Light From Above

Gallery: LandscapePosted January 12, 2010693 views53 comments

Lame and unimaginative title, I know, but the only way I could figure out how to describe this amazing light show in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Canon 5DII, 100-400mm lens. I was tempted to try a white balance setting that preserved some warmth in the sunrays but in the end I preferred a cooler setting that left the rays stark white, with a hint of dark blue in the shadows.

Starting Feb. 1, my NPN online class: Creating Wow! Images - Six Steps to Making Great Nature Photographs

Comments

53 comments

Comment posted by Wayne Simpson on January 12, 2010 at 4:28 PM

Ian,
This is just crazy! I love how you don't notice the hills in the bg at first... keeps you looking to see what else you are missing! Love the comp as well! I have no advice other than leave it as is.

Wayne

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

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on January 12, 2010 at 4:41 PM

Wow, that really is a dreamscape Ian, one of your best IMO. Fabulous fine art! Is the effect of the light static, or did you capture fog movement? I agree, warmth in the rays would add too much of a dichotomy in color - I like it as is, blue/white and mysterious.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Rossbach on January 12, 2010 at 4:41 PM

Super great image sir!!!!

Registered on November 25, 2005, 484 Posts, 1377 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on January 12, 2010 at 4:45 PM

It took me a while just to figure out that the rays were coming over the hillside. Unbelievable photo. congrats

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Martin Stankiewicz on January 12, 2010 at 5:26 PM

You know how to handle that camera well. This is spectacular!

Registered on October 26, 2008, 52 Posts, 462 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Richins on January 12, 2010 at 5:31 PM

Incredible.

Registered on March 6, 2008, 113 Posts, 1009 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Budliger on January 12, 2010 at 5:51 PM

Wow, this is trippy for sure, but I love it!

Registered on June 11, 2006, 113 Posts, 2116 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Capurso on January 12, 2010 at 6:29 PM

Spectacular, Ian! The ultimate in contrast and mood!

Mark Capurso
Phoenix, AZ

Registered on January 4, 2008, 47 Posts, 321 Comments

Comment posted by Chris White on January 12, 2010 at 6:42 PM

Ian,

Surreal, really.

Chris

Registered on February 27, 2007, 61 Posts, 945 Comments

Comment posted by Paulo A.Lopes on January 12, 2010 at 6:51 PM

One of the best! Magical Light!

Registered on October 14, 2008, 122 Posts, 836 Comments

Comment posted by Kevin Trinkner on January 12, 2010 at 7:15 PM

Very graphic image Ian, love the simplicity here and how you've let the light do the talking. I have a bit of a hard time connecting with this scene because I can't exactly figure it out, but I'm enjoying spending time in it...

Registered on June 30, 2008, 203 Posts, 2641 Comments

Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on January 12, 2010 at 7:21 PM

Nice!

Did you use some effect or technique to get the rays, or were you simply in the right place at the absolute right time?

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

Comment posted by Rudy Ruberti on January 12, 2010 at 7:29 PM

Awesome! I also wonder what the warmer version is like.

Registered on October 28, 2008, 179 Posts, 1875 Comments

Comment posted by Art Escobado on January 12, 2010 at 7:39 PM

ooooh that's nice!

Registered on January 7, 2007, 0 Posts, 775 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Plant on January 12, 2010 at 7:39 PM

Thanks Jeffrey. To answer your question: "Did you use some effect or technique to get the rays, or were you simply in the right place at the absolute right time?"

Just in the right place at the right time. Curious to know what sort of effect or technique you would be refering to.

Registered on July 7, 2008, 271 Posts, 1657 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on January 12, 2010 at 8:11 PM

Spectacular. You were in the right place at the right time, but you also made the most of it. The lone tree adds so much . . . it's as important as the light to making this scene work.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on January 12, 2010 at 8:20 PM

Man, this it such a great visually-exciting treat. You have discovered and captured something here that I would expect to be created straight out of the imagination of a tallented artist.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Ellingsen on January 12, 2010 at 8:23 PM

Wow, Ian. This is awesome. One of the most striking and interesting landscapes I've seen in quite a while. I'm lovin' it..... Your title sucks though!

