I have looked at this one for a while and finally decided it was time for input. This was an evening scene from a spring trip to the PNW including Mount St. Helens. The mountain was quite shy about revealing her cap. However, one overcast evening the light broke through the grey skies and was quite nice for this scene of the base and recovering blast zone. Can you see the grazing Elk? I did not until I returned home.
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Single frame, ISO 200, F14, 0.5 sec, F14, tripod,
If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag āigā and leave your Instagram username below.
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
Lovely image, Alan. Itās so hard to adjust oneās expectations of mountains (peakless or not) and work with what the weather allows. I like this kind of image a lot. I think it could be simplified a little (not sure we need the top 1/3). Cropping the top allows the river to be the primary focus of the composition. The rivers exiting the top of the frame do pull my eye a bit. Of course, I like it as presented as well.
ML
Fantastic job isolating this āgrand landscapeā from an even larger landscape; great use of the selective telephoto - now you didnāt specify the lens or focal length, but Iām guessing a longer focal length 100mm+ OR a cropā¦ Just a terrific nature, and natural landscape; so many great elements to enjoy including the cutting rivers, the high meadows, scattered forest - and āash zonesā . Just a great job, including processing.
Yeah, and I found Waldo tooā¦ Actually, I tried really hard and could not find any. Iām guessing the 100% crop from the original would be an easier find.
There is some good texture here due to the erosion and all those trees. I reminds me a bit of some of the Canyonland images we see now and again. There is a nice vertical on the left half that I would consider.
Alan, this is a wonderful āGrand Intimateā, there are a lot of interesting details, textures and colors for the viewer to appreciate. I think you have done a great job of organizing the scene, with sweeping lines creating a strong visual flow to the image. I also like your WB, itās a nice mix of warm and cool colors. I like the framing you achieved here, the ridge in the LLC anchors the scene, and the blue river and ridgeline in the top of the image draws your eye down to the lighter areas below. Overall, I think this a very powerful image with a lot of impact.
However, I looked hard for the elk to no avail. If you get a chance, post a rework where you circle them with a red brush in Photoshop, Iām now curious to know where they are.
Alan, this is a lovely scene, thatās a fascinating mix of real and abstract. My personal approach would be to emphasize the abstract by adding some more contrast to the brighter area that was catching a hint of light (roughly triangular above and left of center). The textures and shapes are outstanding. I did find what looks to be a lone elk, which makes a fine āeaster eggā.
Thanks to everyone for your helpful comments. @Marylynne_Diggs and @Igor_Doncov thanks for the crop suggestions, I like both of your suggestions. What I like about these types of scenes is how they do lend themselves to different composition choices. Igor, I agree with your Canyonland comparison and love to study those types of scenes.
@Lon_Overacker I forgot to list the 120mm focal length, but you were correct as usual! Thanks for the nice comments. This is not a crop and I did add a circle, as suggested by @Ed_McGuirk, to show where the elk are grazing. They may not show up in the detail of this file size, this was not supposed to be a trick questionā¦oops!
@Ed_McGuirk thanks for the kind words, detailed comments and suggestions on this one, they are always welcome and appreciated! These types of āGrand Intimateā scenes tend to be some of my favorites.
@Mark_Seaver, thanks for your comments. I did add a fair amount of contrast and brightened the areas you mentioned. I tend to be too conservative on pushing things too far and agree this could be bumped up. Good find on the elk, especially since my posted file size is not adequate for the task. In the original I see 7 or 8 included in the circle shown on the repost.
I like this quite a bit: the detail and the texture are great, and I like that you kept the colors rather cool, especially that blue of those canyons. The composition gives a sense of mystery, which I like. I think your second edit is better, but one idea Iād try is to add a little more contrast between the bottom (blue) of the canyons and the top using some dodging and burning to really make that stand out. Iād also try to pull down the vignette just a little, I find it slightly distracting. Looking really good overall.
Hi Alan - What a spectacular scene full of interesting details! I have never seen a photo like this from the Mount St Helens area and love that you are sharing something that feels new and fresh. Overall, I think the composition works, especially with the river snaking through the scene.
My only critique is with regard to the processing. To my eye, the groups of trees in the upper right and lower left feel too dark, like the areas have lost a lot of the interesting detail - especially when comparing them to the very bright plateau in the middle of the frame. I think brightening some of the darks (and maybe backing off the vignette as mentioned above) could make the scene feel a bit more balanced. Beyond that small item, this photo is wonderful and I really enjoyed exploring it (although I couldnāt find the elk until you circled them).
@fwolanski thanks for the feedback. I was wondering if anyone would comment on the colors, contrast and vignette. Thanks to both you and @Sarah_Marino for offering those suggestions. I agree with the dark areas and vignette and will pull back on those. @Sarah_Marino this trip was in part, to be about shooting wildflowers on Mount St. Helens and also Olympic Park. The flowers were quite nice but as I now understand St. Helens can be quite fickle about showing off her crown in the spring. I did get one glimpse of the entire mountain (over three days) in afternoon sunshine only, but ultimately I was more fascinated with the details of the unique ash zone landscape. This was one of those times that I did not have a preconceived set agenda for getting āthe shotā, and did not do a lot of previewing of images from the mountain. I ended up satisfied with my overall results and had a great time! Your article here on NPN was a great reinforcement for this approach. Thanks again!
I love this, Alan. There is an aerial look to it and I really enjoy going through the image as directed by the lines and the shapes here. My eyes explored all areas and that was a really pleasant experience. I do not immediately see the āblockedā shadows that Sarah suggested but now that she has mentioned, I can see that improved. Congrats on this image!
Actually, I tried really hard and could not find any. Iām guessing the 100% crop from the original would be an easier find.
