After the Storm + color

Yep, has that Ansel look. The brush you mention lrc is not ideal but not an image killer.  Pretty scene and sweet tones. Works real well in B&W. 

Here is the color version. It was processed a bit differently, with less contrast. It's a bit more moodier. This was taken February after all. See large version. Please comment on your preference.

No quibble with either version except the afore-mentioned dark brush in the LRC. I do see two dust bunnies: one near the top, just over the left shoulder of the mountain; one on the URS. 

B & W is the best for me. The bush does not bother me but is less noticeable isn the B & W.
The sky is also more dramatic.

I like the composition and the low hanging clouds. This works very well in B&W.

The atmospheric conditions and lighting hitting all the right places as the right times was one of Ansel's hallmarks, though he developed his images to really enhance and make those areas pop.  The contrast of the stark trees against the dark background is perfect.  I think you could crop most of the scrub branches RLC without hurting the comp, but a slight crop of the bottom to remove the closest grasses and still leave a sliver of water might still keep the original ratio.  Looks like you have the tonal range to possibly lift some of the brighter areas in the clouds on right if you wanted to increase the drama in that part of the sky.  I wouldn't have recognized this as Yosemite - probably because I've never been there, but it doesn't remind me of anything I have seen.  Well done.

I prefer the black and white, since the color is not too interesting. I love the white trees against the dark background on the left, and the brush on the right is not very noticeable to me. Quite a few dust bunnies in the clouds to clean up. I wonder about lightening/brightening the clouds directly on the granite cliffs so that they look more white rather than grey. In all, this is a classic Yosemite scene and not one that is too common. Very nice.

Hmmm, for me this is a tough choice as I really enjoy both versions.  If I were forced to decide I would probably go with the B&W because of the attractive tones.  The brush in the lec doesn't bother me at this size but it might at a larger size.  Beautiful shot.

I like both, Igor.  They are very different images, with the warmth in the color one making the clearing storm feel more like a relief, while the b/w feels a bit more foreboding still.  The brush on the right is a bit of a distraction to me.  I actually found myself wishing, when I was in Yosemite during a major fire season this summer, that more brush was removed. The native Americans in the area regularly burned the valley, and while it's not politically correct to suggest or admit this, I would actually like to see some very careful controlled burns as the place saw in the 1800s. 

That said, such things are illegal, as is carrying loppers around in a national park , so I would consider cropping off the lowest patch of that brush were it does NOT blend with the background brush.  Or perhaps doing some very careful cloning.

ML
 

Igor,

This version is certainly Ansel-esque. The b&w is clearly the stronger image, IMHO. Stronger because of how the alder stand out beautifully against the darker pines and of course the presence of the rock formation and drama in the surrounding clouds.  The branches in the LR do not bother me - luckily they're dark, otherwise they would be an issue.

The color version to me is just too flat and has lost much of its "pretty" appeal and really  just shows a winter scene on the river with no snow...  (you did mention you reduced the contrast, and I expect that contributes to my reaction to the color version.)

Regarding being cliche? I certainly don't think this one is at all.  I may recognize this as Yosemite, but the majority of folks wouldn't. My comments about "original comps" in Yosemite has much more to do with my own progression photographing Yosemite, than about what anyone else sees or photographs in Yosemite - or any other place for that matter.  If there's drama over Elcap, Half Dome, or a double rainbow over Bridal Veil Falls from Tunnel View, you can be sure I'll photograph it.  It's only been in the last 10 years or so that I really started looking at the smaller, and just as beautiful details.  

You do that as well, and this image shows that.

Lon

Thanks for your comment, Lon. I guess the term cliche varies from one viewer to another. Have all AA like grand views of Yosemite become cliche if yours is like them? Or are cliche images taken from tourist spots (tunnel view, half dome from the bridge over the merced, yosemite falls through the gap in the trees along the trail)?. I suppose any idea that's imitated repeatedly becomes cliche (like that view at Zabriskie Point).

Like yourself, I started taking more 'targeted images' years ago to the exclusion of grand landscapes. I actually went back to the larger landscapes after I joined NPN because of how predominant they are here. I find them harder to compose and process than the intimates. That is, it takes a greater investment of time to get the right conditions for a good landscape for me. That surprised me.

Igor, I much prefer the B&W version, you have done a very nice job on the processing here. Don't worry about cliches, this image has so many interesting elements within it that it stands very well on it's own. This scene spoke to you, and you have a very nice interpretation of Yosemite here.

Since no one else has mentioned it, there is a dust spot in the sky to left of the big peak. While this is perhaps a matter of personal taste, I feel that that the top of the mountain is just a little too tight to the top edge of the frame. Maybe the sky isn't interesting enough to include a lot more sky, but to me the mountain feels slightly cramped as presented.

Yes, Igor, this is a view that is very reminiscent of the "classic" b&w work of Adams and others of that time.  Maybe because of that visual connection, I much prefer the b&w version with it's fine emphasis on the lower ridge, the structures in the clouds and the improved visibility of the trees on the island.

Igor, I like both versions of this quite a lot. The B&W is definitely my favorite, but the color is excellent as well. I love the light on the island trees against the darker trees in back. The LR branches don't bother me much.

Igor, I think the b&w version fits in best with the atmosphere of this scene. There is a certain kind of graphic quality that really brings the image to life for me.

Silvia

PS: my husband Peter is just as well drawn to the b&w :-)

The b/w definitely for me.  I know, surprising right?  I do think the brush LR is problematic.  Perhaps not at this size, but it quickly becomes a bigger part of the image than it should be.  I have spent 40 or more hours cloning, ( mostly halos from the tracery of trees occurring from focal blends).  It was a labor of love, because I like doing it and the image was worth it to me.  It made a great print.  I think this has that appeal to me.  It will make a great print, classic with a wonderful tonal range.   Amazing that it only takes a few of those ” I’ll fix it in Photoshop” moments to fix that impulse.  Love the comp and the row of dark trees form a wonderful counter  balance to both the foreground and the arc of the peak.  Excellent.

It's nice to hear from you Gary. It's been a while.

I prefer the B&W version.  The clouds in the upper right could use slightly more tonal contrast for my taste.  The image has a good range of blacks to whites with the bare trees on the left standing out well against the dark evergreens.
 

Igor, I like the b&w version the best. It really works for this image and is a pleasure to view. I see what you mean about the brush in the lower right corner but I sure don't have the Photoshop skills to take care of that either. The rest of the image draws me away from that anyway so it doesn't really bother me (at least at this size). I like this view very much and would not want to crop enough of the right side to eliminate the brush. Yes, the dust spots can go but that is a given anyway. Very nice conversion.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI.