Lonely Winter

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this image, captured two months ago in the Tetons. The loneliness of the moment (greatly enhanced by b/w conversion) motivated me to step out into some serious cold and make this image. Nikon D2x + 80-200mm.

Jesse, Really a cool shot. I like the low clouds/fog? I think it could use a little more contrast. It looks a little flat to me.

Wonderful subject in beautiful soft light. HDR conversion or just cloud diffused light?

I like this very much.
The lone pine and the fog are wonderful elements.
I find the conversion not quite to my liking, though. As Laurie mentioned, perhaps a contrast boost on the mountain itself and a slight darkening of the sky?

Great composition. I would also recommend trying some contrast on Moran.

Perfect just the way it is!

Spectacular shot Jesse!

Thank you for the honest feedback so far. I probably should have noted my "creative experiment" here ... that the lack of contrast was intentional. A blue filter was used to heavily isolate the lone pine from the rest of the scene ... an unconventional conversion by design. It's a single exposure, with a slight dodging of the fog layer. I'm not going for realism here, and the image is a departure from the tonality of the RAW file. Anyway, not trying to dissuade any opinion. I appreciate the fact that it just may not work ... that the "flatness" is too disconcerting. But now you know ... the rest of the story.

Great dichotomy of elements! Fog, Pine, Peak, stark whiteness. Love it. So ... is it the pine that is alone or the peak? Or maybe they're together in their aloneness...but I wax philosophical. Beautiful shot.

I think the lack of contrast others noted is really just a product of having most of the image in a tonal range from medium gray to white (except for one lone tree). If that's the look you're after, so be it. I'd like to see the sky much darker. Not Ansel Adams' Moonset/Halfdome dark, but darker by quite a bit from what's here. But, geez, what a shot!

This is a very nice shot! I tend to agree on the contrast. I almost like the effect, but I feel like there should at least be some parts of the picture that are a little bit darker. Maybe just darken the sky and boost the overall contrast a little. Darkening the sky might also help draw the eye down towards the trees & fog. Right now, my eye is sort of drawn to the top of the mountain.

Jesse, I guess people (at least me) are used to images of high contrast. I tried to pull down the curve in PS and the presence of the mountain is greatly intensified. Sometimes the lack of contrast (together with other processing) creates a sense/feel of reminiscence, but somehow this scenery is so grand that it begs for more contrast, since it already had everything an excellent traditional landscape photography has. That said, I still think you should keep this image the way you wanted, after all, I think the most important thing is your own taste. And who knows a few years from now this might be a popular style

I like this shot a lot, Jesse. I can relate to folks wanting to see more contrast, but for me, I'd just like to see the sky, and maybe the peak, a bit darker. Just personal preference.

more contrast!!

While I wouldn't mind seeing a more contrasty version, I like it a lot as is. The tonal range combined with the low mist really does evoke that Northern Rockies winter haze you get sometimes, like a Russell Chatham painting. Spectacular shot!

Like the composition and the conversion. I agree with others in thinking that more contrast will help this image.

Jesse, nice comp and idea, but I'll have to go with Todd's review. More contrast and a much darker sky would make it a stronger image in my opinion.

This is a really nice shot Jesse. My thoughts on this pretty much mirror what Todd has already stated. Thanks for sharing this.

I'd say that your contrast-style here helps to accentuate the feeling of coldness and winter. Just for kicks, I tried darkening the curves to a more traditional contrast, and it makes the image look more "normal". So I think it's good like this.

Thanks guys. I tried a little more contrast, and it does indeed enhance the image. Still, darkening the upper half really kills the effect. This is likely what I'll go with. Thanks for your insight!

Bingo!
I think that your vision is still fully realized with this slight 'pop' in contrast.

An absolutely amazing photo. Great eye and great job of capturing what you pictured in your head.

That bit of added contrast is awesome and this comp really flatters Moran. Outstanding.

I like the image with the added contrast. Really does evoke lonliness.