Ancient Lakes Sunset

I spent a frigid Friday night camping with my dog at the Ancient Lakes east of Quincey. The timing stunk from the standpoint of comfort (that winter storm) but the sky drama was pretty amazing and when I wasn't dealing with cold fingers I was shooting.

This photo is by the shore of "H Lake", where Yukon and I camped. An indignant beaver displayed his displeasure about my dog staying in his territory and slapped the water with his tail all night. This is barren yet strikingly beautiful country and I could have spent a solid week shooting.

I know the water reflection color doesn't agree with the sky color, but it is reflecting an area of cloud much higher in the sky which actually was red. I had to sponge some blue color from the reeds; was enough removed?

Thanks for commenting.

Sony R1, 1/40 and 1/13 sec @ f/16 blended, no filters. Marc's web sharpening technique.

Marc, I think it's a pretty nice image overall though I'm not conviced that the ultra-sharp and detailed wetland - with all the floatings in the water, is working well to evoke the peaceful solitude I think you were trying to capture in the sunset. It just seems a tad messy and cluttered up front, but that's just the nature of all wetland areas like this. On a technical note, the LRC does appear a bit lighter and brighter than its surroundings and the blues are pretty heavy in the background. Just minor stuff really though. I still think it's one to keep around.

Marc, I really like this area myself, but have never considered it much of a treasure for photography. I'd be curious to see some of your other stuff from here. As for this shot, I find it a little cool for my taste buds.

Marc - I suppose I should have bled out some of the blues on Mission Ridge in the background. Thanks for the heads up on the LRC.

David - I have few more from this session I'm thinking of posting that are totally different from this one. Stay tuned.

Thanks for commenting.

This must have been some sunset Marc... the reflections on the water are gorgeous.

Marc, this looks like it was great to be there for this sunset. I hear you on the difference of colors from BG to reflection. Just not sure about the mess of floating stuff in the water. That seems to be pulling in my attention too much. I would say without that it would be a much better image IMO.

I think considering what you were working with, this is about as good an outcome as possible. The color in the reflection is nice and the detail in the grass is excellent. My feeling, though, is that H Lake is about the ugliest of the bunch down in that set. It does look like theres more water in it now than when I passed through back in early March, but I think to truly do the area proper justice, the bigger lakes make much better focal points.