Posted by Mike Stovall on July 26, 2007 at 9:55 PM
A second trip to Jefferson netted better weather, but brought out mosquitos by the swarm. I seem to be relatively immune to mosquitos as I rarely have any swelling or itching in response to a bite, but my poor girlfriend Luz came home with more bites than I've ever seen on anyone! I owe her for this one!
During my first trip up here last week, I noticed this patch of bear grass, but the fog hid the mountain. I was determined to get this shot on my second trip. It's a tight composition with ugly junk on the left and right. I let the beargrass overlap the reflection by just a bit on this one. I'd like to know if it looks out of place to anyone.
5D
25mm
f/16
.6s and 1.3s digital grad (I didn't purchase a new set after dropping the old ones in a lake a while back).
Posted by Darren White on July 26, 2007 at 10:02 PM
tough call Mike.....the exposure is great...thats for certain......I like the bear grass too.....but the tightness on each side makes me want to see more...maybe a 3 shot vertical pano to get both the sides in the shot as well....
Posted by Mike Stovall on July 26, 2007 at 10:09 PM
Yeah, I'm up against a fir tree really close on the left and a dead tree just on the right, hanging out over the water like a turd in a punchbowl. Thanks for the feedback!
Posted by Zack Schnepf on July 26, 2007 at 10:44 PM
Wow, this is gorgeous Mike! I'm kicking myself for not attempting this comp now! I'm a sucker for bear grass. I know how hard this was to pull off too, with that dead tree off to the left, well done!
Posted by Mike Dawson on July 27, 2007 at 12:01 AM
Top notch composition, but I notice the color of the sky in the reflection is a lot stronger than the muted real thing. I'd suggest tweaking the color and brightness in the top 1/4 of the image a bit.
Posted by Ned Fenimore on July 27, 2007 at 12:29 AM
Great capture, Mike..
Posted by Tom Kloster on July 27, 2007 at 12:58 AM
Nice composition, Mike. I'd second Bryan's comment - for me, the mountain and midground seem slightly over-dodged right down to the lake - just a bit washed out and overly light. The beargrass blossoms are terrific!
My first thought was "I wish that Beargrass wasn't touching the reflection" but the comp is good enough that it's no big deal.
Posted by Hans Hibbard on July 27, 2007 at 10:52 AM
Nice shot Mike. My first thought was the same as Eric's but I don't think it's a big deal either. I like how sharp the beargrass is and the mountain reflection seems nearly as sharp as the real thing. I think it would be worth matching the sky and its reflection.
Difficult to find bg in a beautiful comp, but you did it... I'd second what Mr Hahl stated as well...
Posted by Mike Stovall on July 27, 2007 at 1:02 PM
Thanks for the comments and suggestions, all. Very little was blended in from the dark exposure--just around the very top of the mountain and the brightest part of the reflection. I think I can rework it a bit--I did bump up the midtones with a global curve and may back it off. The weird thing is that in all of the pictures, the reflection is much bluer than what is reflected (see the sky and the trees). I think this may have been caused by the polarizer.
Mike, nice capture and cmposition considering the challeneges of the surrounding growth. Yeah, looks like the polrizier was messing with you. Perhaps you could do a curves adjustment to the top third on the red layer and take out some warth to blue it up a bit, or else a color adjustment?
Cheers.
Discussion
17 repliesDuring my first trip up here last week, I noticed this patch of bear grass, but the fog hid the mountain. I was determined to get this shot on my second trip. It's a tight composition with ugly junk on the left and right. I let the beargrass overlap the reflection by just a bit on this one. I'd like to know if it looks out of place to anyone.
5D
25mm
f/16
.6s and 1.3s digital grad (I didn't purchase a new set after dropping the old ones in a lake a while back).
Tom
Cheers.