Posted by John Moore on November 18, 2007 at 9:53 PM
I had to get up at 3 AM, drive two hours, and hike almost three miles in the dark to be at Big Bluff above the Buffalo River before sunrise on November 1. I tried to time my vacation to coincide with the fall colors; but that didn't work out. This shot was taken looking upstream.
Thanks for looking, and your comments are appreciated.
Posted by Randy Wilson on November 18, 2007 at 11:02 PM
Well, the more I look, the more I think it's a classic. Maybe a little on the murky side towards the bottom, but then that would be consistent with the early hour, and I wouldn't want to see anything done that would mess with the delicate hues in the rest of the picture. Beautiful depth and sweep, crisp and hazeless, a landscape on a grand scale. And a sense of the height of the perspective is captured well. Looks like the color worked out pretty well, too.
I'd say the hike in the dark was worth it.
Posted by Tim Buchanan on November 19, 2007 at 12:03 AM
One of my favorite outlooks - it is a little dark at the bottom, but that's what you'd expect from this hour. I bet a sunset would be spectacular too.
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on November 19, 2007 at 8:17 AM
John, this shot was well worth the effort. A beautiful scenic vista. I really like the warm tones in the early morning light and the subtle play of shadow and light. Well done!
Posted by Bill Dark on November 19, 2007 at 8:57 AM
I'd say you were well-rewarded for your efforts, John. Even if you weren't able to get a beautiful shot like this, it's a great time of day to be out.
One of the things (among many) that I learned during the last workshop I attended was how to lighten the shadow areas without affecting the whole scene. If you wanted, I think you could make a separate layer and lighten the shadows just a little with a soft brush, and then adjust the opacity as needed. Might be worth playing around with to see how you like it...
Posted by John Moore on November 19, 2007 at 9:51 AM
Here is a new version with some areas lightened. I made a duplicate layer, lightened with various methods, then used a layer mask to reveal certain areas. Thanks for the suggestions... that's one of the big reasons I joined CSNP - to get feedback I could use.
Very well done, here, John. Definitely a classic Buffalo shot. I think lightening the shadows certainly helps. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by Tom Kennon on November 19, 2007 at 5:39 PM
John, one of the great places on the Buffalo. Your second version seems to show more of the shadows. Great job!
Posted by David Bush on November 19, 2007 at 7:14 PM
John, I like the second version, opening up the shadows made a big difference. Nicely done!
Posted by Tim Buchanan on November 19, 2007 at 7:37 PM
Yep - this one does show better detail. I just love the group of softly lit trees just to the right of the river. Absolutely wonderful tonalities!
Posted by BLUFFSPRING on November 20, 2007 at 9:54 AM
John,
Great job on the remake. I agree with Tim that the small group of trees near the river is one of the best focal areas of the image.
Next time you're there you need to retrieve a Geo-cache I left there. Went to all the trouble of placing the cache to learn that the governing body for the National River frowns on the placement of Geo-caches on their (read 'our') land. It's under a rock, under the edge of a small outcropping just past the hole in the wall.
Like that discription doesn't fit about 20 places!
Discussion
10 repliesA 480 KB, 800 x 1200 version can be viewed at this link:
http://homepage.mac.com/mooremonkeys/single_photos/_MG_4524_1200.jpg
Thanks for looking, and your comments are appreciated.
I'd say the hike in the dark was worth it.
One of the things (among many) that I learned during the last workshop I attended was how to lighten the shadow areas without affecting the whole scene. If you wanted, I think you could make a separate layer and lighten the shadows just a little with a soft brush, and then adjust the opacity as needed. Might be worth playing around with to see how you like it...
Great job on the remake. I agree with Tim that the small group of trees near the river is one of the best focal areas of the image.
Next time you're there you need to retrieve a Geo-cache I left there. Went to all the trouble of placing the cache to learn that the governing body for the National River frowns on the placement of Geo-caches on their (read 'our') land. It's under a rock, under the edge of a small outcropping just past the hole in the wall.
Like that discription doesn't fit about 20 places!
Thanks for the image.