My first post on NPN! I shot this photo while on a backcountry ski trip last winter. We were treated to some great early season light that is not uncommon in the Cascades.
I am trying to improve my post processing and wondering how I might improve this image in post.
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D850, 1/1250 at f/9, ISO 200, 28-300 zoom lens at 28mm. Handheld
Welcome to NPN, Benj. Excellent first post!! Beautiful light throughout and especially in the back mountains. I am hard pressed to come up with any suggestions. Heck of a good start! Looking forward to seeing more of your work and seeing what you have to say on that of others.
Beautiful as presented. Maybe a little more on the bottom. The tracks in lower left are not very visible in the small version, but are in largest (and will be if printed large). Hopefully, we will have a lot of snow this winter (it is much needed). Welcome.
Just took a look at your website. Beautiful images. I especially like the Middle Fork of the Salmon and Grand Canyon photos. They bring back fond memories of those wonderful places.
Benj, welcome to NPN. I look forward to your contributions and seeing more of your work. This is a stellar image all around. There seems to be a dark oval shadow under the foreground tree that doesn’t look like the shadow from the light…not sure what that is…Other than that, this is an excellent first post. Ah, taking a closer look at the largest version, it might be a depression in the snow and the ground “leaking” up… 
Cheers,
David
This photo makes me homesick for Cascadia. I love the light, the lone tree in the foreground, and how various lines lead my eye to the distant peak. Beautiful!
Welcome! As this enlarges so much, I spotted magenta and cyan blotching on the middle-ground slope. However, it’s a superb image and the bright cloud spread over that distant mountain-top is the icing on the cake.
Thanks Jim. Good to see another river runner on here! This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I didn’t even notice the tracks! I might be inclined to clone them out. And yes…fingers crossed for a bunch of snow. It’s finally starting to fall here in the Cascades!
Thanks David. I think the oval is a small depression caused by the tree. …the beginning of a mini “tree well” as we skiers call them.
Thanks Mike. Good catch. I didn’t mean to upload such a large image, and I see it as well. Interestingly, I don’t see the blotching in Lightroom when I view the image full size.
First off welcome to NPN, Benj. This is a beautiful first post with some stunning scenery. You captured some amazing light and a drama laden sky with those clouds. I love the diagonal of the lone FG evergreen and the way it directs the viewer into the scene. My only suggestion would be to add a little canvas at the bottom so that the tree shadow was not as close to the edge. I hope to see more of your work as well as your thoughts on the images of other folks on NPN.
Hi Benj! Welcome to NPN! This is a beautiful image. I just love the composition. The little sideways tree in the front gives the whole scene a personality that is not typical of landscape photography. It’s a very grand landscape overall but that tree makes it so warm and down to earth. Like it’s inviting us into it’s magical winters world. Really awesome website too! Looking forward to more of your work!
Welcome, Benj!! Other than the suggestions above for a bit more room at the bottom (which isn’t about processing) I don’t have any useful suggestions. I suspect the color blotching is from the conversion to JPEG and the drop to 8 bits. If the image did an intermediate stage in PS, I assume you are working in 16 bits.
If it had been possible to get a little lower and a little to your left, the FG tree might be moved to fill a little more of the negative space on the right.
Looking forward to seeing more of your work!! This is the place to get thoughts about processing!
I don’t have much to add as this is such a banger for me… maybe a little lower here or an inch over there, but this is a really nice frame and well seen.
My only minor quibble was already mentioned, the oval shadow under the pine.
It’s refreshing to see a landscape shot that has a foreground element where there wasn’t focal trickery going on, bringing the mountain to the mid frame with gargantuan, unrealistic proportions. It’s great looking at a photo and thinking yes, that’s something I could actually see with my own eyes !
