Posted by Marc Dilley on January 4, 2008 at 4:19 PM
I have been wanting to get a shot of the winter sun reflecting off the snow on Icicle Ridge above Leavenworth, which really is this pink for a few minutes on a clear morning. On New Years Eve morning I found this spot on the Wenatchee River, and with one boot in the river and the other on a funky icey boulder, took this image, a blend. I'm on the fence about the comp; the FG is just OK and the mass of trees on the R is distracting. I cloned out some trees on the top R edge. What I like is the color on Icicle Ridge and I wanted to share it with you. I want to do this again but snowshoe up above the Peshastin Pinnacles to use one of the towers in the foreground.
Sony R1, 1/13 & 1/5 sec @ f/16, cheap tripod.
Comments greatly appreciated
Posted by Mark Windom on January 4, 2008 at 6:21 PM
You certainly got the color you were after. This does look pretty soft on my monitor. Do you happen to know how far you can drive up Icicle Road before it's closed this time of year?
Posted by Marc Dilley on January 4, 2008 at 6:28 PM
Mark: It's usually plowed to the Bridge Creek Campground. A local excavator lives right there so it's pretty reliable.
Posted by John Lehmkuhl on January 4, 2008 at 7:33 PM
I'd get a better tripod - that would make a huge amount of difference. Nice light but too soft.
Posted by Marc Adamus on January 4, 2008 at 9:12 PM
Looks pretty soft to me. Also, the colors on the water - particularly a neon-pink patch in the upper left look over the top. The composition is fairly effective though.
Posted by Rick Lundh on January 4, 2008 at 9:23 PM
I'll second what Mr. Adamus stated...
Posted by Jack Graham on January 4, 2008 at 9:28 PM
And I'll third it.
JG
Posted by Tom Kloster on January 5, 2008 at 12:36 AM
I agree with you on the mass of trees, Marc - maybe a wider field of view would help de-emphasize them a bit? Looks like you had a terrific morning up there!
Posted by John Williams on January 5, 2008 at 12:24 PM
Yep, what they said. I do like where you were headed here, hopefully you can catch similar lighting for another go.
Posted by Marc Dilley on January 7, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Thanks for all the comments.
I was disappointed by the fuzziness of Icicle Ridge and I'm wondering what happened. I'm thinking camera shake played a part since the tripod legs were about 6" in the moving water. I'm also wondering about my focusing technique: using a small f stop for both exposures and focusing on a middle-distance spot. I wonder if I would be better off using about f/5.6 to f/8 and changing the focus for the two exposures - a closer focus for the darker, foreground exposure and an infinity focus for the horizon exposure?
Central Washington has been alternating between storms rolling through and clear/partially cloudy days. It's been the best winter for photography that I can remember. I've been inspired to get out on my snowshoes before dawn by Marc Adamus' awesome winter shots.
Marc: So that water patch is still over the top, eh? I reworked it and thought I had toned it down enough, but apparently not. Thanks for the reality check.
BTW: I have a better tripod on order. Since most of my shooting is on backpacking trips I splurged for a carbon fiber model, a "Velbon El Charmagne 530" if that means anything to you guys.
Marc
Posted by Erik Lundh on January 7, 2008 at 3:16 PM
A good sturdy tripod is what you need especially if your putting it in running water. Do you have a mirror lock up on your camera? I Always us it on my D2X. The softness aside, I think it's a pretty inviting image.
Posted by Marc Dilley on January 7, 2008 at 4:12 PM
Erik: My camera is a strange hybrid. The Sony R1 actually isn't an SLR, even though it has a large format size sensor (about 21 mm x 14 mm). It has a fixed 24-120 zoom lens and there is no mirror. I choose it over a DSLR figuring it would just be simpler for backpacking and climbing trips where my partners aren't real sympathetic to a guy stopping all the time to fiddle with cameras and tripods. Even my wife, my main backpacking partner, keeps on going when I veer off trail for a picture. You probably understand her mindset - she's a long distance runner like you.
Anyway Erik, thanks for the compliment on the shot.
Discussion
11 repliesSony R1, 1/13 & 1/5 sec @ f/16, cheap tripod.
Comments greatly appreciated
JG
I was disappointed by the fuzziness of Icicle Ridge and I'm wondering what happened. I'm thinking camera shake played a part since the tripod legs were about 6" in the moving water. I'm also wondering about my focusing technique: using a small f stop for both exposures and focusing on a middle-distance spot. I wonder if I would be better off using about f/5.6 to f/8 and changing the focus for the two exposures - a closer focus for the darker, foreground exposure and an infinity focus for the horizon exposure?
Central Washington has been alternating between storms rolling through and clear/partially cloudy days. It's been the best winter for photography that I can remember. I've been inspired to get out on my snowshoes before dawn by Marc Adamus' awesome winter shots.
Marc: So that water patch is still over the top, eh? I reworked it and thought I had toned it down enough, but apparently not. Thanks for the reality check.
BTW: I have a better tripod on order. Since most of my shooting is on backpacking trips I splurged for a carbon fiber model, a "Velbon El Charmagne 530" if that means anything to you guys.
Marc
Anyway Erik, thanks for the compliment on the shot.