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Fall & Winter
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Fall & Winter

by Mark Seaver

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted October 19, 2012566 views13 comments
The cottonwoods in Paradise Valley, MT were reaching peak color this week when a storm blew through. As the sky began to clear, I could see that the half hour of moderate rain in the valley had left the high peaks with significant amounts of snow. This shot of sunlight spotlighting the Cottonwoods along the Yellowstone R. with Emigrant Peak in the background illustrates the seasonal effects of altitude where much of fall is spent watching the snow line creep down the mountains. (5D3, 24-70 f2.8 @ 70mm, 1/50 s, f/16, iso 200, tripod and polarizer) Processed in PS5 with TK's triple play and some luminosity painting.

Comments

13 comments
Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on October 19, 2012 at 5:41 PM
Mark, I really like this scene here. Always nice to capture a beam of transitioning light like this. In this case it highlights the FG area perfectly. With the snow topping the mountains and these cottonwoods in their autumn swing it provides the viewer with the feel of seasonal change for sure.
The only thing I might recheck is the web-sharpening. Otherwise good to go... :cool:
Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on October 19, 2012 at 7:31 PM
Well done, Mark. The seasonal nature of the photo meets the challenge very well. The foothills seem a bit soft to me.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by John Neukirch on October 19, 2012 at 8:52 PM
A nice pleasant view, looks like you were in the right place at just the right time. I imagine the Sun didn't stick around for long. Looks nice and warm there in the valley and cold and forbidding up in the high country. :toast:
Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments
Comment posted by Karen Kane on October 20, 2012 at 2:57 AM
Warm color vs the cooler snow and bright sun vs gloomy sky... what great elements you've combined Mark!!

I particularly like the way the sun has put the spot-light on the fall colors in the FG, the snow on the peaks is literally icing on the cake :wink:
Registered on August 4, 2012, 66 Posts, 726 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on October 20, 2012 at 10:36 AM
This is beautiful, I especially like the light & contrasting layers of this comp.
Excellent DOF, post processing, and technique..Very well done.
Have a great weekend Mark :wavey:
Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments
Comment posted by Charlie Baugh on October 20, 2012 at 12:55 PM
You've got my vote, Mark. This is outstanding in every way.
Registered on April 18, 2011, 329 Posts, 1985 Comments
Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on October 20, 2012 at 9:32 PM
Love the lighting in this photo, Mark! The bright light really highlights the yellow trees and the brown fields in the middle of the picture. The dark water and mountains on the top and bottom also really help showcase these yellow trees. The cooler lighting on the snowcapped mountains and the ominous dark clouds signifies to me the coming of winter. Very good compostion of the various elements. Well done! :smile:
Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments
Comment posted by John Launstein on October 21, 2012 at 1:57 AM
Mark - this is a wonderful image! I love the contrast and tones...your extra work in PP was well worthwhile. Everything really pops, while looking a lot like the scenes that have unfolded before my eyes in this area. I love the horzontal visual bands to this. Beautiful.
Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments
Comment posted by Cristina Strudthof on October 21, 2012 at 9:24 AM
I'm just going to say that I really like this one. No critique from me.
Registered on January 14, 2011, 53 Posts, 363 Comments
Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on October 25, 2012 at 12:06 PM
Mark, The spotlit cottonwoods really jump and contrast nicely with the darker mountain background. My personal preference may be for the mountain to be just slightly brighter.
Congrats to you on the WP.
Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on October 26, 2012 at 8:32 PM
Love the brooding mood here, brightened by the yellows of the cottonwoods.
Congrats on the WP!
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Willison on October 31, 2012 at 9:26 AM
Congrats on the win, Mark. Love how the dark mountains seem to spell doom, that winter is on its way.
Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments
Comment posted by Craig Myers on November 1, 2012 at 6:37 PM
Really nice layering of natural elements. Love the light. Congratulations on the WP.
Registered on September 1, 2008, 85 Posts, 757 Comments