So, apparently I spoke too soon. Winter reappeared this weekend and dumped over a foot of snow in the park. Last night the temperature dropped to around 13 degrees and kept the snow in perfect condition for sunrise. I have been trying to take a photo like this of Dream Lake for a year. All of the magical elements of fresh snow, crisp skies, and a lack of wind hadn't come together for me until this morning. Although the image is far from perfect, I am happy to have one that, in my opinion, at least somewhat captures the beauty of the lake.
Feedback is welcome!! Contrast has been suggested from many of you, and as I result I added more contrast to this image than usual. I think I like it.
Nikon D5100
Tokina 11-16 mm
16 mm
ISO 100
f/11
1/5 sec
tripod
Thank you all!! Kane and Ed - the drive to Bear Lake was no problem. There was only one large patch of ice - otherwise the road was clear. The parking lot was almost empty and I shared Dream Lake with only one other photographer.
Posted by Anne K. Rusk on May 14, 2014 at 10:35 PM
I really like this!! I love the reflection in the open water and the big pillows of snow. Great job!
Beautiful shot! The deep, fresh snow, in both the foreground and on the trees is awesome. The colors in the reflection/foreground area are fantastic. Great early light on the peaks, and I like your composition here. Nice work, Crystal!
This is excellent! I'm so sad that I was out of state when this happened. What a fabulous photo Crystal. It really is pretty close to perfect. If I wanted to get picky, I would say that I would like to see a little more of the foreground. I realize that you probably didn't have a wide enough lens for this, but another way around this is to shoot several vertical images and stitch them. That is just an idea for the future, but this is one you should be very very proud of!
The red light on the peak and the foreground of snow pillows, dark water/ice and bits of reflection make this real nice. The left sunlit side of the firs and peak seems to lack contrast and may need adjustment to match more like the right side ridge. You might try the quick selection tool and increase contrast, decrease brightness and move the mid-point in levels to the right some- all to your taste. This must have been a great morning to witness and photograph.
Thank you Anne, Joshua, Erik, and Doug! Erik - it really was a spectacular morning in the park! Good point, I'll experiment with creating a panorama next time. Doug - thanks for the tip. I worked with the quick selection tool after reading your comment and I think it improved the image.
Excellent Crystal!
Looks like while you were shooting that, I was nearby shooting sunrise at Sprague Lake. I'll have to get off my duff and post some of my stuff from my week there.
Nice capture Crystal, I personally like the comp as posted. I still can't believe the amount of snow that fell. I was in Texas when this was going on and was so sad to miss it .
Discussion
16 repliesFeedback is welcome!! Contrast has been suggested from many of you, and as I result I added more contrast to this image than usual. I think I like it.
Nikon D5100
Tokina 11-16 mm
16 mm
ISO 100
f/11
1/5 sec
tripod
The foreground reflections are especially nice for this composition.
Looks like while you were shooting that, I was nearby shooting sunrise at Sprague Lake. I'll have to get off my duff and post some of my stuff from my week there.