Autumn Sunrise at Dallas Overlook

Dallas Overlook near Ridgway, Colorado

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October 1, 2016 — I captured this photograph shortly after sunrise at Dallas Overlook, west of Ridgway, Colorado. The first low-angle rays of morning sunlight illuminated the aspen groves and surrounding scrub oak, bringing out the spectacular gold, orange and red colors of the fall foliage.

Beyond the rolling hills, the rugged peaks of the Sneffels Range rise dramatically against the morning sky. A lenticular cloud crowned Mears Peak, while Dallas Peak and Gilpin Peak were partially obscured by clouds. On the left, Mount Sneffels emerged from a cloud bank, its summit catching a subtle touch of the golden morning light.

The contrast between the sunlit autumn hillsides and the cooler, shadowed mountains created a particularly beautiful scene. The wide panoramic composition captures the sweeping landscape, from the colorful forests in the foreground to the distant mountain peaks, while preserving the fine detail of the individual trees and rugged terrain.

The original uncropped panorama was assembled from 57 individual 42-megapixel photographs captured with a Sony a7R II at 140mm, f/14, 1/15 second and ISO 200. The image was subsequently cropped to the approximately 3.5:1 panoramic format shown here.

The original image is:

• 1.221 gigapixels
• 18,695 × 65,339 pixels
• 62.3″ × 217.8″ at 300 PPI
• Approximately 3.50:1 aspect ratio
• Available as fine art prints, plaque mounts, aluminum prints and PlexiPlaq.
• Available as a Tri-Panel up to approximately 4 ft × 15.4 ft.
• Wall murals up to approximately 5 ft 2 in × 18 ft 2 in at 300 PPI, or 10 ft 5 in × 36 ft 4 in at 150 PPI.
• This image can be cropped to your desired dimensions.

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