Crystal Mill Colors

Crystal Mill ColorsThe historic and famous Crystal Mill along the Crystal River between the Colorado towns of Crystal and Marble. While not actually a mill, the historic building actually provided compressed air to run local mining operations on Sheep Mountain.

A few years ago after most of the leaves had fallen from the trees near my home I decided to make the drive over to Aspen while Kebler Pass was still open. When I got to the top of McClure Pass I discovered that the fall colors were peaking and the tops of the mountains were dusted with a little fresh snow. The trip to Aspen would have to wait. After photographing the colorful forests surrounding the pass It occurred to me that the historic Crystal Mill might be perfect. So, I made the arduous drive to the famous "mill" near Crystal City.

It's always a challenge to photograph an iconic scene in a new or unique way. The front of the building is almost always in the shade but I wanted the color and texture to be visible in my photo. I made a series of exposures to make certain I had details in the shadows and then combined them using a technique called HDR. I used a 17mm wide-angle lens to include the river and waterfall which help frame the building. Today, this specific point of view has become overgrown and is very difficult to achieve. Having the golden aspen forest and great clouds in the sky was an added bonus.

Even though lots of photographers have created similar photographs, "Crystal Mill Colors" remains one of my favorite images. I hope you like it too!