Feather river

Image Critiques Abstract Nature Critiques
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Feather river
Feather river2298×1617 394 KB

Yay! This is cool and I’m feeling lucky getting to post the 1st image in the new Abstract Nature category. Ok, technically not the first since David and team moved some images in here that were previously posted… but still…

Thank you David and team for your openness to considering this category. And to be clear, this is not, and should not be the “Digital Art” category where we used to see images that were 100% created in Photoshop - great works, but most were not nature related and not created in the camera. Here now, having this category based on nature images that were actually created in the field with our cameras is hopefully at least a better fit to the nature theme that NPN is.

Anyway, I thought I would post this one at the request of @David_Bostock. This was captured just inside the border ofYosemite at the bottom of the Merced River canyon near El Portal. Myself and many others have photographed from this spot and honestly I’ve shot this location so many times, it’s one of the reasons I thought of experimenting with ICM just to do something different.

Normally pairing the ICM with the reality image might take away from the mystery of the actual ICM work. On the other hand, I think it’s revealing to see what potential there can be from an ordinary scene. I think if you compare you can see how the colors, light and contrasts are rendered with the motion. In this case, the shutter speed was fairly quick at .3s, so the motion was also fairly quick. Hard to tell and describe, but the motion was not a pure horizontal stroke of the camera. It was more dip… So, you start the horizontal motion panning the scene and just as you cross the part of the scene you want to capture you make a sudden dip of the camera, while simultaeously pressing the shutter. (a perfect explanation why many, many attempts can be made to produce something worth working with and sharing!)

So this is the result and following below is the straight image of the scene normally. Also at .3s but on a tripod and at f/18.

52D0097HCR-npnref
52D0097HCR-npnref1500×844 592 KB

thanks for looking!

Thank you once again David and team for giving this new category a test drive!
:+1: :+1: :+1: :+1: :+1:

Specific Feedback Requested

Any and all feedback is always welcome!

Technical Details

Nikon D800E, 28-300mm @35mm .3s f/13 iso 100 (polarizer I’m sure). Details on technique above

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WOW, the two images are so radically different, Lon. I see the dip in the ICM image. I thought that the ICM was all water. Now I am even more impressed! Excellent work and skill at ICM. I clearly have some ways to go before I reach this level of excellence.
I’m heading to Cannon Beach here in Oregon next week to try to catch some ICM wave action. Wish me luck.

Thank you for posting this one. I saw it on your website and knew it had to be shared.
Congratulations!

Cheers,
David

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Veeery cool!! I too thought it was pure water. It’s amazing what can happen with this stuff! (And, y’know, I kinda like the straight image, too!)

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Lon, needless to say I’ve seen many of your river takes over the years, but this one is without a doubt my favorite “to date”. The magic applied worked…EXCELLENT… :+1: :+1:

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I also wanted to thank @David_Kingham for starting this new category, I am so excited about it as I really want to get good a it. I love the speed you chose for the flowing water. It’s so beautiful, Lon! The straight shot shows how beautiful that place is but to make the scene into an ICM makes me not just see it but FEEL it. Beautifully captured!

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Lon, the “sweep” in the water and how you limited the sideways movement to retain much of the shape in the rapids look great. I also like the diagonal eye movement following the brighter areas.

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I’ll echo that Vanessa. Yes, thank you so much @David_Kingham and NPN for enabling this new category. Looking forward to see what this brings!

Thank you @Vanessa_Hill , @Paul_Breitkreuz , @David_Bostock , @Diane_Miller and @Mark_Seaver for your comments!

Thank you Paul, that’s high praise and means a lot!

Looking foward to what this new category brings!

Lon

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As already stated by others, this is an amazing ICM image. I really like your color treatment.

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