Hilgard Basin Sunset

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 19, 2014599 views21 comments

My wife came out to visit me at the base recently and we did an overnight hike up to the Hilgard Basin area north of West Yellowstone. It was an amazing hike up to a lake-filled plateau surrounded by jagged peaks, and we didn't see another soul the entire trip, just elk and mountain goats.

Some of the small ponds had these flowers growing in them, which I believe are White Mule's Ears, and for this shot I waded out into the water and positioned the lens about 10 inches from the flowers. I took two shots for depth of field.

Canon 5d Mark iii, 16-35mm lens, 1/100 sec at f/11, ISO 250

Comments

21 comments

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on July 19, 2014 at 12:45 PM

Very Nice . . .

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on July 19, 2014 at 12:46 PM

Here's a photo of the Basin from a higher vantage. Our tent is in the middle somewhere.

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

Comment posted by Joseph Campisi on July 19, 2014 at 1:39 PM

Reminds me of a David Muench composition Thomas. The near, far elements work really well here!

Registered on November 24, 2008, 304 Posts, 3211 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on July 19, 2014 at 2:10 PM

Very interesting and beautiful. This works well for me. I see some banding in the sky but that could just be my monitor or jpeg compression.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on July 19, 2014 at 2:14 PM

Thomas,

I really like this! The composition is quite unexpected. I would be tempted to spot out some of the bits of floating debris. Nice detail, and a very nice reflection. I love the Mules Ears.

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Kearl on July 19, 2014 at 3:30 PM

This is really cool.....
Excellent DOF and gradient light.
Very nice.....

Registered on September 2, 2013, 209 Posts, 1514 Comments

Comment posted by Jared Warren on July 19, 2014 at 3:36 PM

Really nice, Thomas. I think this would also look great as a square crop. Well done!

Registered on May 11, 2012, 84 Posts, 931 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on July 19, 2014 at 3:59 PM

Has a surreal quality to it that I like very much. Striking comp and image. No suggestions.

pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Jean C Cajolet on July 19, 2014 at 9:45 PM

Very interesting and especially beautiful!

Registered on April 28, 2014, 53 Posts, 532 Comments

Comment posted by Ben Horne on July 19, 2014 at 11:40 PM

Absolutely beautiful shot. I love the simplicity of the sky gradient, the side light on the mountains, and the front and center feeling of the flowers. It has an emotional quality that's missing in many of the hyper-real technically polished landscape photos that are all too common these days. In peoples quest for technical perfection, the very soul of the photo is forgotten. Here, you've captured that soul with a technically spot on image. The flowers reach out to the viewer as if to speak, and I find myself wanting to know what they have to say. Well done.

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

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on July 20, 2014 at 7:10 PM

Thomas, Beautiful! Really enjoy the look and mood this has. Very nice!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

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

Comment posted by Daniel Rappaport on July 20, 2014 at 8:25 PM

Wow, what an amazing image. Almost as if the lake were handing you a bouquet.

Registered on September 9, 2009, 294 Posts, 2006 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Cameron on July 20, 2014 at 8:52 PM

Very cool Thomas, graphic, minimalist and lovely.

Registered on August 6, 2004, 1125 Posts, 3318 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on July 21, 2014 at 2:32 AM

Wow, Thomas, this is exceptional. The isolated flowers seem unreal, as if in a dream. I do agree with Jared suggestion for a square crop eliminating the dark area on the left. But whatever man, great shot.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on July 21, 2014 at 6:09 AM

Love the sweet and reflective mood here.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Ronald Murphy on July 21, 2014 at 9:25 AM

Great photo. I like the gradient to dark towards the bottom, but I lose the details of the lower parts of the flower. Maybe brightening those flower parts would make it stand out a bit more. Could also just be my monitor.

Registered on March 13, 2012, 279 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Clinch on July 21, 2014 at 7:18 PM

Very nice work. Great light control to focus the eye to the flowers and horizon.

Registered on January 5, 2013, 37 Posts, 261 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on July 22, 2014 at 12:50 PM

This is a gorgeous image Thomas. Love the simplicity.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on July 22, 2014 at 11:24 PM

Exquisite Thomas. No nits.

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

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on July 23, 2014 at 5:07 AM

BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on July 26, 2014 at 6:33 PM

Nicely done Thomas, really like the simplicity here. The Hilgard Basin is on my list of backpacking destinations..

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