Who hasn’t stopped to photograph this beautiful little stone chapel (visited by Pope John Paul II in 1993!) whilst traveling the Peak-to-Peak Highway (Highway 7) between Estes Park and Nederland. The official name is actually the St. Catherine of Siena Chapel (built in 1935) and you can read more about how it came to be HERE.
Spring through fall weekends, it is not uncommon to happen upon a wedding going on at this lovely, high-mountain, locale.
I have never made the chapel a primary sunrise/sunset objective for my photography, but I do enjoy stopping to see if the light or weather conditions might permit a unique image. Usually I am passing by outside of the golden hours for landscape lighting–often at near mid-day–so making a great image of the place has escaped me so far.
Last week, along with a close Arizona friend and excellent photog, Jim Dublinski, we made the requisite stop, even though the sun was already high in the blueberry pie sky. What follows is the result, interior and exterior.
Do you prefer the color option or the monochrome? I’m leaning toward color on both, myself…although that is so unlike me…
Chapel, Exterior. Highway 7, Colorado, 2014
Chapel, Exterior. Highway 7, Colorado, 2014
Chapel, Interior. Highway 7, Colorado, 2014
Chapel, Interior. Highway 7, Colorado, 2014
NOTE: This interior image was worked up in post from a single frame–no HDR or combining of images. I am quite impressed (yet again) with the dynamic range capability of this new generation of DSLR cameras.
When I hit the shutter, the original histogram showed the windows to be slightly blown out and the dark areas of the interior to be slightly clipped as well. But, using the RAW file, I was able to pull both ends of the histogram back into limits. How is that, you ask? Remember, the histogram on your LCD is based on a JPEG rendition of the image, so you may actually have more flexibility than expected when you open the RAW file.
Metadata on the interior image above: f/11 (should have shot at 5.6 or 8 for max sharpness; no need for extreme depth of field), 1/4 sec on tripod, ISO 100, 14mm with 14-24mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens on Nikon D800. Shooting at lowest possible ISO will give you the maximum dynamic range capability of your camera.
3 Comments
I have many fond memories of the chapel. As a Cub Scout I spent several summers at camp St. Malo. Always loved the chapel. My gosh, just realized it’s been 60 years since I have been there. Still a gorgeous setting. Thanks for the great pictures (and the trip down memory lane).
Thanks for visiting, Dick! It is a special place. Last fall, unfortunately, the rains did some damage to the pond and riparian area at the foot of the chapel. They are currently working on re-contouring it and getting it prettied up a bit. And this, after a major fire that burned a good portion of the conference center (last year or the year before, if I recall). Tough times for them. You’ll have to come back and pay the place a visit again!
P.S. You aren’t the same Dick Schmitz who was a DJ are you?