Last Saturday the forecast of 50% cloud cover in Estes Park had Morris and I hopeful for great sunrise skies in RMNP. Our plans were to catch the morning light on Longs Peak from the Twin Sisters Peaks trail. Well, the forecast was off, way off, hardly a cloud to be found at sunrise!
The gale force winds redistributing snow around all the peaks did provide some photographic interest later that morning. Great day for hang gliding!
All 3 images were taken with a 400mm lens.
I liked the color, but prefer the B&W because of the more dramatic skies.
The conversions were made with NIK Silver Efex Pro 2.
#3 Mummy Range detail from Horseshoe Park.
I included the trees at the bottom to provide some scale.
NIK's new soft contrast tool really helped bring out the details and contours in the snow.
Posted by Kalin Wilson on March 8, 2011 at 3:31 AM
I like these, Bill! #1 is my favorite and the conversion is much stronger than the color version. Not enough dramatic light in the color version and the blowing snow diffuses the light. But in the B&W the blowing snow adds great atmosphere to the image.
I think these kinds of telephoto peak portraits are very appealing. I always forget to pull out the big lens and zoom in for these but I find myself cropping in for them.
The detail in the snow and ridges in #2 is great. I'm loving SEP2 too.
These are outstanding, Bill! Definitely like the b&w version of Longs better (although the color one is killer, too), and your comp choice in #3 is spot on.
And a great day to be out shooting with you, Bill! Well, the company made it great, 'cause the conditions were not. I said the light would be good for B&W and, boy, did you prove me right. Love the conversions. The color is beautiful as well, but your pp work on them make for spectacular shots! Excellent comps on both, and that 3rd one is so dramatic. And you said you liked the snow on that face clear back when we were on the pull out up higher. Just shows what a photographer's eye you have. Can't wait to go again with you.
So do I!
Both conversions are excellent and well suited for b&w. #3 especially is quite striking, almost resembling a Himalayan peak (at least to my feeble imagination). The trees ground this so very nicely, as well as providing a sense of scale. I'm not too wild about the toning of #1, but that's a personal issue.
My god the black and whites are fantastic, you've inspired me to get out there with the telephoto (and buy silver efex 2)
Posted by Jeff Hackett on March 8, 2011 at 9:18 PM
#3 is beautiful! I love the lines in the slope it looks like falling snow-sludge. And it was a great idea to include the trees as well. In #1 is that just blowing snow? If it is that is pretty incredible.
Jeff, yes, that is ALL just blowing snow. I'm so glad we hadn't planned a sunrise shoot from the Dream Lake wind tunnel !
The 8 mph wind forecast for Estes Park was obviously a poor guage for conditions at the higher elevations.
Posted by Kurt Bowman on March 10, 2011 at 9:33 AM
Bill, I am having a hard time between liking the B&W or color better on #1...I do like the clouds better on the B&W, but the wall face in the color seems to stand out more. The sthird image is just awesome!!!
Discussion
21 repliesThe gale force winds redistributing snow around all the peaks did provide some photographic interest later that morning. Great day for hang gliding!
All 3 images were taken with a 400mm lens.
I liked the color, but prefer the B&W because of the more dramatic skies.
The conversions were made with NIK Silver Efex Pro 2.
Critiques welcome.
Longs Peak view Taken from Hwy 36 as it climbs out of Beaver Meadows.
I included the trees at the bottom to provide some scale.
NIK's new soft contrast tool really helped bring out the details and contours in the snow.
I think these kinds of telephoto peak portraits are very appealing. I always forget to pull out the big lens and zoom in for these but I find myself cropping in for them.
The detail in the snow and ridges in #2 is great. I'm loving SEP2 too.
Both conversions are excellent and well suited for b&w. #3 especially is quite striking, almost resembling a Himalayan peak (at least to my feeble imagination). The trees ground this so very nicely, as well as providing a sense of scale. I'm not too wild about the toning of #1, but that's a personal issue.
The 8 mph wind forecast for Estes Park was obviously a poor guage for conditions at the higher elevations.