100 Square Yards....

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 21, 2016292 views23 comments

... and two hours. Not much in the way of a title, but it describes the morning I had in Yosemite just a few weeks ago. My wife and I had traveled to Yosemite for my birthday present. :-) It snowed off and on most of the day which let me shoot some scenes with falling snow, and then it snowed in to the night. Which meant the next morning would be a winter wonderland in Yosemite Valley.

I had originally planned to do some early morning starry night images from Valley View, but got their too late and didn't want to hang there until sunrise. So I ended up in the meadow of oak trees across from Bridal Veil Falls with El Capitan looming large over the other shoulder. This is spot where most times there could be a 100 or more cars, tour buses, tourons with selfie sticks, etc. etc. It's usually a zoo here. But on this morning, I was alone. At least for the first hour or so, then some other togs showed up. I was guestimating the area I meandered for a couple hours was no more than 100 sq yards.

It was the blue hour as I wondered the little oak filled meadow in six inches of fresh snow. I was just enjoying the peaceful contentment of being there, looking and photographing a few things. As the light began to warm up and the sun finally started hitting the wall of El Capitan, I knew just what I wanted and got ready.

A number of years ago I learned to start seeing Yosemite in a different way. One of those was recognizing El Cap not as a subject itself, but as a back drop, a reflector, a giant canvas. The possibilities and opportunities are endless.

I have three of these I'm going to share, but this one is my favorite. I want to thank Harley and Preston for their early feedback and suggestions. This one has been a b*t*h to process; well, at least I've spent a long time on this one going through numerous iterations. So I will be very glad to get additional feedback on this.

Oh, the part of El Cap catching that first light is the left edge of the "heart" which I had posted an image of a couple posts ago.

Your comments, critiques and suggestions welcomed!

Nikon D800E
Nikon 28-300 @116mm
f/14 @1/25 iso 100
Lot's of Tony Kuypers masks and actions.

Thanks for looking!

EDIT: Please, only use the large view for any comments on processing, color, contrast, exposure, etc.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by Tom Falley on February 21, 2016 at 2:21 PM

Very nice! Looks to be the El' Cap Nose that you captured in the distance. If it is any consolation, the "valley" was a zoo back almost some 50 years ago! Glad she showed off for you!

Cheers: Tom

Registered on November 21, 2014, 189 Posts, 454 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 21, 2016 at 3:07 PM

Great comp showing the snow covered oak and the light on the background rock really makes this work. I like this a lot, Lon.
I'm betting this would make a really beautiful print.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

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

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on February 21, 2016 at 4:03 PM

Wow!

Elegant is the word that comes to mind. Beautiful light and color!
I have not been able to pull off one of these. But this one here, motivates me to keep looking, and trying.

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on February 21, 2016 at 4:04 PM

This came out real nice, Lon. Because of our e-mail exchange on this one, I know how much effort you put into this, and it paid off! The tones look perfect, and I love the snow, the way you framed the tree, and the dark background.

Well done, sir!

@Tom, this is the Salathe' Wall just left of the Heart on the West Face of El Cap. The Nose is further right.

--P

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

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on February 21, 2016 at 4:44 PM

This turned out really nice, Lon. It brings to mind book title, Listen To The Trees (not so much his work just because he only works in B&W).

You have a way with trees. I have tried these and they never seem to work for me.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Igor Hoveijn on February 21, 2016 at 4:56 PM

I like the patterns of the branches, beautifully accentuated by the snow cover and the soft coloured background. Well seen.

Registered on November 2, 2015, 18 Posts, 192 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on February 21, 2016 at 5:32 PM

Love the shape of the tree, Lon, which stands out beautifully and dramatically from the nice bg. The snow nicely accents the the tree's form and adds even more contrast and interest.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on February 21, 2016 at 8:43 PM

This is a beauty, Lon. The snow accents the graceful beauty of the oak and the light on El Cap makes for the perfect canvas. Great eye to spot this one. Processing looks great BTW.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on February 21, 2016 at 10:42 PM

Marvelous work Lon. Aside from the structure of the tree what I really like is the white of the snow in the shadows (bluish) vs the sunlit background. Also the up and down lines provides a great background for the twisted lines in the foreground tree. Harley is right, you are the master of tree compositions.

Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on February 21, 2016 at 11:26 PM

Lon: Really well seen and superbly captured for my tastes. Great combo of elements and I can see why this is a favorite. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on February 22, 2016 at 2:26 PM

I can understand why this is such a b.t.h to process, but I think you did a great job! I like how you choose to use the rock as a backdrop, that works very well. And for once, a snowy subject is not the brightest part of a photo!

Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on February 22, 2016 at 3:35 PM

A very nice image where the background reflection of El Capitan makes it all happen. You've done extremely well in getting the exposure just right in order to bring out the details of the snow on the tree and warm colors of the reflected light from the background. I really like this image is much as anything I've seen you do.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Sairam Sundaresan on February 22, 2016 at 3:40 PM

A beautiful portrait of a tree, Lon. Love the simple color palette and the graphic shapes of the branches. Would you be inclined to brighten the background (El Cap?) a bit to bring out the tree more?

Also, did you get the Firefalls this year?

Registered on March 14, 2013, 100 Posts, 643 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on February 22, 2016 at 3:47 PM

Perfect! Love it Lon.

Might be room for come cooling (of the cools) and warming (of the warms) but certainly not needed.

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

Comment posted by Vance Gese on February 22, 2016 at 7:05 PM

Absolutely stunning image, Lon. The pattern of this tree set against the sunlit rock face is simply exquisite. I am amazed at the detail you have achieved in the tree's trunk and branches, yet retaining such wonderful dark tones that enhance the graphic appeal of the tree's pattern. Incredible work, Lon.

Registered on November 13, 2008, 298 Posts, 6629 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on February 22, 2016 at 10:17 PM

Hi Lon

Even the thumbnail looked great... but the large view overwhelmed me... the quality of light...... the delightful lines and detail of the Oak. . the color and the background ..... all these elements make for remarkable and beautiful photography devil

Albert Darmo
Canada

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on February 23, 2016 at 11:58 AM

Thanks for the wonderful comments everyone! It's a favorite of mine. I have a couple more variations to share.

@Sairam - I think there is room to brighten this a little bit. The challenge I had was keeping the hottest part of the rock face from blowing out. Lot's of luminosity masking going on.

Oh, and no, I have done Horsetail in nearly 10 years.... way too many people to deal with which doesn't make for such a special experience. But I would like to one day again to get with the dslr.

@Mark M. "Might be room for come cooling (of the cools) and warming (of the warms) but certainly not needed. " That's the question.... one of the things that I spent much time on. I appreciate the comment and to recognize that given the conditions at the time, the tree/snow is still in shadow and therefore can (and did) still have some blue. The challenge becomes, how much blue? that's the subjective part. This could go in a number of directions.

Thanks all!

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on February 23, 2016 at 12:03 PM

Lon, it's a great look at the snow covered oak, using some very interesting lighting. I think it works very well and, of course, the novelty of shaded tree and bright "background" adds extra interest. Very well conceived and executed. I am wondering how a subtle reduction in the blue tones in the snow would look.

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

Comment posted by John Williams on February 24, 2016 at 12:53 PM

Mission accomplished; the "reflector" really makes this shot Lon. Excellent.

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

Comment posted by Ryan Shain on February 24, 2016 at 6:44 PM

Hi Lon,

I love how you saw the structure of this beautiful Oak tree. The darker shadow form of the tree/snow combo works great against the glowing backdrop of El Capitan. I probably would have pushed the cool and warm colors a tad more, but that is just me. This is just a fantastic Oak tree portrait, and the image has elegant all over it's nature.

Registered on February 20, 2007, 226 Posts, 4571 Comments

Comment posted by Marylynne Diggs on February 24, 2016 at 9:38 PM

I think your efforts paid off, Lon. This is really sweet. I love the warm light on the rock, the subtle colors in it, and their contrast with the cold snow on bare branches. This one really works for me.
ML

Registered on December 14, 2010, 122 Posts, 1034 Comments

Comment posted by Carey Closs on February 26, 2016 at 9:12 AM

Great image Lon and good eye. Most people, me included would probably walk past a scene like this and not notice the potential.

Registered on April 15, 2012, 107 Posts, 326 Comments

Comment posted by Dave Dillemuth on February 26, 2016 at 10:12 PM

Lon,
Been offline for the past week so a bit late commenting but this is really outstanding! Beautiful composition, lovely colors and strong graphic appeal. Processing looks spot on. This would make a gorgeous big print. Great imagery.

Registered on December 10, 2015, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments