Mt Rainier Snow-Cave

I remember Rick Lundh's shot from near this cave (maybe the same one) about five years ago. We have similar down here, but true we don't have 'real' ice caves....have to find the Glaciers for that. This is a really neat view here except I think the shadows are too bright. I would have processed this very, very differently though, allowing things to go quite dark and using the water as a leading line towards brightness at the end of the tunnel. I'm sure it would have looked nothing like this, and that could speak to a simple difference in artistic taste more than anything. In any case, certainly a view you don't see every day!

I think that I'd agree with Marc here. The fact that the color palette is centered so much on the midtones makes this look a bit flat to my eyes. But the view is unusual, that's for sure.

Marc and Basil, thanks for the detailed critique. You, Marc, always take a photo to places stamped with your unique artistic eye. I can certainly see that my first reaction to the raw image was trying to display 'more' light and details of the scene...with little regard to the interplay of light and leading lines on mood and discovery by the viewer. I love learning...and trying a new approach. Here is a slightly different version and direction. Again...thx for the hints! ( feel free to download and tweek your own version...)

ps...great comments from the regulars Zach, John M...etc...! Will be trying to work this again.

John M...perfect assessment...'heavy handed'...cracks me up ...exactly how my wife describes my efforts in the kitchen. "Just threw on more salsa, eh? Yup." Life's many parallels.

Ken,
I really enjoy the perspective you have with the image. Sounds like global warming is taking its toll though. Best Regards.

A very unique view well captured! I prefer the original crop, and while I agree with Marc's observations, your repost looks a bit rushed and heavy handed. Consider spending some quality time 'developing' this one with a subtle eye. It's worth every minute you put into it.

That is cool, literally and figuratively. I feels like another planet.

I've always liked these kinds of views, the light at the end of the tunnel is nice. My only nit is with the blend, the shadows here appear very bright and I would consider darkening them for some contrast as things look a bit flat, especially in the rocks and grass.

Awesome! Great scene. The HDR sucked the life out of it tho...in your repost it looks like you just made it darker; what it needs is contrast, a full range from white to black. Use the original exposures as a guide--there are probably parts of those shots that are properly exposed, and you can use that to gauge the proper contrast.

Good golly, this is one heck of a capture. I agree with John, spend time with this one and you will have a winner.

This is a great scene. But I think the shadows are too bright here.You nedd a contrast boost here. It looks kind of flat. But I do like the composition.

Wow ! feels like a different world ..

This is super cool, Ken! I agree with the other suggestions and for some reason, my eye wants to see more of the ice above.

i think you did a great job with a processing

i love this scene

Hamed

I remember shots of those old ice caves in books from years back Ken.

I agree with some of the previous comments. The repost basically looks like just a darker version of the original. More contrast is what's needed here. This image is definitely worth working on till you get it right, it's a fantastic and otherworldly scene!

I agree that the HDR effect is definitely too strong here. Don't be afraid of contrast. Along with digital came the myth that you have to show detail in even the darkest shadow. Not true. Rich dark tone is what helps to give an image impact.

Really Really awesome shot! If it were mine, I might darken the overall image - especailly the shadows.

Looks like a real big chamber! I remember reading about how those crystaline caves used to be present on Rainier, but no longer.. made me real sad. I agree with the others regarding the processing. These are dark and cold caves - I'd suggest letting the processing make you feel that.

Nice Ken! I like a combination of the 2 versions here. I like the light exposure for the snow/ice and that dark exposure for the rocks and the water. Just my 2 cents...

Ken - The processing comments aside, I think there may be too much FG. The real interest is in the ice walls and the midground rocks, but much of the brightness is in the FG water. A faster shutter may have rendered more detail here. Beautiful hidden word you uncovered.

Very lovely Ken,

Great lines, and the egg-shell-ing of the ceiling is spectacular. Nice interest throughout.

The only question I have is, what was the sun doing? If it was moving towards the far end of the cave, I think I would have shot it later so that the light at the end was stronger vs. the light coming from behind you.

Spectacular Ken. I continue to be fascinated with these ice cave images and this one is no exception. This isn't really a nit, but a suggestion. If it were mine, I might be tempted to drop down the highlights in the rocks just to reduce what comes across as reflecting glare - or like this was artificially lit. But that's very minor. I also see a couple of small sensor dust spots in the water at the bottom. Otherwise, I just think this is other-worldly.

Lon

Wow! Thanks for all the comments.

This is a cave with the largest opening behind the camera...which is why there seems so much light and shadow in the foreground...this pov was approx 20 feet from the wide mouth yawning open to the sun and blue sky. The light at the end of the tunnel was created by a large skylight opening approx shaped like a diamond with 20 feet across at the wide horizontal and 45 feet in a vertical diagonal. The sun was overhead, as this time of day was 2 PM. The whole scene and this cave is prolly mostly gone, melted and downstream by now...70 degree days. Ken S