Posted by Phil Knouf on August 30, 2009 at 7:23 PM
This image was made two winters ago after a short snow shoe hike in along the old Barlow Pass road. I will have this image displayed, along with 20 others, at my Portland First Thursday show this coming September 3rd. My opening is from 6:00 to 9:00 at the Albina Community Bank at 430 NW 10th Avenue.
I used an Arca Swiss F-Line Field Classic 4x5 with Velvia 100 and a Rodenstock 135mm wide-angle lense at F32 and 1/15th. My 24x30 inch print allows you to see the lift lines up to Silcox Hut and the lift lines at Meadows.
Phil Knouf
Posted by Mark Hudon on August 31, 2009 at 7:02 PM
I like the way my eye gets caught in certain areas of the photograph but otherwise it seems uninspired.
good luck
Posted by Phil Knouf on September 2, 2009 at 5:57 PM
Mark & Erik,
Thank you for your opinions. However, I do not share them. Come to my show on the 3rd and we can talk about why I like this image so much. For me coming from the flat lands of the Midwest this scene eptimizes why I love living in the Pacific Northwest. While the mile in on snow shoes over 15 - 20 feet of snow was not that tough for a 60 something, setting up and capturing this image on 4x5 film was a bit of a challenge due to the depth of the snow. The detail in the 24 x 30 print is stunning and must be seen to fully critique the image. It is that quality combined with the subject matter that make this a great image in my own humble opinion. The WEB JPEG images does not do justice to this photograph.
Thanks,
Phil
Posted by Austin Booth on September 3, 2009 at 7:39 PM
I'll vouch for Phil here, the small web size file of this one does not do it justice. I saw the print since they are already up at Albina Bank where his show is and it looks much better as a print. The detail in his large prints from the 4x5 film he used really makes them shine.
Posted by Darren White on September 3, 2009 at 8:42 PM
I have to go with Mark and Erik on this one....although I can appreciate a large print, I have many myself, living right here in the Northwest all my life I have seen this same scene a million times......its just a picture of the mountain....I have over 500 of these same shots.....and if I take 3 separate shots and make a pano out of it then I can blow it up extremely large like you.....
now if you had caught this at sunset or sunrise and let the clouds move a little to give some motion to them with a long exposure then this might stand out from the rest, but as is, its rather a bland photo to me......Just my honest opinion!!!! You might say the same thing of one of my image I take from where you came from!!!!
Posted by Phil Knouf on September 4, 2009 at 1:53 AM
Interesting discussion of this print! I took this image because I was very moved by the serene beauty of this majestic mountain. I would have been moved even if I had lived hear all of my life. There was a certain energy for me that just felt right. No, this is not just a bland photo of the many photographed mountain, Ya, Da, Ya, Da. OK! Yes, it would have been great to have been there for sunrise or sunset light but that was not what was presented to me. I respect all of your opinons although I have a different opinion as I am the photographer who took and posted. Also, the customers this evening at my First Thursday Show opening who purchased this print in all sizes were moved to purchase because of the beauty this image represented to them, just as I was moved to create this image. Isn't photography great! We can agree to disagree and still find common ground to appreciate the beauty that we are so privledged to live amongst.
Hmmm… thought provoking exchange, gentlemen. Phil, I can see why this was a good seller at your show. This is a stellar image of Mt. Hood, very clear, with nice texture in the trees. I can't help but notice the lay of the land in the foothills, and the mountain looks chiseled. Having the clouds come off the peak at the left and clouds rise on the right frames Her Majesty in a flattering way. This is Mt. Hood the way most people see her, or would love to see her. Only nutty photogs and mountain climbers are around at sunrise and sunset, and now there are so many shots like that I'm bored with 'em... Mt. Hood has such a distinctive shape, I think the elements in this image add a lot to her beauty.
Posted by Darren White on September 4, 2009 at 7:37 AM
Phil, you can take this how you like but my suggestion is that if you want to post images on here, then be prepared for some brutal and harsh comments and critiques. My photography only got better after I joined this forum about 4 years ago due to the critiques and suggestions giving by others......
if this image is moving for you and you love it, fine, thats your personal choice. If you choose not to take suggestions or ideas from those who give them, then what is the point of posting on a forum.
We could all take "dull" images and say, " Well that is what was presented to me when I was there".
I hope this makes sense in some way.....
I look forward to seeing other shots from you, maybe this one is just the stray cat of the bunch!
And Catherine, you are right, I am one Nutty SOB and proud of it.... There is not thing better than waking up in the morning to fresh mountain air while the sun begins its journey for the day and lets its light kiss the snow of the mountain in those reds, oranges, pinks and blues.....if a nutty photographer is someone who is up early for sunrises, or stays late to shoot the stars, then I am your man!!!!!!
Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and get some good shooting in!!!!!
Darren, no need to be defensive. I don't see anywhere in my post where I said you were an SOB nor did I mean any insult to you or any other photographer about how to photographically interpret a mountain or any other subject. I was jesting at us photogs as a group of people who might be inclined to do extraordinary things to get a capture. I view the sunrise/sunset light as gorgeous but uncommon to the "average" person except maybe on their annual week or so of vacation. Here on NPN, gorgeous images in magic light are a dime a dozen. And I mean that ONLY AS PRAISE for us, who have invested a lot of time, talent and capital to develop technical skills and artistic vision. I believe there is a place for iconic and/or documentary images and that GOOD images in that category can be really fantastic. I think Phil's photo is GOOD. I like it and think it's a fantastic image of Mt. Hood. I'm not surprised that he felt "moved by the serene beauty" of what he saw. I'm not surprised at all that it sells well because he conveys his feeling in the photograph, imo.
I am very proud to be a nutty photog, myself, and consider it a compliment. It is a privilege and a blessing to be walking my own road as an artist and observer of Nature... to be able to SEE at all and to photograph it in celebration and to share it. I see that in Phil's image and hear it in his dialog. So, kudos Phil. You GO! boy!
Posted by Darren White on September 5, 2009 at 2:00 AM
Catherine, just to clarify, I am the one who said I was a nutty sob...not you...I added the sob part in there.....sorry if that was taken the wrong way....no harm intended towards you....speaking of which I need to get to bed because sunrise is in about 6 hours!!!! cheers!!!
Posted by Phil Knouf on September 6, 2009 at 9:28 PM
Catherine,
Thank you for your understanding of why I would want to capture this image and for what it meant to me. Constructive criticism properly applied is helpful in our profession. Photography for all of us is a very personal and especially so in our chosen venue of nature photography. I have other images I will share as time permits. I am still on the mend from my lung surgery just prior to my show but I am making great progress.
Discussion
11 repliesI used an Arca Swiss F-Line Field Classic 4x5 with Velvia 100 and a Rodenstock 135mm wide-angle lense at F32 and 1/15th. My 24x30 inch print allows you to see the lift lines up to Silcox Hut and the lift lines at Meadows.
Phil Knouf
good luck
Thank you for your opinions. However, I do not share them. Come to my show on the 3rd and we can talk about why I like this image so much. For me coming from the flat lands of the Midwest this scene eptimizes why I love living in the Pacific Northwest. While the mile in on snow shoes over 15 - 20 feet of snow was not that tough for a 60 something, setting up and capturing this image on 4x5 film was a bit of a challenge due to the depth of the snow. The detail in the 24 x 30 print is stunning and must be seen to fully critique the image. It is that quality combined with the subject matter that make this a great image in my own humble opinion. The WEB JPEG images does not do justice to this photograph.
Thanks,
Phil
now if you had caught this at sunset or sunrise and let the clouds move a little to give some motion to them with a long exposure then this might stand out from the rest, but as is, its rather a bland photo to me......Just my honest opinion!!!! You might say the same thing of one of my image I take from where you came from!!!!
Thanks,
Phil
if this image is moving for you and you love it, fine, thats your personal choice. If you choose not to take suggestions or ideas from those who give them, then what is the point of posting on a forum.
We could all take "dull" images and say, " Well that is what was presented to me when I was there".
I hope this makes sense in some way.....
I look forward to seeing other shots from you, maybe this one is just the stray cat of the bunch!
And Catherine, you are right, I am one Nutty SOB and proud of it.... There is not thing better than waking up in the morning to fresh mountain air while the sun begins its journey for the day and lets its light kiss the snow of the mountain in those reds, oranges, pinks and blues.....if a nutty photographer is someone who is up early for sunrises, or stays late to shoot the stars, then I am your man!!!!!!
Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and get some good shooting in!!!!!
Cheers!
I am very proud to be a nutty photog, myself, and consider it a compliment. It is a privilege and a blessing to be walking my own road as an artist and observer of Nature... to be able to SEE at all and to photograph it in celebration and to share it. I see that in Phil's image and hear it in his dialog. So, kudos Phil. You GO! boy!
Thank you for your understanding of why I would want to capture this image and for what it meant to me. Constructive criticism properly applied is helpful in our profession. Photography for all of us is a very personal and especially so in our chosen venue of nature photography. I have other images I will share as time permits. I am still on the mend from my lung surgery just prior to my show but I am making great progress.
Now, on to printing those orders!
Keep the images coming folks.
Thanks,
Phil