ibexscape

Gallery: LandscapePosted December 30, 2009313 views8 comments

These days are calmer that usual workwise, and I can spend a bit more time on nature photography... Here is a somewhat old image, from late August 2008, shot in the Gran Paradiso National Park (northwestern Italian Alps) at an elevation of about 2600 meters. This area is a high-altitude and rather unique (at least for this part of the Alps) alluvial plane named "Nivolet", rich in glacial lakes and meandering waters. A grown-up male ibex (Capra ibex) rests nearby; in the background, peaks of the group of Gran Paradiso (altitude between about 3500 and 4000+ meters a.m.s.l.).

Hasselblad 500C/M, 120/4 Makro Planar, Velvia 50, scanned on Epson V700.

I wish everybody a peaceful and happy 2010.

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Andreas Resch on December 30, 2009 at 9:22 AM

Hello, neighbor. Great scenery with that ibex in there. My only nit would be the mid-ground who looks a little dark and flat in tonality. Maybe that's worth a fix.

Registered on November 14, 2007, 322 Posts, 6101 Comments

Comment posted by Ant on December 30, 2009 at 11:30 AM

Hello, Andreas! We are not that far, indeed... Thanks for the comment. The mid part was very dark in the slide, I tried to make it come out a little lighter but maybe I was too shy... Will certainly try a more energetic treatment!
Best

Registered on April 13, 2009, 27 Posts, 474 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Simpson on December 30, 2009 at 1:21 PM

Great scene! I agree with Andreas about breathing a little life into the mid-ground. Very well composed image, and that ibex adds a lot to the scene. Great work!

Wayne

Registered on December 11, 2006, 303 Posts, 924 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on December 30, 2009 at 2:43 PM

Antonello,

A great moment in nature in a wonderful alpine setting. I do with the background peaks were a bit sharper, but that's minor. What a great capture.

I have to say it though. Reminds me of "The Sound of Music." "The hills are alive.... "

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Roger Hayden on December 30, 2009 at 5:17 PM

I like this medium format image, especially how it captures the changing terrain characteristics at different altitudes. Is the ibex at the edge of your depth of field or out of focus? That's my only nit for this otherwise pleasing scene.

Registered on November 21, 2009, 41 Posts, 201 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on December 31, 2009 at 1:04 PM

Very nice scene, Gran Paradiso is really fantastic!

D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Ant on December 31, 2009 at 2:11 PM

Thanks for all your kind comments! And yes, both the ibex and the background peaks are at the edge of the depth of field, I tried to find a compromise - I had no tripod as I was there for other reasons (in fact, taking measurements in one of the lakes). In addition, I did not find the best scanning procedure yet - somehow the curvature of the film creates some trouble, I am now trying with a anti-Newton glass...

Registered on April 13, 2009, 27 Posts, 474 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on December 31, 2009 at 11:33 PM

You timed this perfectly for the light, Antonello. The sunlit foreground with the ibex is framed nicely by the darker, shadowed background.

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