This scene is no longer out there. As old 395 was widened thru the eastern sierra corridor and the town of Big Pine this neat old livestock "chute" loader was removed. I left the small area of gravel in the FG as on a print you can see a 12 gauge shotgun shell laying in the lower front right area.
Anyway, not too much to add beyond an excellent eastern sierra sunrise to enhance the morning view.
Thank you in advance for your C&C's and please review the LARGER version by clicking on the image posted above.
Mamiya RB67 ProSD - Mamiya C 90mm lens - Velvia 50
Comments
13 commentsThere is such a tremendous Western feel to this. Beautiful work! The composition and craft are very evident in this image.
Paul: what's not to lke about an iconic western scene. The soft morning light is a big plus. Congrats. Richard
Paul, there's a fine warmth in the color of the wood and how it matches the landscape behind. Yes, this is an iconic "western scene" that is very well done here.
Great colors and "old west" feel here. I love the texture of the wood, the ruddiness of it. With that blue sky and snow tipped mountains, it's very nice. My only nit (and I don't know if it would be a nit tomorrow
) is the intrusion of the edge of the chute into the line of the mountains and sky. One good thing about that is that it gives the chute some pop because of the color conrast, but it also distracts me just a bit. Not sure if you could have stood on the bed of a truck for a higher perspective, but then again, that might have diminished the size/scale of the chute, which is, afterall, the subject here.
I'm curious about what others think of that issue.
Sweet, Paul! Is this the original V50 film? Great rich colors and a lot of pop. Looks great.
I like this a lot, Paul. The colors pop very nicely. I think I'd like a tad more detail in the deep shadows. I am on the fence about the posts intruding on the sky. On the one hand they add a nice sense of perspective, and on the other, they are slightly distracting. That said, it's not a deal-breaker. This is one of times when you either want to have a higher vantage point to put the posts below the horizon, or a much lower vatange point to really emphasize the chute. The image is a fine old-west portrait of the serene things that are gradually going away.
--P
Thank you all for your kind comments and perspective input. With regard to the overall placement or general positioning I learned a long time ago it's not what you might see, it's what you do not see many times. In this case there is a major power grid that looms in the middle ground and it took some positioning to find a sweet compromising spot in the end. Additionally I think this was one of my first shots with my MF gear and limited to one lens at that time. The 90mm on it is like a 50mm on a 35mm unit.
With that all said, keep in mind this image was from the early 90's when PS and I had not even begun to understand each other. Nowadays with cloning and content aware my thoughts would have been in line with your keen observations on the placement overall. A quick swoop with the clone tool or a C&A and the looming towers are gone......
Regardless, many times for me an image like this just brings back thoughts of much simpler times. Heck old 395 was still a 2 laner and plenty unsafe as it was, but also much less traveled too. Now it's a main artery like many routes in our golden state.
Thanks again for the comments always appreciated.......
@ Harley, you got it, this was the REAL stuff not like the watered down batches we get now. Oh well, such is life in the analog world don't ya know......
There was nothing like the orignal V50. I loved that film. Great stuff. The "new improved" V50 sucks in my humble opinion.
Those big transmission towers and wires are a plague for anyone looking for shots along 395 with a view toward the Sierra. I don't know how many times I've stopped to look...and bailed out because of them. Even with things like the healing brush, the clone tool, and content aware, it's still a pain. In that light, I can see why you compromised in the way you did. It's still a very nice image, Paul.
On another note: If you're ever in Big Pine, take a left on Crocker Street and head up the hill toward Big Pine Creek/Glacier Lodge. It's lovely country, and there's nice views, a couple of old ranches and other things between town and the mountains.
--P
Those larger format film cameras look so good, especially with the V50. The color depth and sharpness of this western scene just slaps you in the face. So why do so many folks complain about saturation?
I remember this one from a WC awhile back? The wood gets better with age
Neat subject matter that exemplifies the old west nicely Paul..
Excellent light, details, colors, comp, and BG!
Have a great weekend!
"Anyway, not too much to add beyond an excellent eastern sierra sunrise to enhance the morning view."
I will add just one more thing if ya don't mind.. Congratulations my friend!
Hey Paul,
I am so glad you have preserved this scene in such a fine manner before it was gone forever, this is truly one fine composition.
I cannot add much else to what has already been said,
Congratulations on the WP . . .