Posted by Marc Adamus on July 17, 2008 at 11:23 AM
From our first campsite in the Wallowa mountains, looking towards the alpine terrain that would be our home for the next several days.
Thanks for commenting.
1Ds Mark III, 16-35 II at 35mm, 2-stop GND, polarizer, 4-stops solid ND. 4 seconds at f/11. Single exposure double processed for shadow detail.
I should mention it was rather hazy on this day so if it looks like it could use more contrast, just say so. Thanks.
Posted by Marc Dilley on July 17, 2008 at 11:34 AM
I've drooled over the maps of this place; for various reason never quite made it. I'm amazed at how much snow you encountered there, especially considering how fast it's leaving here in Washington.
A beautiful scene, Marc. That must have been an inspirational first camp. Maybe it's my monitor, but the FG shrub seems a bit soft. A little breeze, perhaps?
Posted by Marc Adamus on July 17, 2008 at 11:50 AM
It should be totally sharp, Marc. Maybe just not enough web sharpening there.
Posted by Paul DeCesare on July 17, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Marc, the lower contrast is evident but works WELL here, especially if that's what you saw. This is a NICE serene image. Man, I really like that muted FG against the warm but subtle sky. Can I ask why you had the additional 4-stop ND? Was that for longer shutter speed to blur the water?
Paul, yes, the solid ND was for a smoother water look. I was trying to smooth the faint reflections and also get more color reflected in the water area.
Lovely scene Marc. I really admire the lower contrast and soft hues. The only thing that seems distracting to me is the bright area just above the trees on the left. I don't know if thats how the scene was or if it is a result of blending for the shadows but just a small nit that my eye went to.
I love the composition of this one, but the processing here doesn't live up to your standard. imo. As mentioned, it could use some contrast.Also, It seems a bit dark overall on my monitor. I notice some haloing/ sharpening artifacts above the left ridge. Sorry for being so critical, but it felt necessary considering there is rarely anything to critique in your work.
Yep. Processing isn't very good here, I agree. I have this bad habit of just doing the bare minimum and rushing it onto the web to get people's general thoughts. I'll clean it up and post it again. I was primarily just interested in whether the brightness/contrasts looked good. I'll do a repost at some point.
Posted by Adrian Klein on July 17, 2008 at 9:49 PM
Looks good Marc. The repost is better for sure! Not one of your best but a very nice image nonetheless. Enjoy Jefferson this weekend. Maybe one year I can signup to come. I am usually in MT, like I am now, so it's usually a no go...
The re-post looks alot better. You found a great scene and made the most of it. Did you make it to the higher lakes like Razz, Mirror or Ice lake? I really want to spend some time up in those mountains again.
Posted by John Williams on July 18, 2008 at 10:32 AM
Ditto on the repost. This image is a bit more muted than many of your others, but the more I look at it the more I'm appreciating the muted contrast and colors.
Posted by Marc Adamus on July 18, 2008 at 12:02 PM
Erik, I've been to all those lakes before. On this trip we spent most of our time at a few small alpine tarns below Eagle Cap, but above Mirror Lake.
Funny thing about that Razz Lake. Sure is a beautiful place up there, but I remember it particularly well because last I camped there was September 12 and 13, 2001. I'd been backpacking through the Wallowas for a week and proceeded to traverse over the ridge to Ice lake and then out via the West Fork on the 14th. I found out about 9/11 on the 14th! You can imagine my surprise.
I can't say I'm too enthralled with this one Marc, the bush in the FG sort of dulls it all out for me. It flows well and this confirms my suspicion that those meadows (which I have been eyeballing for several years) would be a primo area to set up in, but I get the impression that its an area that would be much better when the flowers are out.
Bryan, the bush completes the S curve I was looking for. My compositions without it didn't work well IMO. It's worth noting that there are hardly any flowers in this valley - they're all higher up around the lakes and parks.
Yeah, I see what you're going for and I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the same. I think its the uneven-ness of the branches of the bush that draw my eye away from the S shape a little bit and creates a little too much chaos for me to be really drawn in. Just kind of messing around with crops in my browser, I think I'd like it more with about an inch lopped off the bottom so the river is more the foreground focal and the bush acts as a more subdued framing object.
Discussion
15 repliesThanks for commenting.
1Ds Mark III, 16-35 II at 35mm, 2-stop GND, polarizer, 4-stops solid ND. 4 seconds at f/11. Single exposure double processed for shadow detail.
I should mention it was rather hazy on this day so if it looks like it could use more contrast, just say so. Thanks.
A beautiful scene, Marc. That must have been an inspirational first camp. Maybe it's my monitor, but the FG shrub seems a bit soft. A little breeze, perhaps?
Funny thing about that Razz Lake. Sure is a beautiful place up there, but I remember it particularly well because last I camped there was September 12 and 13, 2001. I'd been backpacking through the Wallowas for a week and proceeded to traverse over the ridge to Ice lake and then out via the West Fork on the 14th. I found out about 9/11 on the 14th! You can imagine my surprise.