Registered on January 16, 2008, 56 Posts, 953 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on January 12, 2010 at 8:27 PM

No technique, I was going guess zoom burst. Awesome!

The rays grab you for a while!

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Edlund on January 12, 2010 at 8:28 PM

Very original, great shot and processing, this looks really awesome!

Registered on February 9, 2009, 21 Posts, 284 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Tal on January 12, 2010 at 9:16 PM

This is outstanding, Ian. Though I didn't get around to saying it with other images, your recent work had been nothing short of inspirational.

Guy

Registered on November 1, 2003, 566 Posts, 15507 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on January 12, 2010 at 9:58 PM

Ian,

UNREAL!!! Is this a straight shot? If so, what a phenomenal circumstance you were able to witness and capture. And what an outstanding job of selecting your composition. This is unique and incredible. Obviously you've kept this in color and I think presence of the blue really enhances the image. Almost speechless (almost.)

Lon

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

Comment posted by Chip Phillips on January 12, 2010 at 10:02 PM

This is quite nice Ian. I wonder if we were there at the same time. I didn't see any other photographers. It would have been great to meet up if so.... Nice work!

Registered on November 26, 2007, 128 Posts, 1436 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Marcellini on January 12, 2010 at 10:11 PM

Yeah buddy! All I can say is I wish it was mine.

Oh and where's the llama?

Registered on November 27, 2007, 250 Posts, 2468 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on January 12, 2010 at 10:15 PM

Yeah, that's another "wow" image. Great work again! I didn't think llamas liked the cold.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Greg Cope on January 12, 2010 at 10:15 PM

Whoa, what a great image of some extreme conditions. The composition with the solo tree is outstanding

Registered on January 22, 2007, 212 Posts, 2737 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Plant on January 12, 2010 at 10:17 PM

thanks everyone. Chip, I'm actually in the Tetons now. Got here a few days ago, guess we just missed each other! I'm going to be around for another day or two, then heading up to Yellowstone for 2 weeks, might swing back down here for another day or two before heading back east

Registered on July 7, 2008, 271 Posts, 1657 Comments

Comment posted by Jimmy Gekas on January 12, 2010 at 10:24 PM

Holy Crap! This is awesome!!!!

Registered on July 26, 2007, 244 Posts, 2807 Comments

Comment posted by Abdullaziz Bin Ali on January 12, 2010 at 10:33 PM

What a magical scene
You really got it

Great work Ian

Registered on May 31, 2009, 112 Posts, 1590 Comments

Comment posted by Kent Mearig on January 13, 2010 at 12:09 AM

If this doesn't sell a class titled "Creating Wow! Images", then I don't know what would. Very incredible! I would enjoy being able to see some shapes and details a little bit deeper into the shadows, but one way or the other, this is going to knock peoples' socks off...and keep them off for a while!

Registered on September 4, 2006, 237 Posts, 4748 Comments

Comment posted by Joel Hazelton on January 13, 2010 at 12:26 AM

Wow! Definitely a dreamscape...

Registered on August 6, 2008, 194 Posts, 1315 Comments

Comment posted by Giovanni Allievi on January 13, 2010 at 2:18 AM

Wow, talk about God rays...

Gio

Registered on March 26, 2008, 87 Posts, 379 Comments

Comment posted by Dorin Bofan on January 13, 2010 at 4:44 AM

Simply stunning, Ian! The black background makes the image.

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

Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on January 13, 2010 at 5:02 AM

Hey man !! what a great found!!

absloutley stunning

i like this a lot

all the best bro

Hamed

Registered on June 1, 2009, 372 Posts, 2282 Comments

Comment posted by Miro Susta on January 13, 2010 at 5:44 AM

Excellent, not from this planet. Well done Ian.

Registered on August 18, 2006, 719 Posts, 3736 Comments

Comment posted by Rafael Rojas on January 13, 2010 at 7:09 AM

totally an imace from outer space. A dreamscape indeed. Congrats for this Ian.

Registered on March 1, 2009, 56 Posts, 623 Comments

Comment posted by Lajos Horvath on January 13, 2010 at 9:49 AM

Wow! And wow again!
Beautiful work.

Registered on January 3, 2010, 30 Posts, 92 Comments

Comment posted by Anil Rao on January 13, 2010 at 10:02 AM

This is quite stunning, Ian. I have no idea what is creating that light show but the effect is amazing. The arrangment of elements along the bottom of the frame couldn't have been done any better.

Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments

Comment posted by Nicolas Belokurov on January 13, 2010 at 10:26 AM

Can't figure out what's happening here but it's amazing!

Registered on July 22, 2009, 41 Posts, 533 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Plant on January 13, 2010 at 11:46 AM

I guess I need to explain what happened here to create the light. There was a layer of fog above me, clinging to the shadowed side of a steep hill. The sun had risen above the hill and mostly above the fog, sending direct light down on the foeground tree. Part of the sun was blocked by the fog, creating misty sunbeams. They were actually angled toward me, but in a two-dimensional representation they look like they are heading straight down.

Registered on July 7, 2008, 271 Posts, 1657 Comments

Comment posted by Bret Edge on January 13, 2010 at 12:24 PM

This is way cool, Ian!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 711 Posts, 6363 Comments

Comment posted by Prashant Khapane on January 13, 2010 at 12:47 PM

this is wow...

Registered on November 1, 2003, 492 Posts, 4580 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Cooley on January 13, 2010 at 1:00 PM

Amazing light seems almost an understatement. Incredible image Ian.

Registered on August 22, 2007, 45 Posts, 547 Comments

Comment posted by Kenn Leonhardt on January 13, 2010 at 4:13 PM

Incredible.

Registered on March 29, 2008, 27 Posts, 1710 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on January 13, 2010 at 11:28 PM

spectacular photo, ian. the comp is outstanding and what a light show!

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on January 14, 2010 at 11:34 AM

Some people might start giving you a hard time about this one being "real" and yada, yada...

But it is awesome and especially seeing the sunset down here last night I know stuff like this can be. Even the other morning we had 3, yes count them, 3 rainbows (at the same time). Unfortunately I was too busy and without camera to capture the crazy scene.

Great shot!

Mark

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Bernabe on January 14, 2010 at 1:59 PM

Awesome image, monkeyboy!

Registered on November 24, 2004, 180 Posts, 1545 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Plant on January 14, 2010 at 2:57 PM

Okay, for all those hypothetical "doubters" that Mark is referring to, these sunbeams are real -- this sort of stuff just tends to happen when fog and sunlight collide. No pre or post techniques were used to create or enhance the sunbeams -- AT ALL. In fact, there was some subtle color to the beams that just didn't show up in the raw file, but after several attempts to bring the color out I decided that I preferred the way the raw capture looked. My only post work was to increase constrast in the rest of the scene and to balance the whites in the foreground with the whites in the sunbeams. Satisfied, all ye hypothetical and possibly non-existent doubters?

Registered on July 7, 2008, 271 Posts, 1657 Comments

Comment posted by Alex Mody on January 15, 2010 at 1:01 AM

Dude.... This is unreal. I've gt no words to say.

Registered on December 25, 2007, 163 Posts, 1896 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Haskell on January 15, 2010 at 4:41 PM

Ian.

Amazing!

from another Ian

Registered on October 30, 2008, 24 Posts, 673 Comments

Comment posted by Matthew Cromer on January 16, 2010 at 11:30 PM

Wow!

Registered on November 8, 2003, 42 Posts, 657 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Anderson on June 9, 2010 at 6:54 PM

Ian, This is just plain AWESOME! My favorite image from your dreamscapes collection and an image that lingers in my brain long afetr I have left it. A real masterpiece!

Registered on January 31, 2006, 228 Posts, 3072 Comments

Comment posted by Pam Colander on June 9, 2010 at 8:12 PM

The difference between a pro like you and someone like me. I probably would've deleted this after seeing it in PS. Your imaginative processing kicked it right up into the stratosphere Ian!

Registered on December 7, 2006, 210 Posts, 1062 Comments