Cripple Creek Spring *(w/edit #2)

Cripple Creek Spring is an image I made along Cripple Creek; a small tributary of the Clackamas River. Cripple Creek drains from the high country of the Roaring River Wilderness and dumps into the Clackamas Wild and Scenic River. This location is passed by literally thousands of travelers on FS 46 on their way up the Clackamas River. However, as there is a quite dense row of trees between the road and this section of Cripple Creek, very few travelers stop in this location. Just upstream from this spot there are the remains of a small camping spot next to a mostly collapsed wooden bridge. I presume the old road is a long abandoned logging road. It had been raining as we arrived but the heavy showers soon stopped. Gradually the sun started peaking through the clouds, which made the contrast way too significant for a useable image, so we waited for the shade to return. We were rewarded with the beautiful light that illuminated this lovely and serene forest scene. I have another image from this spot taken in early spring before the vegetation leafs out that provides a very different feeling for this view. I'll post that shortly as I work my way through a large back log of images which I have not been able to keep up with due to the 15 months of Chemo therapy I recently finished.

Another beautiful forest and stream image Phil. Nice work!

Really nice shot, Phil. I like the soft light, kinda matches the softness in the water. Well done.

Glad you're done with the chemo. I hope all is well now.

Cheers

Thanks to John and others in the Landscape forum I am posting an adjusted version of this image. There concern was that the overall contrast was a bit too light. Possible because I had used HDR software or a shadow and highlight adjustment. However, I used luminosity masks (alpha channels) in my contrast adjustments. So I went back and tweaked one of my luminosity masks to answer their comments. Hope you like. You can view a larger version by going to my blog and clicking through from the thumbnail image.

Great shot Phil, but right away I thought HDR. The repost is an improvement, but the highlights could be tamed a bit more, especially the water.

Wonderful scene, Phil! Nicely composed.

Even better is that your chemo is done and you're with us and you're still behind the camera. I hope the future looks brighter for you. Lots of good wishes for continued healing and recovery from a long stint of treatment.

Joe I really appreciate your helpful comments! I am continually striving to produce the best possible image that I and my equipment are capable of. Most of my career in photography has been with 4x5 transparency film which, while producing nicely saturated images; should not be though of as having a very wide dynamic/contrast range. With the transition to digital I find myself with a challenging, self-imposed task of getting to an image result that most closely represents the light I both saw and felt at the scene. We of course all see light and color differently. I see light and color infused with a glowing energy that absolutely needs to 'be there' in the final image.So here is what is hopefully my final iteration; at least until the next idea for change pops up!

Ha, Ha I warned you that there might be another iteration coming! So look at this version and you will see a slight increase in the phosphorescence-like glow on the green tips of the small Douglas Fir and the appearance of the green moss on the rocks and trees trunks. Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest and go out in the winter and early spring have seen this glow. For me I do strive to capture the look and feel of this.

Hi Phil, all of the changes have been subtle, but each improves upon the previous version. That can more easily be seen if you compare the first post with the last one. Well done.