It Wasn't All Rain, Clouds, And Dull Grey Light

I finally got a look at the 4x5 slides from my trip to Lake Constantine and Tuhare Lakes. I thought this shot of sunrise from upper Tuhare Lake was kind of interesting. I lightened and added a little contrast to the darkest parts using TK's "Super Darks" mask. I hope I didn't get carried away. One of these days I'll learn not to do image editing late at night when my eyes are trashed.

Tachihara 4x5, 65/5.6 Super Angulon, Velvia, small aperture, slow shutter speed.

Beautiful shot Mark! It may be a hair dark in some areas, but you still have nice detail in the rocks throughout the image. I think it's a toss up on that point. The sunstar, the nice lines of the ridge and the water leading you towards the horizon - or away depending on how your eye moves through this... Lots of good stuff in here. I think it's a winner.

Sweet view, Mark - and the sky is to die for. You used that water very effectively - I like it! Like Michael, I'd love to see more detail in the darker areas to better balance the image, and it looks like you might have enough to work with and still retain a natural look. Definitely looks like a tough shot to pull off - did you have or use any grads?

Wonderful shot! I think the dark areas are just fine and even with grad filters would be difficult to bring out much detail on film. Had you taken a 2nd exposure that was brighter you could combine the two in PS for that lost detail. In any case, I would be very happy if I had taken this, definitely a keeper.

Thats really nice! I would like to see just a little more detail in the shadows--it doesn't need much.

Mark,

This looks really nice. I shoot a SA 65mm f5.6 too but find I need to use my Schneider centerfiliter to avoid drift on the edges. Did you use a centerfilter in this shot?

RichieV

Nice shot! There's just enough detail in the shadows to add to the mystery. I think it all pulls together perfectly.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm finally starting to get the kind of results with the Tachihara I've been looking for. You have no idea how close that thing was to becoming firewood.

I make a quick test print last night and I have to agree that the dark areas need to be lighter still. Especially for printing.

I didn't use an ND grad for a couple of reasons. The dividing line between light and dark didn't really lend itself to a grad filter and I was afraid that shooting into the sun with one would give me horrible flare.

RichieV, I have a CF for the 65 SA but didn't carry it. With the CF the size and weight of additional filters just explodes. I would have to go from a Cokin P holder up to a Lee holder. This was the first time I used this lens and, based on other shots from this trip , it needs a CF. I had to straighten and crop this image (even though I used a bubble level) so the worst of the light fall off landed in the digital dust bin.

Mark, the detail in the shadows and the sunstar make this a winner.

Whoa! Aren't you at the limits of the Tachi with a 65mm? Actually a hard stop filter GND wouldn't be too bad when you cock it at an angle. The separation line will turn out fuzzier than on 35mm and fixing in PS is not so bad. Also, to reduce flare you can _carefully_ rock the filter back and forth during the exposure. I learned that trick from Adamus. Great pic, btw!