Posted by Brett Deacon on July 21, 2012 at 11:26 AM
I headed to the Snowies for sunrise this morning for the first time this year. I decided to try a new vantage point and hiked to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. Or rather scrambled I should say because the entire mountain is covered by rocks, most of which are loose. The scramble to the top took about half an hour and the views were amazing in every direction. The clouds were shaping up for an epic sunrise, but unfortunately the sun only peeked out for a few moments and the Snowy Range peaks behind me never lit up. Still, I did get this shot looking out at the Sugarloaf recreation area and Gap Lakes Trail area. I'm definitely heading back to this spot again as the possibilities up there are endless. Comments and critiques on this image are welcome!
Posted by Larry Douglas on July 21, 2012 at 12:01 PM
Wow Brett: That is one awesome shot and it make me want to do some scrambling in the early morning. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely Brett. If this isn't epic it's epic - 1.
I like everything about this from the composition to the light and color. What it may lack in terms of light on the peaks is more than compensated by the color in the clouds.
From living in Laramie in the past, I can definitely say you captured the essence of the Snowies quite well! The times I was up there, I never was able to have wind, lighting, clouds come together for a nice image like this.
What a fine composition, and the light is nothing short of awesome!
Exposure is great considering the conditions, and the 'development' is just about perfect.
You might consider desatuarting the reds in the sunstar a bit as they almost distract the eye.
Excellent work, Brett!
Posted by Brett Deacon on July 21, 2012 at 1:06 PM
Thanks everyone, for your kind words and helpful comments! Conditions today were good for maybe 2 minutes, and fortunately I was not "late for work" although it was not easy to crawl out of bed at 3:30. John, I appreciate the comment about desaturating the reds - I agree, and have made this adjustment to the master file and it's a definite improvement. From my vantage point, the sun was intensely saturated during its brief appearance, as shown here with a 400mm shot. I didn't get the shot I intended to get today, and instead got two I like facing in the opposite direction.
Posted by Doug Koepsel on July 22, 2012 at 10:47 AM
The scramble paid off well, imo. Real nice lit cloud structure and kiss of red on the foreground. I might be inclined to very slightly brighten the left and middle mountain tops, as it appears like a GND had a slight effect. The angles of the lakes compliment the angles of the clouds towards the center mountian- nice comp.
Posted by Brett Deacon on July 22, 2012 at 12:26 PM
Doug, awesome feedback, thanks! I didn't use a Grad ND but this 3-shot blend emerged from Photomatix with that look. I will lighten the darkened mountain tops. I didn't notice the complementary position of the clouds and lakes until just now - I really did luck out!
Stan, if you're up for some adventure when you get here I highly recommend either scrambling to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain as I did yesterday, or scrambling atop Brown's Peak (the central, flat-topped mountain in the picture above). Both locations offer a nearly endless variety of photo ops in all directions and make for great scenic vistas. Here is a shot from Brown's Peak looking toward where I photographed yesterday, which was atop the peak on the upper right corner of this image.
Discussion
15 repliesI like everything about this from the composition to the light and color. What it may lack in terms of light on the peaks is more than compensated by the color in the clouds.
Exposure is great considering the conditions, and the 'development' is just about perfect.
You might consider desatuarting the reds in the sunstar a bit as they almost distract the eye.
Excellent work, Brett!
Stan, if you're up for some adventure when you get here I highly recommend either scrambling to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain as I did yesterday, or scrambling atop Brown's Peak (the central, flat-topped mountain in the picture above). Both locations offer a nearly endless variety of photo ops in all directions and make for great scenic vistas. Here is a shot from Brown's Peak looking toward where I photographed yesterday, which was atop the peak on the upper right corner of this image.