. Trails are open to hikers, horses and bikes. There are some trails only for hiking, so check first.

CHALLENGE.

This is Colorado's newest state park and I wanted to get a really nice scenic to set the tone for this shoot. I was working for the state and had to cover many events in the two day shoot, but they were more interested in nice features of the VIP and than the Public openings.

SOLUTION.

I arrived at the park much earlier than I needed to for the opening. This gave me the time I needed to look around. The view from the park is fantastic, Lion's Head, trees and snow covered mountains, all lined up. The problem was that it was pretty overcast, with very little sunlight. I was waiting for the sun to hit Lion's Head, but it never did. After waiting about as long as I could, the sun broke out on the trees in the foreground for a short time and with some blue sky and clouds in the background, my shot appeared. It wasn't what I was looking for but it turned out really nice, I got what I wanted for my "X Shot" The sun never came out again the rest of the day.

My second "X Shot", first time this has happened, came from the Davis Ponds. This photo was my favorite from the opening day activities.

BELOW IS A COLLECTION OF PHOTOS FROM MY TWO DAY SHOOT.

Ken Papaleo

Colorado Photographer

kenpapaleo@highcountrycoloring.com

303-674-0615

Weekend Flash Back - Evergreen, Colorado, 8/23/2002.

"X Shot" information.

Camera - Nikon D1H

ISO - 400

Shutter - 1/4 sec.

F/stop - 3.5

Lens - 35 mm

NOTE - a tripod and a cable release where used for this shot. The camera was set to "bulb", on a tripod, and the shutter was held open until a lightening strike occurred.

Ken Papaleo

Colorado Photographer

kenpapaleo@highcountrycoloring.com

303-674-0615

Williams Grand Canyon Train, Williams, Arizona.

"X Shot Information.

Camera - Canon EOS 5D Mark II

ISO - 2000

Shutter - 1/500 sec.

F/stop - 5.0

Lens - 24/70 zoom

LOCATION.

1. It is a good 12 hour drive from Denver to Williams, Arizona.

2. Travelers take the 2 1/2 hour train ride to the Grand Canyon, spend time there and head

back in the late afternoon.

3. For more information on the train, contact the Grand Canyon Railway www.thetrain.com .

CHALENGE.

I was hired to take photos on the Grand Canyon Railway, during its trip to the Canyon. It's a 2 1/2 hour ride, with a pre-boarding western show, and entertainment on the train. Taking photos in this situation, is not an easy thing. There are many windows, making it a tough exposure.

SOLUTION.

There were two ways to shot this and sense I hadn't shot on this train before, I decided to do both. On the way there, I used a high ISO, with my exposure taking from my subjects face. Having a shutter speed of 500 would get me many shots per second, which is important when trying to get that perfect face reaction.

The second procedure was done on the way back. It involved taking a light reading from outside the train window and than matching, it on your subject, with a strobe. You get way less shots per second but the result is nice. Both ways produced nice images and everything didn't have the same look. If you want to have a fun and different Grand Canyon experience, try the train.