On March 1st 2021, the winning front and back design of the Colorado Drivers License was announced! Gabriel Dupon whose photo of Sprague Lake was hand-selected by the State Governor for a top-three finalist of the back design! Once voting took place, Gabriel won the tight race and achieved a plurality of 19,989 votes or 35.85%!
Gabriel sends a special thanks to everyone who supported and voted for him in this contest!
Story Behind the Image
The story behind the Sprague Lake photograph started with a hike on a spectacular day in late May 2020 in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Everyone in Northern Colorado knows that Sprague Lake is an amazing place and you can see that just by looking at the many pictures captured there. However, my intention, was to capture it in a unique way; different from everyone else!
My intention was to capture it authentically! Capture what we can’t see, not just what we can see. I did this by showing the mid-day sky and colors, getting close to the lake’s surface to show the movement of the water, and showing a perspective unlike any other! This photo definitely displays Iconic Colorado, but ultimately this photo conveys Colorado authentically!
Details to getting the shot
Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR
Time of Year: Late May of 2020
Time of Day: 3:20PM Mountain Standard Time (UTC-6; 9:20PM)
Light Source: Daylight from 248° WSW (altitude 55°)
Location: 40° 19′ 12″ N, 105° 36′ 17″ W
Focal Length: 40mm
Aperture: f/22
Shutter Speed: Handheld at 1/15 of a second (VR on)
ISO: 50 (Lo-1)
White Balance: Captured at 14-bit NEF raw: 5,100K with a +8 tint (corrected to 5,500K)
Editing Software: Lightroom Classic
Contact Gabriel
If you have any questions about Gabriel's work or just want to say hello, feel free to email him at photography@gabrieldupon.com! If you're interested in a photography service, contact him here.
