Winter Sunset, Lake Superior, Gooseberry SP, MN

Here's another day trip shot from early February. It certainly wasn't the most dramatic sunset I've seen on the big lake, but the calm evening was soothing and very enjoyable in its own right. If interested you can read a some thoughts about day trips on my blog.

On a side note, the shutter on my wide angle lens decided to completely jam on me right before I took this shot. It stuck in the open position thankfully, so I stopped down 1 f stop further than I needed (to draw out the exposure time a bit longer), and used my dark cloth to begin and end the exposure by manually blocking light from the lens. Ugh.

Technicals: Tachihara 4x5, Fujinon 90mm, Fuji Velvia 100f, 2 stop soft edge GND, 8 sec @ f32

So, you now sound like a traditional photographer from like a hundred and fifty years ago - cool! ('cept for the blog part...)

Tim!

Tim - Not so cool in practice. Frustrating would be more like it. I'll probably have to buy a new shutter assembly, since rebuilding this one would most likely cost just as much.

Lots that I like about this image. The soft color, but crispness of the subject material. The landform fading into the distance, but also the detail of the lake bottom near the camera. Well done!

Lovely shot Joel - I really like the calm feel here. I am sorry to hear about the shutter, though you did an excellent job of figuring out a way to get the shot anyway.....nice one!

CJ

A peaceful beauty, Joel. Great capture in spite of the gear malfunction.

I recognize the area. Interesting shot. I’m a little bothered that the rocks lead me an area in the photo that doesn’t hold my interest if that makes any sense. I could also see this as closer crop with the rocks forming a diagonal from lower right to upper left.

Thanks for sharing this shot Joel. Every time I look at it I see something that I didn't see before.
The way it was shot gives even more significance.


Brian

Nice lighting and composition, Joel...and good, quick thinking regarding the problem with your shutter!!
I had the same thought as Phil...the rocks in the foreground alone are very interesting, but I'd want to see more open water/space above the upper rock. All in all...good eye and good work!

I like this a LOT Joel. Actually, your comp adds to the help you gave me concerning the FG on my canyon shot. I like the prominence of that rock in the FG on yours, and how it's without clutter, which helps me "see" the clutter in mine that you replied to. This helps greatly!

Also, the color and tone you achieved are excellent, so peaceful. And how do you scan your film to come out so clean??? That in itself is amazing!

Thanks for the comments and thoughts. I'll do my best to address a few of the questions/crits.

Phil/Toni: I think I know what you're saying, but I'm not sure that I agree with the idea. Isolating the rocks would certainly be a different compositional option, but the sense of place would be lost though to a large extent. I suppose it's a matter of objectives. I would also add that the distant shoreline would be more interesting if viewed larger. In either case I really appreciate your candid thoughts! It's good to know that some don't find it particularly compelling!

Paul: I'm not really doing anything special regarding the film scans. Film is actually pretty clean if managed properly. First, it has to be properly exposed (duh). Then it's simply scanned with the intent of getting as much information off the film as possible, adjusted as desired, and sharpened on a separate layer after all the adjustments are done (with smooth areas masked off, such as the sky and some of the water).

Joel, a VERY NICE simple image. The square crop suits this well. I love the mood here with the lighting and the ice on the rocks really throws it over the top!

Joel-

Very nice. You keep putting up such high quality work for us here, it always makes me want to get out more. And, yes, that is a good thing!

This is another exceptional capture, Joel. I think the high tones on the ice-covered rocks lead you right into the snowy shoreline and out into the lake. The colors are fantastic as well. It seems hard to believe there is no ice on the shoreline in the FG in Feb. The detail in the icy rocks puts the composition over the top.

Nicely seen, Joel. I like the kind of inverted L-shape that you've captured with the icy rock line and the BG shore. I like this even better with a slight crop off the left--maybe 1/2 inch. As is there's just enough extraneous (in terms of the L-shape) shore to the left of the junction of the lines to cause my eye to sort of stall in the upper left-hand corner.

Thanks for the additional comments - greatly appreciated as always.

Kerry: I see what you're getting at, that might very well be what's bothering Phillip and Toni. Thanks, it gives me something to think about.