Ruth Sprain
October 2026 - Gilman Ghost Town
Original
About the Image(s)
My husband and I drove by Gilman, Colorado, an abandoned cliffside ghost town last weekend. The town was established in 1886 and mined silver, then switched to zinc, lead, and gold. It was a company-owned mining center. In 1984, the EPA ordered that the town be abandoned due to severe heavy metal contamination (arsenic and cadmium) in the soil and groundwater.
The aspen trees were golden on that overcast day. I used my Canon R6 at 30 mm, f/20, 1/60. In Lightroom and PhotoShop, I cropped, adjusted highlights and shadows, and saturated. Hope you enjoy this piece of Colorado history.
11 comments posted
Ruth this is a nice image, and the color of the Aspen trees bring warmth to the image and abandoned buildings. The lighting is very nice in the shot. I wonder if the sky could have depicted a filtered light source through the clouds to further support the nice light falling on the trees to the left of the image. Posted: 10/05/2026 01:39:21
Cindy, I am not real happy with the sky. With such a thick cloud cover, adjusting the exposure level and lowering highlights didn't define the clouds like I had hoped. The light brightening the trees on the left is to the left of the frame of this photo. I'm considering just replacing the sky. Posted: 10/11/2026 19:23:36
This is an AI generated sky replacement. But the pine trees are not as bright, so it's a toss-up if the change is beneficial. Posted: 10/11/2026 20:03:56
Ruth, what an interesting place. The contrast between the abandoned homes, with the empty window holes, and the beautiful glow of the aspens makes a very dramatic presentation. You did a nice job with the adjustments to make it crisper. I'm curious what you did to the sky. It appears so different from the original and also expanded. Posted: 10/08/2026 02:17:32
Andres, I lowered the exposure level and lowered the highlights for the sky. The original I posted is a different shot that I took as part of the series taken. You looked closely to note that the angle of the sky is slightly different. Posted: 10/10/2026 19:47:13
Ruth, nice job of catching the image and editing it. Love the Aspens in the fall Posted: 10/11/2026 22:13:46
Thanks, Robert. I love aspen trees too. Posted: 10/23/2026 23:37:00
Ruth, beautiful fall color and I like the layering composition with the town buildings, hills and sky. I agree the sky is a bit off. Maybe a sky replacement? or crop to just above the hill so that there is very little sky on the right which could be the light source...I don't know as I have trouble with skies! Lovely image of autumn. Posted: 10/15/2026 23:54:23
Mary Ann, thank you for your comments. I agree the sky doesn't look natural. Cropping it tighter would help take the focus away from the sky. Posted: 10/23/2026 23:29:57
Hi Ruth,
You always found a great spot for photography in CO! Although it is a ghost town, the site has been remarkably well preserved. Ivy, roots, or wild vines are not seen at the exterior of every standing homes. The fall colors of the trees make the scene beautiful.
In the 1st version of your image, the sky has a large white clouds and it has some halos around the trees on top of the mountains after a sky replacement but the 2nd version that you shared stands out more. Thanks for sharing the beautiful image and history of Gilman Ghost Town! Posted: 10/23/2026 04:00:08
You always found a great spot for photography in CO! Although it is a ghost town, the site has been remarkably well preserved. Ivy, roots, or wild vines are not seen at the exterior of every standing homes. The fall colors of the trees make the scene beautiful.
In the 1st version of your image, the sky has a large white clouds and it has some halos around the trees on top of the mountains after a sky replacement but the 2nd version that you shared stands out more. Thanks for sharing the beautiful image and history of Gilman Ghost Town! Posted: 10/23/2026 04:00:08
Thanks for your comments, Kieu-Hanh. The town was abandoned in the mid-80's, so much more recent than most Colorado ghost towns. The one sign that it's abandoned is all the graffiti. Posted: 10/23/2026 23:35:29