Prarie sunrise

Gallery: LandscapePosted October 20, 2013138 views13 comments

This image was made several weeks ago on a Jim Brandenburg workshop a the Shaw Nature Preserve in Missouri. The sun was rising behind a stand of trees while the fog was still around. I like the effect of the sun and fog. Not sure about the flowers and prarie grasses. I would have liked a higher vantage point because the grasses were so tall, but could not find one. Would welcome feedback on whether the composition works. Large image posted.

D700, 70-200 f/4 @ 80 mm, f/11, 1/1000 sec hand held

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Gary Reed on October 20, 2013 at 7:14 PM

Matthew, I like this exploding sunrise. The foreground is a little busy, but adds contrast to the sun rays in the upper left.

Registered on September 19, 2009, 198 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on October 20, 2013 at 7:40 PM

A bit crowded, but a lovely explosive sunrise.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on October 20, 2013 at 7:40 PM

The stacked layers add nice depth here. And, the sunburst adds that dynamic element. Nice.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Matthew Goldsmith on October 20, 2013 at 7:48 PM

Gary, Phil and Morris - thank you for your comments.

Phil, I agree. I think crowded is indeed the feeling I had when I looked at the image, but couldn't come up with the right word.

Registered on June 29, 2010, 37 Posts, 286 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on October 20, 2013 at 8:41 PM

The fog and sun are eye catching. Maybe in front of of these FG grasses would have allowed a more direct shot at the wonderful light. Looks a bit busy as is, but the subdued tones does simplify it.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Finchum on October 20, 2013 at 9:48 PM

certainly caught my eye!

Registered on September 8, 2013, 43 Posts, 222 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on October 20, 2013 at 10:10 PM

I agree with your assessment, those taller plants in the foreground steal a bit from the scene. I love everything behind them; cool trees with the nice sun bursting through.

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

Comment posted by Bill Reid on October 21, 2013 at 8:42 AM

Beautiful image Matthew. I agree about the foreground but wonderful light through the trees. Very nice.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on October 21, 2013 at 9:19 AM

Matthew, This is very nice and I especially like the mood. I could see shooting this without the foreground grass (maybe you did) but I actually like what they added to this image.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on October 21, 2013 at 9:32 AM

This works very well. My initial reaction was that it's busy, but the longer I look the better I like it. The silhouetted sunflowers are a strong foreground element and the trees on the right work well as they fade into the distance. The sunburst sets off the far trees nicely and the rays add lots of interest in the upper left.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Matthew Goldsmith on October 21, 2013 at 11:42 AM

Thank you all for your feedback thus far. I appreciate the suggestion to move in front of the tall foreground grasses. I did not do that. The grasses were heavily infested with ticks this year. Perhaps next time I will just suck it up and take some doxycycline.

Registered on June 29, 2010, 37 Posts, 286 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on October 21, 2013 at 11:57 AM

The sun through the fog is amazing and I rather like the fg (but I'm a sucker for sunflowers) Maybe a lower perspective emphasizing them and doing away with the tree on the right would have been nice. Great shot as is

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

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on October 21, 2013 at 2:40 PM

I like this a lot. I think the composition works very nicely. The addition of the grasses doesn't bother me at all.

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