Posted by Bishop Bastien on November 6, 2009 at 10:45 AM
Hi all --
Has been quite awhile since I have been able to post and shoot for that matter. I took advantage of Preston's recent post on Yosemite fall conditions and ran down last weekend and will likely do so again this Saturday. As I left the Valley, I decided to make a last stop at this rock as I had never captured it before. As a classic, it deserves to be in B&W...but color is nice too! Good to capture something even it if isn't exactly an original.
Appreciate your comments in advance.
Best regards -- Bishop
Nikon D300
f/11 @ 1/4s
Posted by Derek Sedillo on November 6, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Yeah, it was a beautiful weekend in the park thats for sure. And I bet there will still be some color left this weekend as well.
Regarding this image I like the rock and reflection. But that said I would really like to see the color version as well.
Derek
Posted by Lon Overacker on November 6, 2009 at 3:31 PM
Bishop,
Welcome back - nice to see a post from you. And classic or not, this is a wonderful rendition of this rock and scene along the Merced. And even without seeing the color version, this is perfect for b&w and I think you've captured a great range of tones. Also, the comp is excellent and I think you did a great job in NOT cutting off the top of the rock in the reflection; subtle but important.
My only suggestion would be to darken this a little bit. I'd still like to see the relative difference in brightness between the rock and the background, but the rock is a little hot for my tastes. Still, a great image.
This is very well captured. It is has a very classic look. I might crop it a little off the bottom, even though it cuts off the reflection. It tightens the comp for me. The rock looks kind of long with the reflection, but still shines as presented. I concur with Lon's darkening comments.
I really like this. I'm on the fence regarding croppping the from the bottom. On the one hand, I like seeing the reflection of the boulder fully resolved, and on the other hand, I agree with Harley.
I like the sense of light, here. However, I think the blacks are a not 'black' enough. You might also consider burning down the top of the boulder just a bit. The midtones and high values are perfect.
The B&W treatment is perfect for this. Hopefully we'll see a big print of this one day!
I appreciate all your comments...after loading the image this morning I was bothered by how it looked. Seemed to have less contrast that I thought. Well, sure enough, I posted the wrong version. But the good news is I finally tried Tony Kuyper's luminosity masks this evening as well...wow makes me wonder why I waited so long. Anyway, a new image is attached...
Good to have a chance to post and exchange greetings. A tough year to work in the financial services arena but am making the time to get out more.
Am still looking at Harley's cropping suggestion. Doing so makes the rock seem less elongated...will see which vesion I ultimately decide to live with. Working on the color version, Derek...
Best regards -- Bishop
Posted by Mike Ryan on November 7, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Repost is a nice improvement. Classic scenes are classic for a reason. The proximity of the reflection to the edge is a tad tight for me but from what I gather getting more room is difficult. Nice work!
Posted by Eric Good on November 8, 2009 at 4:48 PM
The repost looks great! I too was initially thinking about a small crop off the bottom, but the more I look at this the more I'm less inclined to think so. Good stuff!
Posted by Bishop Bastien on November 9, 2009 at 12:31 AM
Discussion
8 repliesHas been quite awhile since I have been able to post and shoot for that matter. I took advantage of Preston's recent post on Yosemite fall conditions and ran down last weekend and will likely do so again this Saturday. As I left the Valley, I decided to make a last stop at this rock as I had never captured it before. As a classic, it deserves to be in B&W...but color is nice too! Good to capture something even it if isn't exactly an original.
Appreciate your comments in advance.
Best regards -- Bishop
Nikon D300
f/11 @ 1/4s
Regarding this image I like the rock and reflection. But that said I would really like to see the color version as well.
Derek
Welcome back - nice to see a post from you. And classic or not, this is a wonderful rendition of this rock and scene along the Merced. And even without seeing the color version, this is perfect for b&w and I think you've captured a great range of tones. Also, the comp is excellent and I think you did a great job in NOT cutting off the top of the rock in the reflection; subtle but important.
My only suggestion would be to darken this a little bit. I'd still like to see the relative difference in brightness between the rock and the background, but the rock is a little hot for my tastes. Still, a great image.
Lon
I really like this. I'm on the fence regarding croppping the from the bottom. On the one hand, I like seeing the reflection of the boulder fully resolved, and on the other hand, I agree with Harley.
I like the sense of light, here. However, I think the blacks are a not 'black' enough. You might also consider burning down the top of the boulder just a bit. The midtones and high values are perfect.
The B&W treatment is perfect for this. Hopefully we'll see a big print of this one day!
-P
Good to have a chance to post and exchange greetings. A tough year to work in the financial services arena but am making the time to get out more.
Am still looking at Harley's cropping suggestion. Doing so makes the rock seem less elongated...will see which vesion I ultimately decide to live with. Working on the color version, Derek...
Best regards -- Bishop
Best regards -- Bishop