Independence Pass Colorado Hike above Linkins Lake

I love to walk and I love the mountains, so I am naturally drawn to hiking. I was recently inspired to photograph some panoramics by the rocky mountain landscape photographs taken by Scott Krebs. In addditon to being an amazing portrait photographer, Scott loves to take the time on hikes to document majestic natural scenes. He also happens to be a great hiking partner and was my companion on this hike.

With Photoshop’s merge to panorama feature, my brand new nikon D800, and a perfect sunny day, it was beyond easy to capture this hike above Linkins Lake near Independence Pass, Colorado. While post-processing these images, I kept my edits simple with just sharpening. The dynamic range of the D800 is simply amazing compared to my D700. I was able to maintain highlights in the clouds with details in the shaded areas of the mountains. I shot these images vertically at 24mm between F11-13 and merged to panorama in PS5.

Our day began with a drive from Breckenridge over Freemont Pass into Leadville, through Twin Lakes and over Indepedenence Pass. We parked at the Linkins Lake trailhead, and this was the view from the parking area. Not too shabby.

My brand spanking new Ariat hacienda cowgirl boots needed their photo taken in this gorgeous setting. Apres hike, we drove into Aspen for dinner at Wild Fig, where they were paired with jeans and a tee for their first official wearing. As my first pair of cowboy boots, this would be their birth announcement!

Quickly we ascended above the parking lot, starting our hike at roughly 12,000 feet. Soon we were above treeline and within an hour we arrived at Linkins Lake. From the lake we continued on the trail, hiking past the old mining cabin and shaft.

Scott photographed me in a photo merge with his Nikon 85mm at 2.8 on his Fuji Xpro 1. This final image was created from 8 separate captures. I am impressed with the unbelievable depth and sharpness in this portrait.

CONTACT KRISTEN TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR PORTRAIT SESSION OR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY CONSULTATION