Heart of the Sunrise

Gallery: LandscapePosted August 15, 2013576 views24 comments

Figured I'd post this on here just to here your thoughts. I'm pretty happy with the results already, but any suggestions to better the image are always appreciated. This was shot during my glacier trip, and no this isn't a spot off the beaten path. This scene is literally right off a bridge between the falls and swiftcurrent lake. I've seen a few photos from here before, and many of them were sunset shots. I was quite pleased to have the sun rise directly across from the cascades which casted this amazing warmth over the water and into the sky. It was only red for a few minutes, and I was lucky to fire off the three exposures to blend for dynamic range. By far the most colorful light we had all week. Moments after, the light began to turn gold, and I ran around the corner (literally) to get my previous shot.

Title by Phillip Noll Jr.

Canon 7d
Canon 17-40mm @17mm
f22
1 sec, .4 sec, 1/15 sec
ISO 100
Tripod

Comments

24 comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on August 15, 2013 at 3:41 PM

stunning image with incredible energy. The light is breathtaking and the sunstar an added bonus. If I had to be picky, I might suggest bringing the highlights in the sky down just a bit. But this is beautiful as is

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on August 15, 2013 at 4:06 PM

I'm liking this a lot Peter. Perfect shutter speed and the reflected color in the water looks great. I do think Nancy Lea has a good suggestion about lowering the highlights a bit, but this is a grand effort.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Sairam Sundaresan on August 15, 2013 at 4:18 PM

Gorgeous warmth in water Peter. I'd suggest recovering some of the highlights in the sky! Great image

Registered on March 14, 2013, 100 Posts, 643 Comments

Comment posted by James Fougère on August 15, 2013 at 4:43 PM

Looks like a Keeper to me

Nice capture..

The only nit I have is the dark patch at the bottom edge (centre) of the image, it is not a big deal..

Registered on October 25, 2010, 41 Posts, 831 Comments

Comment posted by Verdon on August 15, 2013 at 5:11 PM

what to say, simply love it!

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

Comment posted by Brian Schrayer on August 15, 2013 at 7:18 PM

I like this a lot, Peter. Wonderful light, color and composition. Your processing looks good too. No nits from me.

Registered on May 28, 2004, 114 Posts, 2890 Comments

Comment posted by John Mumaw on August 15, 2013 at 8:19 PM

Those golden hued cascades in the immediate foreground are absolutely spellbinding, Peter.
Wonderful way to lead the eye into this gorgeous scene! Bringing down the brightest highlights is a good idea, IMO.
And for goodness sake, create a new title!!

Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments

Comment posted by Glenn Tunaley on August 15, 2013 at 8:31 PM

Fantastic image Peter! I love the color reflecting off the water. I agree with bringing down the highlights a bit but I think it looks great as is.

Registered on March 1, 2013, 19 Posts, 93 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Coskun on August 15, 2013 at 9:00 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will definitely look into bringing those highlights down.

John, please help me figure out a better title. The first thing I thought of was fire when I shot this, not sure why I really called it "fire drill" haha.

Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments

Comment posted by Phillip Noll on August 15, 2013 at 11:05 PM

Wowzer! When I was there it was raining!

That is some tremendous light, Peter! Your handling of the scene is masterful! Excellent!

Registered on November 17, 2003, 207 Posts, 1083 Comments

Comment posted by Phillip Noll on August 15, 2013 at 11:11 PM

How about "Heart of the Sunrise" instead of "Fire Drill"??

Registered on November 17, 2003, 207 Posts, 1083 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Coskun on August 15, 2013 at 11:17 PM

Thanks Phillip, we got really lucky on this morning. It looked like it was going to be clear as day, but 30 minutes before sunrise a flood of clouds just came racing in from the west and the east was beginning to clear up..

I actually like that title quite a bit, might have to steal that one :)

Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on August 16, 2013 at 12:03 AM

Badass sir. Very very cool. The rock on the right side feels a bit too bright considering the sun location. But love this. Nice work.

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Coskun on August 16, 2013 at 12:15 AM

Thanks Aaron, oddly enough, the light beams were reaching that rock wall and I am guessing the light off the water is being reflected onto the wall. The angle makes it appear as if the wall is facing away from the light, but it just slightly faces the light. Just a bit of wide angle lens trickery I think.

Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments

Comment posted by John Mumaw on August 16, 2013 at 11:24 AM

'Liquid Gold'? 'Gold Rush'?
Also like Phillip's title.

Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Coskun on August 16, 2013 at 1:18 PM

I went with Phillips title ultimately. I've been having a difficult time giving titles to my images lately, so hopefully that will go away haha.

Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on August 16, 2013 at 7:38 PM

Beautiful shot Peter, the texture of the water is amazing. Don't know what else I can say, well done.

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on August 16, 2013 at 10:43 PM

Nice capture. Your blend looks perfect. The red in the water looks very dramatic, but not overdone. Love the sheen on the rock. All around excellent work Peter!

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on August 16, 2013 at 11:19 PM

Sweet shot Peter, this is an excellent roadside sunrise location. Some of the reds look a bit saturated on my monitor but I know the light can be pretty intense here. I'm off to Glacier in a few days, hopefully I'll come away with something half as good. Nice work.

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

Comment posted by Peter Coskun on August 16, 2013 at 11:26 PM

Thanks guys!

Zack, I will surely be looking forward to your images from Glacier. Just be sure to bring an umbrella and don't bother checking weather reports cause they change every minute. Oh and don't forget the bear spray! Might have a bit of early fall colors too.

Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments

Comment posted by Shantikara Valuska on August 17, 2013 at 5:30 AM

I really like your recent bright posts, this one as well. No nits, I like it as it is.

Registered on July 25, 2011, 38 Posts, 451 Comments

Comment posted by Ben Horne on August 18, 2013 at 12:05 AM

You've done a great job here handling the extreme brightness, and the way the light is rendered on the water. I feel the shadows are a bit too bright though, especially the rocks on the right, and the distant hillside. If you darken these down a bit, it will help reduce some of the muddiness in those areas and give the scene an even greater sense of mystery.

Registered on August 27, 2009, 51 Posts, 959 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on August 18, 2013 at 10:10 AM

Well this day paid off! Another great capture of beautiful light.

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

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on August 25, 2013 at 12:51 PM

Dude I have been trying to get this shot again for about 3 years. Great job. The light was following you!

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