Yosemite Portrait #4 (reworked)
by Lon Overacker
"Afternoon Delight"
First of all, thank you for the comments on the previous images. I had suspected the last one wasn't going to be that strong and not appeal to everyone. Hope you enjoy the upcoming ones. No more granite. :-)
As the story continues.....
I'm hungry and it's time to take care of some logistics. Although there are photographs waiting to be made at all times of the day, every day of the year in Yosemite, mid day is usually when I make a visit to Yosemite Village, perhaps drop in to the Ansel Adams Gallery, or in today's case, secure my lodging at Curry Village.
But it wasn't very long before I felt the urge and needed to get back out there. The location is El Capitan meadow, most famous for where the tourists stop in the spring and summer to watch the climbers on El Capitan. This is also the same place of the "Magnificent Oak" I posted a few weeks ago. The afternoon sun was just beginning to show off from behind Cathedral Peaks, illuminating the meadow and black oaks in sweet, golden light. The scene before me certainly didn't portray the dead of winter, but the signs were there as the ground beneath the dormant winter grasses was frozen.
Of the images in the series, this one is probably the closest to being recognizable as Yosemite. These black oaks have been photographed many times in all seasons. But just because something has been photographed before, doesn't take away from the experience of watching the light put a glow on the scene in front of you. I had to capture it.
4x5, Nikkor 210mm, f/32 1/4s, Provia 100, 81b
Thanks for following... comments welcome.
Lon
Next time: "Blanket of Copper"
Hint: Kent won't like this one.
Comments
17 commentsI have sat under these trees many times over the years, especially on warm fall eveings after climbing all day.
This is quite peaceful, and serene. I love the soft light. You might consider opening the shadows on the tree trunks just a wee bit, and prehaps sharpening the photo just a tad. This nicely composed.
-PB
I'm looking forward to being pleasantly surprised by your next post. So far, it's been fun to follow the story of "a day in the life" that this series has been telling.
I have been looking at this scene for quite a while now. First of all, love the composition. The lighting outlining the dark trunks, works very well for me, and if you were to lighten the trunks you would lose some of the effect. This has a very classic look to it, and I would not change a thing.
- Dan.
I cloned-in the detracting broken tree branch. I attempted to brighten the trees, but all I could do is just raise the cloudy/muddy result you get when trying to brighten a shadow. I think mostly from a result of the high-contrast lighting, limited dynamic range, then toss in a flatbed scan, and there's not much I could do(considering my limited PS skills.) In the end, one of the major attractions of this scene for me, was the backlight/sidelighting, the contrast and the warm light on the meadow floor.
Thanks for looking and the valuable comments. I appreciate it.
Lon