Winter's Warm Glow

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 22, 2011476 views27 comments

The 1st rays of sun stike the Eastern Sierra reflected in the Owens River. I zoomed in slightly, then made 2 horizontal exposures and merged them for this single image. I decided to crop off part of the right hand side to place the most prominent peak (Mt. Tom) slightly off center. I was surprised to see colorful scrub surrounding the river, especially in winter. It seems the snows of winter can really warm up a mountainside like at no other time of year. High clouds behind me prevented the strongest rays of sunrise from hitting the peaks, but a fine crisp morning anyway. Some clouds above the mnts. would have been nice too

The rather abrupt line separating the sunlit peaks and the lower shaded slopes are the White Mnts. behind me and not my grad ND.
I'd be particularly interested in know if you feel the contrast of the image is realistic. A larger version may make this more apparent. My thoughts are that the FG might naturally be more contrasty since it is closer to the camera. More contrast in the mnt area might attract more viewer attention, but maybe not realistic.

24-105mm, 2 stop grad ND, haard edge.

Comments

27 comments

Comment posted by Joseph Kayne on March 22, 2011 at 8:02 PM

Real nice light and coompostion. The grasses along the river look a little light for this kind of condition but only very slight. Excellent!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 573 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Duval on March 22, 2011 at 8:05 PM

Harry,

If it was your grad I'd take it back, what's up with the wavy instead of straight line? The brightness of the light on the peaks might be a just a hair overdone but still it's beautiful and in the larger image the contrast in the fg is not overdone, compression is hurting the smaller image. I've shot these peaks before but not from this spot. Haven't found it yet. Speaking of Mt. Tom the most recent storm added 3 to 4 feet of new snow to the peak and there's more coming. Is this a recent image?

Paul

Registered on June 30, 2009, 508 Posts, 1907 Comments

Comment posted by Kent Mearig on March 22, 2011 at 8:11 PM

This is a real visual feast! I wouldn't change a thing, and I surely wouldn't want this ruined by having clouds cluttering up that perfect sky.

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

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on March 22, 2011 at 8:14 PM

Paul - This was taken about 2 weeks ago - would love to be out there now! If I could get there! I'm sure Bishop isn't snowed in, but I had a long drive in a minivan with chains over Rt. 395 coming from Reno when I was there due to rd. closures and snow. Flying into Mammouth can be a challenge in the winter. Very difficult to stand in another's tripod tracks on the Owens River - many zigs and zags-much exploration stil to do in this area.

Joseph - I will try darkening the FG a hair.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Lundh on March 22, 2011 at 8:15 PM

A very well balanced comp with sweet colors! It would make a really nice big pano above some couch!

Registered on April 28, 2004, 774 Posts, 4351 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on March 22, 2011 at 8:45 PM

I have never visited here Harry, but the scene looks beautiful, realistic, and enticing to me. The color along there river bank is absolutely beautiful.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on March 22, 2011 at 8:51 PM

Wonderful light and color and the semi-pano comp works very well. The brightest parts of the river pulls a little. I always like contrast, so I would add some to the mountains, but that is a personal preference as the light there looks perfectly natural.

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

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on March 22, 2011 at 9:03 PM

What a great expansive view of the bends there along the Owens. I think I'd tone down the saturation in the cyan but that is just me, other then that great work Harry.

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

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on March 22, 2011 at 9:40 PM

Oh, you're making me jealous!

I have in my head a vision of a scene just like this to shoot for myself. I have still to find myself along this river when the conditions are right for a shot like this. It might still happen as I have some work on the eastern side a bit north coming up. If the snow holds up, I might get my chance. Beautiful shot!

Chris

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

Comment posted by INGOMA on March 22, 2011 at 11:05 PM

Oh I love the composition and the light and colors here, Harry. A real beauty!!

