Solitude

I do love the rainy weather, I love the cold and slight feeling it creates.

I did a little hiking Saturday in some new areas near my house and I came across this little scene. I could have just sat here for hours listening to the sounds of Nature...

Normally I would have not left the sky in the scene but I felt it helps to add scale to the image as far as the height of the trees.

Also, does the rock in the LLC work or not......I am undecided about it...

I also never thought I would use my 60mm lens for landscape work but damn it's tack sharp. I played with it at different f.stops and shutter speeds to get a feel for how it affects the image...

I think I am gonna like it!


Comments, critiques and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged!

Camera: Nikon D300
Exposure: 1.3 sec (13/10)
Aperture: f/14
Focal Length: 60 mm
ISO Speed: 100

I'm digging the colors and water flow of the middle of the photo. I hear what you are saying about the sky, but it's brightness distracts from the better parts of the photo; maybe darkening that area a bit? I'm 50:50 about the rock; I think seeing a bit more of it would help, but that may have not been an option.

Thanks John, I have several comps of this scene.....I even did a wide pano that you can view here at the large size

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drwhite75/2257250206/sizes/o/

Looks ok without the rock but I like the rock.The sky is a little bright but I still like the pic.

Before I saw the pano, I was thinking a square crop to elilminate the sky and rock; but I really like the pano - it brings in the moss-covered rocks on the left, which, imo, are much stronger elements than either the sky or lower part of the river in the pic above. The comp above, while nice, feels rather pedestrian; the pano comes across as a more thoughtful arrangement of the most compelling elements, and has a very inviting, intimate feel.

Darren: I feel about like Rick does. The LLC rock sort of feels out of place, although the large expanse of smooth water is nice and would be acceptable to me if water were present in place of that rock. I'm having some problems with the sky also; it tends to muddy out the water highlights to my eye, and in the pano of course you don't have that problem. I love the brilliant greens and yellows of the mosses. Living on the dry side, I can't ever get enough of those!!

Darren, when I was looking at the shot I was thinking a pano might work pretty nice with the scene. Then I saw you had done one, the pano is the winner for me.

This is a good steelhead fisherman perspective. I think you should leave it as it is. The sky is not large enough to be much of an issue and it provides depth. If the rock is gone, I don't like where the white water exits the frame. Also the rock provides the final leg of the zigzag you have going.

Whoa! The pano is awesome Darren!! The above is okay, but the pano kicks a$$.

Yep, the pano is great!

That pano rocks !! Great atmosphere.

Darren, I was not digging this vertical comp too much so I am glad you posted the pano... which is a great shot!

Now you've gone and done it! LOVE THIS. Best of your winter river images by far, just imho. Your angle of view and the perspective with the 60mm (closer to what the human eye sees, so they say) is just spectacular here. I'd just like to sit on a rock too and stare at this for hours. I vote for keepin' that lens on board!

P.S. Now that I've read others' comments, I see I'm the contrarian... And I vote for keeping the rock in there. I'm kinda surprised about the "pedestrian" description. I can almost feel the motion and hear the sound of the water. And the palette is muted in a wonderful PNW rainy day sort of way.