This was captured above the commercial area in Denali Nat. Park Alaska a few years back while I had the honor of wintering in the park area which is pretty much a ghost town.
The biggest challenge was forging my way thru deep snow on snow shoes for a half mile up a steep hill to find this spot. Sundogs (parhelion) during the cold winter days when the conditions are right are common.
One other interesting fact the sun is coming up it is 10:30 in the morning in January the sun is coming up over the southern horizon.
It is well below 30 degrees below zero which I am well accustomed to working in. I chose the foreground was to block the sun its self this vantage point was pre selected. Once cameras are subjected to sub zero temperatures enough to equal the outside temperature it is best not point the camera into the sun for a few seconds at best. The rapid temperature rise can damage lenses, you can buy some time by using a ND filter like I did here.
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I don't think just an ND filter would produce this particular effect. It would seem this is multiple shots or something. Regardless, I love the Alien-Citadel look, and will rate accordingly.
The Nd filter was used to slow down the light some what to for metering purposes as the results of 20 years of experience as a photojourlnist in Alaska.
The goal was to reproduce the scene as it was experienced along with the requirements of the client.
If this isn't multiple shots, or some editing marvel. Is your filter smaller than your outer lens diameter? That would make the most sense. What I'm talking about is that there is something causing a circular lens effect within the shot. That's the part that I feel was not explained. However, I already complimented the results. Just wanted to know how it was actually created. I have ND filters, they screw on the back of my lenses and they cover the entire lens, it wouldn't create an "Other-Worldly-Alien" effect like this. Then there is the square kind, that is one-size fits all, they are magnetic. There are other kinds?