Yosemite Cliff Face

I understand the reasoning (i think...) behind your high contrast approach here--just not sure it's working for me, i keep hunting for details in the shadow. Might try a B&W, maybe more shadow detail? Some cool atmosphere though--too bad that snow didnt help keep half the park from burning...

Thanks Stan, I'm unsure why no one has commented on this, but I can always count on you for an honest appraisal. The truth is that this is a photograph I really love, but that no one else seems to, and i've often wondered if it was the high contrast. The problem is that the slide looks almost just like this, I didn't add any contrast, and actually reduced the contrast by 100% before calling it good. There's no detail in the shadows because of the huge difference in DR between the cliff face and rest of the image. Not really sure what to do with it because it's one of my favorites, but I guess I can just accept that it doesn't appeal as much to others as it does to me. And yeah, the Rim fire really took a chunk out of the park. I'm a Smokejumper so I mostly fight fires just in Idaho now, but I was on a Hotshot crew for 4 years and i'm sure I would have ended up there this year. Thanks again,

Oh such a great grab! What is not to like?

I really do enjoy the drama of the light and the atmospherics here. It's very interesting with the spot of blue sky, and the direct light striking the cliff.

One of the latest fads with landscape photography is to show every ounce of detail in the shadows -- so much so that the result is often a very muddy image. People now associate deep shadows as a flaw rather than an aesthetic. It seems that one of the common comments on landscape forums is that the shadows are too dark, and that some detail should be pulled out of them. That may be the case for some shots, but rich shadow tone instills a sense of mystery, and adds drama to photos. This is something that is probably more appreciated in print than on a backlit monitor. The work of many masters over the years feature deep shadow -- and I'm sure if those prized shots were put up to critique, we would hear the same thing.

I can see how this is a favorite image of yours. It's a fleeting moment, and brings back great memories of the trip. I hope you have printed this shot, and have it hanging on your wall.