Incredible image David! What really draws me in are the blue tones harmonizing with the rusty tones which thoroughly complement each other. I like the final revision as it looks like you’ve removed a little bit of the warmth from the first redo and I much prefer the blue tones in the brightly lit steam. But my favorite part of this image is the bright spot in the little mud pot in the lower right quadrant. It’s a high contrast eye magnet that tells a story. It’s almost like it’s performing a dance for the three little vents to the left of it and it’s definitely the star of the show. It literally looks alive with movement. The image would be strong even without these small vents but with them, it takes this image to a whole new level. Show someone a color wheel and tell them about complementary colors and this image has it in spades.
I’m not sure where this is in the park. Like a lot of people, I primarily went there to shoot the fauna and didn’t give the landscape much thought actually. To be honest, it never really inspired me very much. Certainly not like the Sierra or the Canadian Rockies. But this brings a whole new take to intimate, ethereal, landscape possibilities that are probably endless in this park. Shame on me for missing those and only seeing fauna and the grand landscapes that are not so grand.
PS I bumped into you and Jennifer last year while shooting fall colors in Colorado at the Dallas divide one morning and then ran into you and your group again while you were starting to shoot nightscapes up 7 or 9, I can’t remember. We talked a little bit, you gave me some NPN stickers and told me you were on your way to Mammoth Mountain the following week for a conference I think. I just want to say that it was great to meet both of you. You inspired me to start posting again. It had been at least three years since my last post in the old layout. 