Highland Oasis & Re-Post

Very interesting image and timing with weather conditions, Harry.  At first I thought that fog was an obstacle, but it creates another layer and there's enough detail in the peaks to bring it out.  I love the slopes with the interesting snow patters and nice FG.  

The more I see of the Highlands, the more impressed I become.  You have done a very good job of awakening me to the possibilities with all of you photos.  The colors in this one really seem to come alive.  The shapes and the contrasts leading me to the lake are superb.  I'm really sorry I didn't have the time to go there last May.

Harry,

This is fantasitc!  The more I view this, the more impressed I am. Not only does the fog provide framing up top, but you've done an excellent job framing the bottom with the line of snow; the lines of that volcanic? stuff at the bottom is fascinating as well.

I just love everything about this.  There is the perfect balance between the patches of snow, summer greens and earthy tones.  And I gotta say that the center portion of the frame, edge to edge, looks like a painting to me.  I can't say enough about this.  Awesomely beautiful.

Lon

Thanks for your impressions thus far.
David - The highlands would have been pretty inaccessible and snow covered in May, so maybe just as well if that was your primary area of interest. The skiing would have been fantastic though

Bill - too much fog definitely was an obstacle.  This and a couple other shot around the same time were taken hand held because the fog moved in so fast, and I was afraid I would loose visibility setting up the tripod - and I usually never shoot without a tripod if I can help it.  It did lower and obscured the view totally soon afterward 

Lon - thanks - This has become one of my favs. too.  The mountains of the Icelandic Highlands seem more inviting and comforting compared to the sheer peaks and crags found elsewhere in the world.  The warm tones and splashes of green, combined with the snow fields at certain times of the year do make them feel cozy vs. impenetrable. The seemingly accessible hills do strike a cord with more viewers I think.

This is truly lovely, Harry. The details come across nicely, and the varied textures and colors add a lot to the scene. Initially, I found the fog to be somewhat distracting, but since viewing this a few times, I think it adds a fine sense of depth and some mystery.

Well done!

--P

I am totally entranced by all of your highland shots, Harry.  I had become somewhat oversaturated with the Iceland waterfall images I see, and this is just providing a much more motivating set of possibilities for a trip to Iceland.

The fog: yes, at first it's distracting, but I found that to be the case mostly when looking at the smaller image. In the thumbnail, it caught my attention as something different and intrigquing, and in the large image, it doesn't disappoint or distract at all.  This is just fabulous.  What a trip you must have had!
 

Wow, Harry, this may be my favorite of your Highlands images.  They were all very good, but this one really hits the sweet spot. Love the foreground volcanic sands and snow and it only gets better from there.  Eye candy for sure, kudos all around.

Harry,
Very striking and well balanced composition. I wouldn't have thought that bright elements at the edges of the frame would work but the snow at the bottom and the fog at the top do provide a nice natural framing, drawing you into the image.  

Harry, this is exquisite. You have shown several of this subject, including one that was a weekly pick, but this is your best. 

Very nice comp with both the mist and the snow creating a natural pano crop. The patches of snow are really, really nice. Nice job!

Awesome image, Harry. I like the comp. Just the right amount of fog. The light/colors/details in the mid-ground are mesmerizing. 

Very impressive, a lesson in composition.

The light on the top and bottom really frames this well. Nice job. 

Hi  Harry   Words cannot  describe the beauty of this presentation .   simply put.    . an   awesome   scene ,   perfectly captured

Albert Darmo
Canada

This is wonderfully abstract, Harry.  Love the sense of depth and all of the alternating swaths of color and shape leading back into the distance and finally disappearing into the fog.  The fog balances nicely with the snow at the bottom.

Exquisite, Harry!  The larger version needs to be seen to truly appreciate this.  I'm sure that a large print would be spectacular to view.  The foreground is very strong and superb, with both the white snow and the black volcanic ground to anchor the image.  The dynamics of the snow and the slopes in the background is nothing less than perfect.  And the fog at the top takes the composition to the highest level.  My only very minor nitpick, which I even hesitate to mention since nobody else has commented on it, so it's probably just my monitor or my color perception, is that the fog seems to have a slight cyan cast to my eye.

Thanks Jim - I see what you mean.  It seems some of the background colors may be bleeding through the thin edge of the fog.  I reduced the cyan sat., and general sat. in the fog area which seems to have helped. Adjusting the cyan only gave a pink tinge which would definately be going in the wrong direction.

Yep ... Perfection top to bottom with the repost.  Truly a superb composition!

Fantastic Harry, I have seen a fair few shots of these rhyolite peaks in Iceland but this is one of the most beautifully composed and atmospheric and actually ranks for me as the best I have seen, very very well done.

Lovely atmoshere in this scene and you filled the frame perfectly with those layers, Harry. I think you nailed it with the repost while reducing the cyan in the fog. Beautifful work.

Ed

Gorgeous lines and colors, and great framing on top and bottom. Really painterly and so inviting. The landscape is so raw and your photo really conveys that.

Harry,

This is one of the more unique images I have seen in a while. You really have captured the essence of this place, and the shapes and composition are superb.  The anchor of the charcoal sand, I think it is sand,  is such a sweet/essential part of what makes this image work. The borders of the fog and sand really help me to explore the shapes through out the scene. 

Excellent work