At certain times during the year, the angle of the setting sun is such that some beautiful and intense light and color can be seen in the valley, and mostly as it strikes El Capitan. Back in November Kyle and I husteled to one of our go-to spots for catching the light reflecting off El Cap. The vantage point is a good 20 or so feet above the Merced.
At that moment in time, I commented how intense the color and saturation was. It was really that intense. The struggle of course, is some time later reconciling how intense you thought it was, what you remembered vs. what the camera recorded.
Regardless, it was just one of those moments to relish, absorb and remember and be thankful to have been there and have camera in hand at the time.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Of course color/saturation?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
My biggest nitpick is the patch of leaf/needle debri. Is that too distracting? Tried cloning, but too much of a hassle.
Any pertinent technical details:
Single frame, although I did clone out a good sized rock in the LRC in order to retain some room at the bottom of the frame.
Nikon D800E 28-300mm @200mm f/16 1.3s
Thanks!
EDIT: Thanks so much for the comments and honesty. I’ve reworked this from scratch and did my best to eliminate the debris patch. There’s also a little more included up top. I also added a sliver of canvas extension on the right to give that little branch some space. Much cleaner I think now. Thanks so much for the feedback.
I really like the concept here, Lon. The color is insane! I do think the piece of debris is very distracting and the image is worth the hassle to clone it out. I like all the bare branches against the vivid color.
–P
Great capture. I really like the the leaves/needles in the river. It gives the image a place to focus with the branches framing it. What I didn’t care for was the branch that cut through it. I removed it and I liked this version better. Your mileage may differ.
The color is fabulous. I wish I had been there with you to see it.
Lon, have to agree with others, although it might not have been as much if you were slightly farther upstream, hard to say. The nice golds are terrific.
Thanks Don for the comment and edit. I can see the distraction and think if the patch was larger in the frame where the details could be seen better, then perhaps it wouldn’t be so much of a distraction. I agree with you that the branch cutting through didn’t help any…
That’s a really appealing metallic sheen you’ve got going over the water. I had a play around with the colours but I think I prefer the original. The cloned branch really makes a big difference although I still think that patch is worth cloning out altogether.
Thanks @Kah-Kit_Yoong. I think I may have replaced my repost with a different version while you were posting your comment. there is a bit of a change in color and look in the water. for now, I need to take a break on this one. I’m seeing orange… thanks for your comment!
Lon, I’m really liking your repost. Although I see the slight change in the orange being a bit darker to me, I like that look. This is one of those images that can present a few optional changes and ideas. In the end I can’t see any of them being wrong. With that said I’m sticking with my first choice being your repost…
@Ed_McGuirk, Thank you! Actually, this is a Big Leaf Maple tree, but you’re close as there is a Dogwood just to the left and several more upstream that I’ve photographed in the past. Good eye!
The reworked version (without the debris) is wonderful … both in its simplicity and elegance. It is a strange pairing in many ways but so effective. I think the colors being reflected in the water have a lot to do with that.
I actually like the original much better; your rework seems to have lost it’s reality. The rework is much more abstract. I actually prefer Don Jacobson’s rework best.
Getting away from original/rework, the color is fantastic and I really like the overall concept.
I am a little late to the show, but your repost looks perfect to me, Lon. The warm color is outstanding and I like the simplicity of the branches hanging down in the frame. I am glad you took the time to remove the leaf debris in the water; really cleaned up the image.
