Crimson Crags

This is truly amazing Mike! I saw this on FB first, but the quality here is so much better. The pinks are both intense and soothing at the same time - neat trick if you can pull it off, and you did it to perfection. I just keep staring - can't take my eyes off it.

I'd like to have a 'jumble' like this in my archive, Michael! The light here is amazing. There are lots of elements, but it's the way mountains are, so the image is just fine for me.

Not to be too picky, but 'cerro' means hill, or high land in Spanish. So, 'Mount Cerro' is a little redundant. 'Torre' means 'tower'. I'm an old climbing bum, so it's always been Cerro Torre to me.

--P

Thanks guys! Preston, I know what you mean with regard to the translation, but I have had so many puzzled looks in my gallery whenever I refer to it as simply 'Cerro Torre' that I decided to use the name I saw on maps in Patagonia "Monte Cerro Torre". It is redundant for sure! It's cool to be there and remember how Jim Bridwell used to hang out in this spot for months on end back in the day!

Simply stunning Mike. I really want to see your prints in person one of these days.

I think the clarity and color of the peaks far outweigh any "heaviness" of the midground (though there isn't much to speak of at all). I like the hints of cyan at the base of the bergs, complemented nicely by the pinks and warm blues. I remember your image "Fire & Ice" from this very spot that was very inspirational for me to get serious about landscape photography. Thanks for sharing your vision, Mike!

a brave man would present this as a square composition from the bottom (i.e., slicing off the top to make the square). lovely light and colours.

I've been wondering when we'd get to see some new work from you, Mike. This is incredible. Nothing about it feels static to me. The warm/cool contrast between peak and ice/water is lovely. Just gorgeous!

Incredible indeed! Love his Mike/ The light and reflection are superb.

Fantastic light and great 'glow in the dark' ice cubes. Love the dynamic range!

Amazing indeed.
I wouldn't change a thing my friend.

This is really beautiful. Amazing peaks, perfect reelections, and very sweet light. The dark middle ground is indeed kind of heavy, but I doubt you can do anything with it.

The light and clarity are incredible in this. And, while the mid-ground is a bit dark, it allows the interplay between the sunlit peaks and their reflection, so I think it serves a critical element in the composition. And, there is plenty of detail in the shadows. Another powerful image, Mike.

This has a very dreamlike feel to this as if it were from a fantasy book. Magnificent peaks and colors to go along with the icebergs and glacier. Would absolutely love to visit this place someday.

Stunning. the combination of colors and the clarity of this image make it something special. Beautiful!

Gorgeous colors and light. I love the composition. Very well done!

Crisp and stunning Mike! One of the rare times when a cloudless sky works best. Must have been awesome to witness this light unfold!

Spectacular composition and exposure. The colors and detail are phenomenal. What a great experience AND image.

Mike, This is Beautiful!! Nice work coming up with a comp that works so well in your scrambling. The light and colors are wonderful and I love the mood.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Stunning image Mike. Great light on the mountains and beautiful reflection. Really like the warm cool contrasts in this. Wonderful image.

Sweet shot, Mike! Congrats

I think the iceberg midground provides a nice break between the peak and the crystal clear reflection. My only nit would be the luminosity of the reflection. It looks to be as bright or brighter than that of the actual peak, which is not natural for reflected scenes.

You've captured a very special image here, Mike, one certainly worth to be included in your stunning collection!

Stunning picture, I love the reflection of light on the mountain and the reflection in the forground

Amazing peaks with reflection! If the weather gods had given you a "clearing winter storm" and dropped some fresh snow to cover those darks areas and parts of the foreground, that would have been the icing on this already sweet cake

Nice capture!

I agree with Cory. I'm surprised he was the first to catch the equalling exposures of the peak and the reflected peak. Camera limitations (but post processing correctable) show a bit of vertical banding in the shadows on the lake. Otherwise an almost "as usual" perfect Mike Anderson image.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Kane and Cory, thanks for pointing out the reflection brightness. I am frequently guilty of this issue. I still shoot with grads and that is a set up for unequal reflections if you aren't careful. As long as the reflection is not brighter than the subject, I usually leave it alone, but I may go back and burn this just a bit. I don't see the banding on the original file at full resolution, so I think it may be a compression issue. Kane, just out of curiosity, what is your quick fix method for removing banding? My Photoshop skills are not nearly where they should be and I'm always interested in hearing about new or efficient techniques.

I don't see any banding--it just looks like a result of the water reflection creating those lines. But the brighter water at the bottom i would definitely darken so its not brighter than the sky. A fabulous image, Mike--can't beat he scenery!

Hi Mike, the horizon of the lake, down about one inch on this presented image shows vertical banding. If it were up to me to save this image for printing bigger than 16x24 I would layer mask that selective portion of the image and create a Gaussian Blur adjustment to smooth out that banding area only. Its a pain in the ass but I cant think of anything else that can save that piece of your image, assuming you want to print big. It's a small piece of the pie, where in a small image like the one shown above, doesn't show itself well, but I would bet you would be dissapointed in the bigger print than 16x24.

I'm assuming you shot this one super low light and later raised your shadows, depending on your cameras dynamic range capabilities. Just a guess?

Lastly, Dodging and burning IMO is a nice quick fix for 1/4 to 1/2 stop issues however hand blending is the way to go for anything bigger than that 1/2 stop. The middle section of this image appears to my eye like extensive dodging, thus the banding. Your asking your sky exposed image to rip out 2-3 full stops of exposure for the middle area of the shot. If you blend brighter exposures in here you won't get that banding.

Hi Mike, the horizon of the lake, down about one inch on this presented image shows vertical banding. If it were up to me to save this image for printing bigger than 16x24 I would layer mask that selective portion of the image and create a Gaussian Blur adjustment to smooth out that banding area only. Its a pain in the ass but I cant think of anything else that can save that piece of your image, assuming you want to print big. It's a small piece of the pie, where in a small image like the one shown above, doesn't show itself well, but I would bet you would be dissapointed in the bigger print than 16x24.

I'm assuming you shot this one super low light and later raised your shadows, depending on your cameras dynamic range capabilities. Just a guess?

Such an incredible mountain, indeed. Love the delicate but powerful rendition!

You never disappoint Mike and this is no exception. Love the salmon/pink light on these crags. I bet this would look fantastic as a large print!

Terrific shot. My only reservation as already noted, the washed out looking reflection.