Posted by Marc Adamus on July 17, 2006 at 11:40 AM
Rick and I made our first stop at Burnt Lake, in the Mount Hood wilderness without high expectations. The lake is really not terribly photogenic and offered exactly one vantage point worthwhile for photographs on it's entire shore. The rest was impenetrable brush and swamp grasses with deep mud underneath.
We both anticipated the low clouds would disapate as the sun set, like they do on almost every occasion through the Summer months. I figured a light mist would probably roll in though, as is common on alpine lakes as the days warmth fades into the cool night air. It did, and amazingly the clouds cooperated too! Everything just came together. It was one of the best natural compositions I think I've ever seen. Rick watched as I went through a couple 2GB cards and then on to a 4GB card as the atmosphere changed rapidly, shooting right by my side due to the limited viewpoints.
This was solidly my second favorite shot of the evening, with the clouds above Hood still illuminated and a light mist forming on the water. I'll post one later on the main forums that may be stronger still IMO. Thanks for looking and comments.
Yeah, killer comp Marc. It really stands out well as an all around image and is different than others in your portfolio...so that's great. I might be super picky and want the reflection of the mountain to be toned down as far as exposure. It just seems a little hot.
Can't say I'd recommend this trail to everyone, as it's a long way just for this one comp, which would basically be copying this exact image...so what fun is that...
It was great meeting you, hope we can shoot again soon. Hope I didn't slow you down too much. I haven't ever hiked that far in such short of time. Can't believe I'm not sore...
I think I might tone down the grasses a bit and include a bit more sky to help balance, but I felt they worked very well as a lead in and added a lot of depth that would be missing with just simply a reflection - though I do have some nice dramatic reflections and so does Rick.
Marc,
I've been up to this lake a few times and never was too impressed with what it had to offer photograph wise. You proved here that if you catch it with the right light, it can be pretty awsome up there. I think after you do those slight adjustments, this will be killer. (not that it already isn't)
Posted by Kosta Koeman on July 17, 2006 at 5:38 PM
Marc,
In my opinion, the grass makes a very good anchor in the FG. Did you use a grad? It almost appears that the reflection is brighter than the mountain. Could be my eyes, but I keep staring at it and that's the impression I get.
Marc, great shot. But, two 2GB cards and on to a 4GB card? All from one vantage point? How much difference are you getting from one exposure to the next? I'd be interested in hearing your approach to covering this spot. From one vantage point I might take up to 15 or 20 shots, but I can't imagine much more.
While the question is directed towards Marc, I'll say it's quite easy when you have growing light and ever changing clouds. You want to capture as much as you can, hoping that each moment will be better and better. For 90 minutes, thats not hard to do.
Wonderful capture, I think it's a great image as is... don't think I'd change a thing... just my humble opinion
Posted by Kevin McNeal on July 18, 2006 at 12:16 AM
Another great image Marc ! I like the FG grass as it greats perspective to the mountains. For me what works even better then anything else is the way the grass blades lean either way creating a foreground frame of the mountain peak. Add to this the sharpness of the grass and it works beautifully. The clouds add that perfect lead in the to the image as well.
Discussion
13 repliesWe both anticipated the low clouds would disapate as the sun set, like they do on almost every occasion through the Summer months. I figured a light mist would probably roll in though, as is common on alpine lakes as the days warmth fades into the cool night air. It did, and amazingly the clouds cooperated too! Everything just came together. It was one of the best natural compositions I think I've ever seen. Rick watched as I went through a couple 2GB cards and then on to a 4GB card as the atmosphere changed rapidly, shooting right by my side due to the limited viewpoints.
This was solidly my second favorite shot of the evening, with the clouds above Hood still illuminated and a light mist forming on the water. I'll post one later on the main forums that may be stronger still IMO. Thanks for looking and comments.
Can't say I'd recommend this trail to everyone, as it's a long way just for this one comp, which would basically be copying this exact image...so what fun is that...
It was great meeting you, hope we can shoot again soon. Hope I didn't slow you down too much. I haven't ever hiked that far in such short of time. Can't believe I'm not sore...
I've been up to this lake a few times and never was too impressed with what it had to offer photograph wise. You proved here that if you catch it with the right light, it can be pretty awsome up there. I think after you do those slight adjustments, this will be killer. (not that it already isn't)
In my opinion, the grass makes a very good anchor in the FG. Did you use a grad? It almost appears that the reflection is brighter than the mountain. Could be my eyes, but I keep staring at it and that's the impression I get.
Kosta