Dog Mountain Sunrise

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 10, 2011516 views24 comments

Balsamroot and sunrise light on a windy morning at Dog Mountain, Columbia River Gorge, Washington.

Nikon D7000, 12-24 Nikkor dx, no filters
5 image hand blend. 4 at f/5.6 for DOF, 1 at f/11 for the sky, ISO 800--> it was very windy.

I've enjoyed viewing images similar to this on NPN and finally got a chance a couple of weeks ago to try this out for myself. While capturing and processing this image, I learned a few things;

1. Capturing and processing these types of images is a nightmare!
2. High wind during the capture phase makes these even more difficult.
3. My computer doesn't like 5 image blends (pretty much brought it to it's knees with a 800mb layered file)

Thanks in advance for any feedback. This is my first attempt at this type of complicated blend and all critique is appreciated.

Comments

24 comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on July 10, 2011 at 2:30 PM

Really well done, Scott. I like the moodiness crated by the slightly darker image and the gathering clouds.

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

Comment posted by Anthony Vincent on July 10, 2011 at 2:35 PM

What a neat shot Scott. Kudos for keeping the mood dark and creating a different edge to wide angle flower photography. Would be too easy to lighten the fg significantly thus ruining the impact of such a great scene.
The clouds are impressive as well.
Nice catch and well done

Registered on February 5, 2009, 199 Posts, 2775 Comments

Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on July 10, 2011 at 2:39 PM

this is a pretty nice Scott, wonderful mood & nice comp as well

Hamed

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

Comment posted by Mark Pelton on July 10, 2011 at 2:46 PM

great execution in the plan and processing, Scott. Powerful image.

Registered on November 25, 2003, 380 Posts, 4647 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on July 10, 2011 at 2:55 PM

This looks great Scott. Like the others I really like the mood this sets. I don't know much about blends, but this looks fantastic to me!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Koveh Tavakkol on July 10, 2011 at 3:04 PM

A very nice image Scott!

Registered on September 1, 2009, 41 Posts, 608 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Anderson on July 10, 2011 at 3:10 PM

Scott, as fine as any I have scene on this great forum.
Well done.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 346 Posts, 2696 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on July 10, 2011 at 3:16 PM

Very very nice. I like the depth and the stormy mood. Even the darkness of the flowers contributes to the sense of foreboding.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Verdon on July 10, 2011 at 3:23 PM

three thumbs UP !!!

Registered on June 10, 2011, 147 Posts, 1444 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on July 10, 2011 at 3:50 PM

Wow Scott this is just dead on nice!!!! I love the mountain feel and cloudiness in the background adding a tad of drama! Could get a magazine cover!

To be as picky as I can (because it is so dang good) on my monitor there is a tad of edge haloing in the background trees and I think the closest flower could use a slight dodge in the highlights or middle tones.

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

Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on July 10, 2011 at 4:02 PM

Very nice Scott. I quite like how the flowers contrast with the interesting sky.

Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on July 10, 2011 at 4:03 PM

The colors and comp. are great. The clouds add drama to the image.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Gorka Lopez on July 10, 2011 at 5:01 PM

WOW!

I love the mood it transmits... great depth and even better composition, really well done!

Registered on July 4, 2011, 8 Posts, 31 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on July 10, 2011 at 6:31 PM

I really like this, Scott! I don't know how to do blends like this, but everything looks
OK to me. Strong FG and nice tones and colors throughout.

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

Comment posted by Morris McClung on July 10, 2011 at 7:13 PM

Looks great to me and I think the clouds really cap this off.

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

Comment posted by Sarah Marino on July 10, 2011 at 10:58 PM

Hi Scott - From the look of the web-sized image, the blend looks very natural. The tonality on the very right side of the horizon looks a bit uneven (darker on the flowers that I might expect). The prominent foreground and stormy sky really come together nicely. Beautiful shot.

I can't bring myself to try one of these blends - makes my head hurt to just think about it!

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

Comment posted by Mat Malone on July 11, 2011 at 12:09 AM

Really, really cool. I love the in-your-face flowers and the moody clouds rolling over the ridge. Personally I think the BG trees could a opened up a little bit but that's a minor point.

Registered on December 15, 2008, 91 Posts, 882 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on July 11, 2011 at 12:03 PM

Blend looks good to me Scott, at least at this size. I really like the dark processing and the two flowers in the immediate FG. Nice work!

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

Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on July 12, 2011 at 10:40 AM

I like the darker weathery mood and the windswept firs against the low bank of clouds. Nice line of larger balsam flowers leading into the scene. One small patch of balsam leaves located about the middle on the left edge looks a little brighter than surroundings.

Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments

Comment posted by Yiming Hu on July 12, 2011 at 10:05 PM

Very impressive comp. Your blending work looks very successful, at least judging from the web version.

Registered on April 28, 2011, 38 Posts, 733 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on July 13, 2011 at 1:01 PM

Stunning shot Scott! I know how hard it is to photograph up there at any time, and I'm amaze at how well you pulled off a morning comp (sunset is easier!). Great job on the blend and processing, everything looks just right.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Burdick on July 13, 2011 at 1:12 PM

Gorgeous! Definitely worth the effort, though I can imagine the processing being a nightmare...

Registered on May 1, 2009, 31 Posts, 197 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Bullard on July 13, 2011 at 9:47 PM

Great image Scot. Congratulations on pulling it all together and my sympathy to your poor computer.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 30 Posts, 128 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Snyder on July 15, 2011 at 12:11 PM

this is a first attempt? nice! love the detail and especially the deep shadow throughout

Registered on November 11, 2009, 45 Posts, 161 Comments