A Hint of Fall in the PNW

Repost in B&W per suggestions:

We’re not having a good fall color here in the Pacific Northwest. I think it’s due to the extreme heat we had earlier. 116 degrees is brutal on plants and foliage. Still, I went out to the Hood River Valley yesterday and came across this scene shortly after sunrise. I usually hit this location in spring to catch the orchard blossoms. The trees had some subtle color…but what really blew me away though was the very cool clouds.

Specific Feedback Requested

Any comments appreciated.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Fujifilm GFX 100, GF 100-200mm @ 100mm, 0.3 sec @ f/16, -1 exposure comp, ISO 100, Tripod, Polarizer.

Processed in Capture One.

That is a beautiful scene, David. Such a wonderful inviting setting in some great light. Love the snow covered mountain in the background and the wonderful clouds that also make me think of mountain tops.

You just have to love lenticular clouds, they always look so cool. I think the composition works well, I do like the texture in the foreground trees, and I like the way they add some nice diagonal lines. The spotlight effects in the mid-ground are pretty cool too.

I think the image works fine in color, but with clouds like these I would want to see this in B&W too. Boost the yellows and greens in the trees, and darken the blue sky, and you may have another rstrong image too.

Thanks @Nick_Bristol and @Ed_McGuirk for your comments. Ed, I posted a quick B&W edit in the original post. Thanks for your suggestions.

David, indeed, the lenticular clouds make this view. They are wonderful. I like the coolness that the blue and white in the sky provides. I do think this would look good as a pano with about half the trees at the bottom cropped off. (BTW, lenticular clouds are formed by moist air flowing up and over the mountains, so you see them the most often in places like the PNW where there’s such a large altitude change.)