Four Peaks Storm

Gallery: LandscapePosted January 1, 2017169 views7 comments

Four Peaks Storm

Four Peaks Wilderness Area, Tonto National Forest, AZ
December 25, 2016, 11:28 am
Equipment: Nikon D7200, Nikkor AF-S 300/4 hand held
ISO 800, aperture priority matrix metered, 1/3200th sec @ f/8
Raw, PS CC 2017, Mac, full frame

I post this with some reluctance in the intimidating Landscape Gallery; I’m more comfortable in Avian where most of my images appear.
AZ had a nice storm on Christmas Eve, and I took my wife Carol out on Christmas Day to see the results in the higher elevations northeast of Phoenix. The storm was still active and our timing was good to catch it as it revealed parts of this prominent landmark. I pulled off of AZ87 and grabbed the D7200 with my 300/4 mounted and got off a few frames before the view was lost in clouds.
As always: honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. Please view the larger image before critiquing if possible.

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on January 1, 2017 at 3:45 PM

Richard, I hesitate to critique this, because I am not a landscape photographer either. Flowers and birds for me. But at first look I think this would fare better in a b/w conversion, at about -1 EV. There is no landscape drama here as is. You might also look at using the new PS haze filter in the color version, along with stripping out some of the blue color cast.

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 1, 2017 at 4:00 PM

Richard, I hesitate to critique this, because I am not a landscape photographer either. Flowers and birds for me. But at first look I think this would fare better in a b/w conversion, at about -1 EV. There is no landscape drama here as is. You might also look at using the new PS haze filter in the color version, along with stripping out some of the blue color cast.

Phil:

Thanks for commenting.

As with my avian work my goal is mostly to report rather than interpret. So for me, I don't want to add contrast to make this more dramatic, nor do I ant to neutralize the blue cast which is essential to the mood of this snow storm. The pleasure in viewing this scene as it occurred was tied to the partial revelation of the peaks. Adding contrast (say, by selecting "Auto" in raw conversion, makes this an entirely different image and not faithful to what I saw at the time.

Adding contrast, or doing a B&W conversion, makes for an entirely different image. I have nothing against B&W and I did a lot of that in my own darkroom in the days of film, and I even do a B&W version of digital scenics, but not for this one.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on January 1, 2017 at 7:04 PM

The peaks showing through the window in the clouds is nice. A tighter crop eliminating the ridge beneath might be worth exploring. I like the low contrast, blue tones.

Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on January 1, 2017 at 7:49 PM

Richard,

At first I thought this was a little bright, but upon seeing the large version I really don't think so. The ridge along the bottom kinda provides the clue that the exposure is good. The scene in general and by definition is bright, but not to a fault. If that makes sense.

This is a great moment in time and I like this as presented. Just to offer an alternative, this could become a little more abstract without the ridge at the bottom. As presented it provides context which as you state is more to report than to interpret, so I get that you might not want to alter as was captured. Just a thought though.

Lon

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

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on January 1, 2017 at 9:54 PM

A nice high toned image. I would dodge that centered peak to stay with the overall mood. Another option would be to crop off the land at the bottom and simplify the comp. The clouds have a nice full texture. IMO this image does not need more contrast.

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

Comment posted by Brian Schrayer on January 2, 2017 at 12:29 PM

No need to feel intimidated, Richard. This is a great image with lots of interest throughout the frame. The clouds frame the peak nicely. I would not have guessed that this was the mountains outside of Phoenix. I always enjoy seeing images of snow in the desert.

Registered on May 28, 2004, 114 Posts, 2890 Comments

Comment posted by Genny K. on January 3, 2017 at 1:34 AM

Nice job on keeping the detail in those clouds. That's what really makes this image for me. It's just great to see clouds roiling around mountain peaks, and these are great.
I think the exposure is spot on. As others said, you might try cropping off that ridge in front. It does give context, but it might work wel without it, too.

Registered on June 5, 2006, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments