Mountain Runoff

Without blur.

Awesome shot, although I like them both I think I prefer the first. I like the way the motion in the clouds up top balances the motion in the water below, keeping everything moving toward the distant mountains. BW processing looks great. Interested to know how you like the software, I'm finding it tough to justify another software expense, especially since you can make beautiful bw images in PS, without plugins.

love the mood of this, and bw conversion looks great. Love how the "S" take you into the peak in the bg. Nice job

Nice shot, Ron. Love your composition and B&W conversion. Very dramatic and beautiful. Prefer the first one.

Really nice shot, Ron! Very moody and dramatic. I can see why you've been to this spot so many times as it looks to have a lot of potential. I like how the bw treatment renders the river as a silvery ribbon of water. I'm partial to the second version because it looks much truer to the scene you photographed. This first version looks really cool, no doubt, but i'm just not a fan of adding elements to a scene in post processing that didn't exist at the time of capture. The streaks are obvious enough that the sky takes on the look of photo-art.

Kurt,

I’m finding the same thing. You can achieve very similar looks in Photoshop. However, the one thing that I’ve noticed with SE is that it speeds up the process. It’s quite easy to put a control point on an area (provided you’re working from the color photo), and make adjustments. In Photoshop, to make local adjustments requires some masking which takes a little longer. I think this is the biggest difference. If you got a couple hundred dollars burning a hole in your pocket, do it.

Tyson,

In hindsight, I too wished I had waited awhile longer to do a longer exposure. Oh well.

This is a super shot Ron, both versions. I'm having a tough time deciding which I like most, but I guess I'm slightly leaning towards the blurred version. The tones in this are wonderful. I've been thinking about buying the Silver Efex also; have seen a lot of nice images processed with Silver Efex. Would love to hear your thoughts when you make whatever decision you choose.

The tones are nice and balanced. I like the texture of water and how it leads you to the well-lit peak n the background. I also prefer the first image. Great job.

Excellent image, Ron. I like the blur in the first version better. I've also tested Silver Efex at one point and was really surprised by it's versatility.

Really nice b&w. I prefer the first one. To me, the blurry sky ties together well with the river snaking through and gives the image more of a flow , which lends itself well to.

Love the b&w rendition. I wouldn't have known about the motion blur unless you mentioned it - but since you posted both I actually like the 'straight' version better. If I was to go out of my way to nit-pick, I might suggesting cloning out the little tuft of grass near the left bottom.

The image with the motion blur certainly looks even more dramatic, a great idea to add that! A very powerful conversion, which really turns this into a wall hanger.

I like the motion blur too. This is a total keeper Ron, probably your best I've seen on here. Congrats. Fantastic image. Michael

Great job with the B&W Ron. After looking at this for awhile I prefer the more natural looking rendition. To me it just seems more cohesive. In the first it seems my eye is more drawn to the clouds. I like the processing here and I sure would visit this comp many times over. Nice work.

The one with the blurred clouds has a wonderful quality to it.

- Dan.

One of the best BW landscapes Ive seen in a long time. Im really not sure which one I prefer. I would have to see them side by side printed to decide

Top-notch Ron! Excellent composition and works wonderfully with the conversion. I vote for the first.

Beautiful work, Ron. I love the s-curve of the river leading into the distant peaks. The mono conversion looks excellent. I prefer the static version merely because there is a serene stillness to this version whereas the blurred clouds make my eyes unsettled and upset the tranquil mood.

The second version works well for me Ron but I tend to like structe in clouds as opposed to blur. Just my preference. BTW - I use Silver Efex for my B&W conversion as well.

Ron, I like the first one. Nice conversion image. Beautiful location!

I'm not usually a fan of digital B&W conversions but this is very nice.

Lovely conversion and prefer the first. I use either LR2 or SE for b/w. Depends on how complicated I know the conversion will be. The Upoint tech is freakin wicked and way better than masking w/ PS...plus fun options with film grain etc

aF