Registered on July 2, 2004, 231 Posts, 3110 Comments

Comment posted by Sarah Marino on March 22, 2011 at 11:26 PM

Harry - this is a quite beautiful rendition of this area. If it were mine, I would tone down the brightest tones in the river, but I still really like it as is. I agree with Steve that reducing the cyan cast could also improve the image. I really like the composition.

Registered on November 10, 2008, 23 Posts, 393 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Kim on March 23, 2011 at 12:32 AM

I love this one, Harry. The pastel colors and the vibrant scrub against that snow-covered background is just great. This is just an absolutely beautiful landscape photograph!!

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

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on March 23, 2011 at 6:36 AM

Thanks for all of the feedback - I like the ideas of droping the river brightness and de sat the sage a touch. Seems like the overal contrast isn't a problem for most, so that will stay.

Good luck Chris in your Eastern Sierra pilgramage - I look forward in seeing your take on the valley and hope you get some decent conditions.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Sebastian Kraus on March 23, 2011 at 8:02 AM

Reallny nice light on top of this hills, well framed, greate colours!

Fantastic!

Registered on March 17, 2011, 30 Posts, 132 Comments

Comment posted by Gary McGhee on March 23, 2011 at 8:50 AM

The contrast looks very realistic to me Harry. This is a wonderful pano landscape, love the colours throughout, especially the greens in the grasses. The light on the mountains is sublime.

Gary.

Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Abdullaziz Bin Ali on March 23, 2011 at 9:32 AM

Colorful, Beautiful, Powerful :)
all the best

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

Comment posted by Kyle L. Krause on March 23, 2011 at 11:27 AM

Just beautiful Harry, wonderful palette of colors. Great composition. I need to drive up to the owens valley soon, very inspiring.

Registered on June 15, 2010, 29 Posts, 605 Comments

Comment posted by Lizzie Shepherd on March 23, 2011 at 1:00 PM

Stunning scene and very well captured - lovely colour palette and the contrast seems spot on to me. I think I would agree with a little darkening in the river and perhaps a tiny bit less cyan - but not much needed imo. The grasses look realistic to me - I had a similar dilemma with a scene recently but I feel when you have such lovely texture and colour as here, it is a shame to darken too much.

Registered on March 2, 2011, 18 Posts, 120 Comments

Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on March 23, 2011 at 1:05 PM

Harry, You were in the right spot and the results are great. Fine light, fine mage.

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

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on March 23, 2011 at 1:33 PM

Wonderful light and well composed. Excellent

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on March 23, 2011 at 5:50 PM

Another beautiful east side image! I am seeing the same cyan cast as others commented on in the river and brush and shaded mountain slopes.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on March 23, 2011 at 5:51 PM

Great winter color in the Eastern Sierra. I like the tonal qualities.
I like the varying reflective colors in the river. Well composed
and seen, Harry.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on March 23, 2011 at 8:25 PM

I have applied many of your suggestion to this image - not sure if you will be able to see on this smal version. Most notable and visible is the decrease in cyan and blue in the foothills (Buttermilk hills I think), water and sage and some addded contrast in the mid hills. I decreased the contrast of the water so as not to be so bright. Thanks everyone for the input.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Smorra on March 23, 2011 at 9:53 PM

The repost looks just about perfect to me Harry. The contrast levels look good all the way around. My favorite part of the image is the reflected light on the water.

Registered on November 2, 2009, 161 Posts, 2143 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on March 24, 2011 at 12:40 AM

I thought it was a great image until I saw the repost, you nailed it there.

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on March 24, 2011 at 12:28 PM

The contrast of the image looks great in both the original and repost. Not sure that I could easily pick between the two. I'll diverge from the rest and say that I didn't find the cyans in the original post to be objectionable . . . I may even prefer it to the repost. Either way, this is a wonderful shot!

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

Comment posted by Jared Ropelato on March 29, 2011 at 5:17 PM

the tones and colors of this image are extremely nice.

Registered on March 1, 2011, 25 Posts, 204 Comments