An Old Friend + Repost

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 28, 2010465 views23 comments

This photo was recently ordered by a patron. Don't know if I have ever shared it here. It's quite iconic, but it was a crisp autumn morning when this photo was made 4 years ago during my Autumn in Yosemite Valley workshop and El Cap was just crying out to be photographed. I still posit that the best time in the valley is in autumn.

Anyway, this image is a two exposure blend on 4x5 to hold detail in the south-east face of El Cap. A few layers with TK masks and saturation.

Your comments always appreciated.

4x5, 150mm, f64, 4 sec and 8 sec, plus a 4 stop GND, Fuji Provia 100F.

P.S. three seats still available for this year's Autumn in Yosemite Valley Workshop. If you are interested check my website.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on September 28, 2010 at 8:11 PM

I have always enjoyed this view of El Cap, Youssef. My only suggestion would be to tone done the highlights on the right side of El Cap just a little bit. Nicely done.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Pullen on September 28, 2010 at 8:27 PM

I never tire of icons. You can almost feel the cool of the morn in this one, great image. Ron

Registered on December 18, 2005, 74 Posts, 1413 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on September 28, 2010 at 9:40 PM

It's beautiful.

Peter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on September 28, 2010 at 9:58 PM

Outstanding light. Very well done all around.

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

Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on September 28, 2010 at 11:59 PM

@Ed, That is why I did the two exposure blend. The face of El Cap was very brightly lit, so I presented it that way just making sure to retain detail.

@Tony, thanks tony for the comment, yes I like to work with difficult light. Its challenging and your Luminosity Masks make the task that much simpler.

But I guess the image is not very comment worthy

Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on September 29, 2010 at 12:23 AM

Gorgeous composition of this classic, Youssef. I love the bush, and how it fills the space and balances El Cap - something I've often found lacking in other comps I see from here. It comes across as a little flat, something I attribute to it being a scan (at least, it's the same kind of low contrast in the blacks that I see in a lot of scans). A simple curves adjustment would probably take care of that if you wanted to.

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

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on September 29, 2010 at 12:59 AM

Wonderful image of the classic view. Love the mood and the autumn feeling.

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Roane on September 29, 2010 at 1:13 AM

Sweet! Love the comp and the somewhat misty autumn mood here. I would agree with toning out the highlights on the mountain a bit, but this is great stuff!!!!!

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

Comment posted by Håkon Iversen on September 29, 2010 at 8:05 AM

Love that hazy feel to the foreground. El Capitan...man, it would be hard taking a bad shot out of that mountain. :-)

Registered on August 16, 2010, 20 Posts, 123 Comments

Comment posted by Paolo De Faveri on September 29, 2010 at 9:34 AM

Just stunning! El Cap shines like a huge gold nugget! The mist in the middle ground is also very nice, and those grasses in the fg perfectly render the cold of an autumn early morning.

Paolo

Registered on August 29, 2007, 318 Posts, 1651 Comments

Comment posted by Andreas Resch on September 29, 2010 at 10:52 AM

Very well done, Youssef. The light is magical.

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

Comment posted by Nicolas Belokurov on September 29, 2010 at 12:00 PM

Gorgeous looking mountain indeed.
Beautiful.

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

Comment posted by David W. Kelly on September 29, 2010 at 1:04 PM

Beautiful in every way.

Registered on October 7, 2005, 883 Posts, 6590 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on September 29, 2010 at 1:48 PM

Youssef,

Classic for sure, but a well kept secret in the valley - if there can be one, is a sunrise from Valley View - you can usually have the place all to yourself.

I would agree with the brightness on the east face, but kudos for you for doing a 4x5 two image blend! cool! I love the autumn atmosphere captured here. I hope to visit in another month or so.

Lon

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

Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on September 29, 2010 at 3:03 PM

Thanks Floris for the suggestion on the shadows. I boosted the contrast and it did bring out the image better.

Thanks Ed and Lon, I did not think I could get the brightness down without the face becoming detail-less. But I brought it down some with a TK luminosity mask and it held up.

Here is the repost.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Kim on September 29, 2010 at 6:05 PM

Wonderful comp, I like the mood you've captured here.

Registered on July 1, 2006, 60 Posts, 1233 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on September 29, 2010 at 11:00 PM

I've always avoided what I percieved to be harsh sunrise light in the valley. I'm going to have to reevaluate that assumption, cause' this is really nice!

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Rappaport on September 30, 2010 at 12:15 AM

Love the glow. I wouldn't mess with the highlights at all.

Registered on September 9, 2009, 294 Posts, 2006 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce King on September 30, 2010 at 11:55 AM

You've reall done a nice job with this difficult light. This has a appealing sense of depth leading back to El Cap. Beautiful image.

Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on September 30, 2010 at 1:59 PM

For the lighting you were working with...

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

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on September 30, 2010 at 6:26 PM

Real nice take on an icon location. I would also agree about the right wall face, even in the repost, which is much improved. Maybe a little 10-15% cloning from the darker wall, just to darken it a touch and leave the texture???