Balanced Rock Reflection

Gallery: LandscapePosted December 27, 2009380 views11 comments

Happy New Year to all and looking forward to some inspirational work in 2010!!!
This image is the culmination of some in the field trickery and persistence over the years. This puddle does not naturally exist!!! I carried 10 gallons of water and made a small dam in a rock depression to get the water level higher so that i could get the reflection.....for those of you who have been there......the parking lot is just over the snow covered lip.....100 feet away.
Since the great debate rages on in the discussion forum over manipulation.....decided to see how you all felt about this in the field manipulation!
Canon 1D Mark III with the 17-40mm lens at 29mm and f22 for 1/40 sec. and ISO 200. Lee circular polariser. Cropped slighly from top and bottom to more of a pano.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Doug Roane on December 27, 2009 at 3:52 PM

This is phenomenal and well worth the effort you went to. I've moved rocks and logs in the area around to create better foregrounds. Bringing your own fg is just one step beyond, but can't say I have a real problem with it. I think, when you are presenting to other photogs, disclosure for this degree of manipulating the scene is important, but I wouldn't disclose it to clients unless they asked.

Registered on December 12, 2008, 213 Posts, 2226 Comments

Comment posted by Barry Ashenhurst on December 27, 2009 at 5:27 PM

It interesting, I'll give you that, but for me the problem is one of scale. Never having been to this place I have no idea how big the FG features are. Galen Rowell often used a single human figure to help convey scale and depth. I think it's a shame that we on NPN can't do the same thing. A figure in the scene can emphasis the sense of wilderness and isolation.

Registered on August 4, 2009, 253 Posts, 455 Comments

Comment posted by Roman Kurywczak on December 27, 2009 at 5:46 PM

Hi Barry & Thanks Doug!
I guess my point in this is that I am decieving here.....this immediate area is neither wild or isolated......extremely close to the road! The iceberg may be about 4 inches big....as you mention one of my inspirations....Galen.....I purposefully took the approach to decieve......make it seem isolated and wild......neither of which applies. One of my clients has an image where I did something similar....and they have my hand with Timex on moving a rock....looks like a boulder in a lake.....he has titled it:' Hand of god"......pretty funny from my point of view!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 56 Posts, 748 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on December 27, 2009 at 6:22 PM

I think it's a shame that we on NPN can't do the same thing

Visited the Man & Nature gallery recently?

Anyhow, manipulate to your heart's desire, i'll just address the results. I really like the individual elements here, the reflection, mountains, rocks, and ice are all really cool individually, but not quite sure the total equals the sum of the parts, there is just a bit too much seperation in a fairly busy comp. But it's a nice shot, executed well.

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Joshua Hardin on December 27, 2009 at 6:22 PM

Even if this is right next to the road, I applaud your effort to get an image most of us haven't quite seen before, in an oft-visited location. I appreciate that you described your method too and that this is not exactly a "found" scene. I like the composition and reflection you created here. Very unique. Get rid of that dust spot in the sky about a quarter of the image away from the left edge and the one just to the left of Balanced Rock.

Registered on July 29, 2006, 40 Posts, 414 Comments

Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on December 27, 2009 at 8:03 PM

You did well, Roman. The image works, and doesn't need any object to give me scale. It doesn't matter to me, and my mind makes it work, or asks a question. Either way, the image is successful. That's what abstract means, and while this is not particularly an abstract, the lack of scale is common to both.

You carrried 10 gallons of H2O? You're a monster!

Registered on February 17, 2004, 236 Posts, 1197 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on December 27, 2009 at 9:49 PM

At first I thought you were joking, Roman. This is only 10 gallons of water? Certainly looks like more. Neat idea. Lots of possibilities. You should talk with Michael Fatali. Could maybe make a fire and water workshop.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Roman Kurywczak on December 27, 2009 at 10:19 PM

Ouch Tony! Anybody but Fatali!!!.....but that is pretty funny! I use flashlights for the fire!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 56 Posts, 748 Comments

Comment posted by Dorin Bofan on December 28, 2009 at 12:21 AM

Wow, that's some effort in doing this one. The composition is pretty balanced, although I feel the snow in the middle is not adding too much to the scene. It might be worth trying a different kind of light. Nevertheless, well done!

Registered on April 30, 2007, 122 Posts, 3086 Comments

Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on December 28, 2009 at 11:27 AM

Hi Roman,

Excellent and creative post. I'll address just a few items of interest for me regarding this image in no particular order:

1) you have dust spots in the sky - please remove
2) I agree with Tony - looks like a heck of a lot more than 10 gallons of water!
3) I agree with Dorin - I don't think the clump of snow and ice in the middle of the fg adds anything to the scene and shot would be better in a different kind of light

Overall a very interesting and creative post. Thanks for sharing. I hope this helps. Michael

Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments

Comment posted by denise ippolito on December 29, 2009 at 10:11 PM

Roman, Great idea and well executed. I love the reflection. A beautiful image.

Registered on December 17, 2009, 202 Posts, 1529 Comments