Eye of the Storm

Gallery: LandscapePosted April 4, 20066,110 views36 comments

I was passing through the seemingly infinite, desolate spaces that comprise Oregon's remote South-Eastern landscape along the Alkali flats of Abert lake, as the skies rapidly darkened preceeding an ominous thunderstorm descending on the far shore. Hail and rain swirled intensely through the skies within it, backlit dramaticly by the filtered sunlight. I visulized a B&W rendition to capture the surreal, powerful mood of the fleeting moment. I hiked a half-mile onto the flats before finding a long pool stretching towards the stormy horizon. To control the exposure I used a strong 2-stop hard grad, intensifying the dramatic sky. I consider it one of my most powerful and evocative images from nature.

Canon EOS 5D. Singh-Ray grad. 1/10 second at F14. Gitzo Tripod and RRS head + remote release. ISO 50. RAW.

I'd like to hear any critiques on composition, tone, ect. There is a landscape version coming soon also.

Comments

36 comments

Comment posted by Barb Hansen on April 4, 2006 at 10:56 AM

Amazing image Mark and I think you have already said it best......"powerful and evocative".

Registered on May 16, 2005, 380 Posts, 5157 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Tal on April 4, 2006 at 11:07 AM

A superb image, Marc. I like everything about it.

Guy

Registered on November 1, 2003, 566 Posts, 15507 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Hudon on April 4, 2006 at 11:10 AM

Oh yeah, Marc, there ya go, I'm all over it!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 315 Posts, 2246 Comments

Comment posted by Bret Edge on April 4, 2006 at 11:32 AM

Evocative and powerful is right. Not much else to say, Marc. Certainly one of your best.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 711 Posts, 6363 Comments

Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on April 4, 2006 at 12:42 PM

Marc,

Yes it is a powerful image. Well done.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments

Comment posted by Tomas Kaspar on April 4, 2006 at 12:50 PM

Very powerful B&W. Love the sun.I wouldn't change a thing.

Registered on December 26, 2005, 158 Posts, 736 Comments

Comment posted by John Lehmkuhl on April 4, 2006 at 1:21 PM

Considering this is from an area that almost nobody has posted images from, this is incredible. I love the tonality in the ground - and the sky is perfect. World Class, Marc and from SE Oregon..... whodathunk.

Registered on May 22, 2005, 165 Posts, 2008 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on April 4, 2006 at 1:26 PM

Abert lake. A 100-square mile muddy water and alkili flat. I know I've never seen another shot from here. Heck, I rarely meet another person who has ever heard of this lake, arguably Oregon's largest. It closely resembles Utah's Great Salt Lake and if not for the weather, is about as desolate as it can get anywhere. I was kind of inspired by Guy's Salt Lake shots as well as Fredine's work when I captured this one.

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Erik Lundh on April 4, 2006 at 1:36 PM

Mark,
This is nice also. I think I preffer the one you posted over in the PNWNP forum. The large sky I think has more impact though I like the erosion of the extreme foreground on this one.

Registered on May 27, 2004, 267 Posts, 753 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Tal on April 4, 2006 at 1:38 PM

Thanks for the nod, Marc.

I actually have a couple of old images from Abert Lake that I captured while driving down from John Day to the Eastern Sierra a few years ago. Nothing nearly as good as this - at the time I was more fascinated by the clumps of dead brine shrimp (that was before I lived in Utah and gotten used to them around the Great Salt Lake), and even found a giant water bug

Guy

Registered on November 1, 2003, 566 Posts, 15507 Comments

Comment posted by Basil Greber on April 4, 2006 at 2:12 PM

Extremely powerful sky and excellent photograph! However, because the sky is so powerful, the ground has a hard time balancing the image. But still absolutely gorgeous.

Basil

Registered on November 8, 2005, 219 Posts, 1340 Comments

Comment posted by Anil Rao on April 4, 2006 at 2:15 PM

Very nice, Marc. Apart from the dramatic mood conveyed by this composition I love it also for its abstract aspects - lines, shapes and tones. B&W was a great choice here.

Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments

Comment posted by Malcolm MacGregor on April 4, 2006 at 2:43 PM

Really dynamic and detailed. I am trying to imagine the landscape version , I've already decided this is better ....
Previous storm approaching pictures look like there is somewhere to run to ,not here though.
I like the impression that there may be some light near the horizon.
Sorry I can't think of any improvements.
Malcolm

Registered on March 20, 2006, 15 Posts, 140 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Schnepf on April 4, 2006 at 3:11 PM

Powerful, dramatic image Marc, the textures add so much to this scene. As amazing as this is, I actuallly prefer the landscape version you posted in the PNWNP. Incredible work!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 403 Posts, 2528 Comments

Comment posted by beth summer on April 4, 2006 at 3:57 PM

I checked out the one you posted on PNWNP (due to other comments that piqued my interest) and this vertical version IMO is much more powerful. I think your conversion to B&W is perfect here to show off the tones. The FG textures are wonderful. The eye is lead through in a very dramatic way to the clouds and beyond. I get the feeling I'll be swept away soon. It's awesome, marc. Congrats

Registered on November 1, 2003, 437 Posts, 5220 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on April 4, 2006 at 4:08 PM

Marc,

Extremely nice image! I looked at at the PNW forum and while both are outstanding, I prefer the version over there. The sky is incredibly dynamic. That said, the foreground here is awesome, too. Just not as powerful. Great work on both!!!!

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

Comment posted by Timothy Swope on April 4, 2006 at 6:15 PM

Whoa! Talk about taking your breath away! Perfect.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 21 Posts, 155 Comments

Comment posted by Cory Freeman on April 4, 2006 at 6:37 PM

Foreboding image Marc!

Registered on December 16, 2003, 107 Posts, 1341 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Crabbe on April 4, 2006 at 8:14 PM

It's a beauty for sure. A very small nit is that I'd tone the bright water highlight near the Horizon. It doesnt seem to match with the sky - OR - I'd open up the small area of sky just above it to give it a touch more visual balance.

BTW - You do KNOW that lightning can strike 10 miles from a storm, right?. I'll bet Thor wouldn't haved any problem spotting your 5'+ self out on that playa.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 182 Posts, 1840 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on April 4, 2006 at 8:30 PM

Yeah, I admit that hard grad did break up the tonal transition some. I kind of liked it, if less natural. I may still touch it up though, thanks. I actually didn't see the first lighting strikes until leaving, rather hastily I might add. Sometimes the really-cool-photo-alert takes over and I forget things like lighting

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on April 4, 2006 at 8:37 PM

Marc, I guess I cannot add too much to all the previous statements left here about this winner. The sky must have been a real site to have seen in person from what we see here. Very impressive how it tails down toward the deck in the rear and fans out up front, Very nice indeed!

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Baumbach on April 4, 2006 at 9:27 PM

Stunning.

- Dan.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 473 Posts, 7980 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Ludwick on April 4, 2006 at 10:18 PM

Marc,

I have been missing in action from NPN for awhile (work, work,) it sure was a treat to come back and see this. Great image.

Bob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 51 Posts, 407 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Lundh on April 5, 2006 at 1:32 AM

I dont know which one I like better...this one or the one on PNW...they are both awesome...but I think I like the expanse feeling in "our" forum a little better...

Registered on April 28, 2004, 774 Posts, 4351 Comments

Comment posted by Lori Kincaid on April 5, 2006 at 10:01 AM

Very powerful and foreboding image. Nice work!

Lori

Registered on November 15, 2003, 90 Posts, 2033 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on April 5, 2006 at 10:16 AM

Pretty strong image. You've really combined the elements well. There feels to be a little too much sky to me. Cropping just above the sun holds all the drama in the sky and and allows better focus in the drama on the ground . . . IMO.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Leann Greene on April 6, 2006 at 5:01 AM

Exceptional image.

Registered on January 25, 2006, 223 Posts, 3566 Comments

Comment posted by Dominic Rossetti on April 6, 2006 at 3:54 PM

Excellent Marc!! The mood is quite ominous. The only this that distracts my eye at all is the slightly off level horizon.

Registered on October 17, 2005, 54 Posts, 300 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on April 6, 2006 at 5:50 PM

I can't see that it is off-level at all.

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Goldstein on April 7, 2006 at 2:46 AM

Very dramatic scene. I like the B&W treatment as the patterns are accentuated as a result.

Registered on March 18, 2006, 119 Posts, 878 Comments

Comment posted by Jack Graham on April 12, 2006 at 12:32 AM

FANNNNNNNNTISIC!

JG

Registered on November 26, 2003, 158 Posts, 574 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Benner on April 14, 2006 at 6:08 AM

I love the mood of this. Congratulations

Registered on December 8, 2003, 482 Posts, 1868 Comments

Comment posted by Hazel Billingsley on May 9, 2006 at 6:48 PM

awesome! I like everything about this.

Registered on March 19, 2006, 25 Posts, 198 Comments

Comment posted by Brian VanDenzen on June 23, 2006 at 3:01 PM

Divine capture. I love the moment captured here. Congrats on the EP!

Registered on April 17, 2005, 60 Posts, 1245 Comments

Comment posted by Allen Maestas on August 11, 2006 at 5:36 PM

Beautiful tones! Wonderful image!

Al

Registered on August 11, 2006, 24 Posts, 212 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Lagrange on August 2, 2008 at 1:44 PM

Nice selection and use of grad filter. Tonality and composition of foreground well selected. This is one of those images that probably looks good printed large

Registered on April 25, 2004, 4 Posts, 18 Comments