A couple weeks ago I found a meadow that was absolutely filled with Queen Annes Lace. So I decided to go back and try to shoot a sunrise there. A half hour before sunrise the meadow was completely covered in ground fog. I got some other nice shots of the foggy flowers. By the time the fog started to dissipate, the sun had already climbed up in the sky a bit. But there was just enough thin fog left that it accentuated the light beams as the sunlight shined through the trees at the edge of the meadow.
Bracketed exposures blended for dynamic range using luminosity masks.
Specific Feedback Requested
any critique or comment is welcome
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon 5D MK4, Canon 16-35mm f4 lens, at 35mm, ISO 200
What a beautiful scene, Ed. That light is really nice. Love the starburst in the trees, and the way the fog brought the rays on down towards the flowers. Excellent shot.
Beautiful light and scene, Ed. I experimented with cropping just a bit off the left to give more a feel of the light coming from there and sweeping in. I like it cropped. No other suggestions though, a really nice image.
A lovely scene. The sunlight coming through the trees is really special to light up the Lace. I really like the warm color of the sun. Nicely executed.
Hi @Ed_McGuirk . Lovely image! Those God Rays are vibrant! And that field, it’s just packed with flowers. What an awesome scene. I particularly like how my eye goes right to the star burst and then flows the ray down to the flowers.
A couple things to consider is to try a vertical frame with this scene. All of the action is in the center with some “dead air” on the right and left. Going vertical will really use the full frame.
Second thing I’d consider is to zoom out and then move closer to the flowers. But going with a wider angle the flowers will look bigger and be more emphasized without losing anything you have going here.
This is a beautiful scene, @Ed_McGuirk . The fog that remained provided the opportunity for these pretty light beams, yet I find myself wishing for more fog! Alas!
I see a lot of Story here . The light beams really connect the flowers in the field to the Sun beyond. Is there cosmic communication happening here?!?
This is not necessarily easy to capture/process. I often do not bracket enough exposures for the highlights. You do this masterfully. I have the same thought as @Michael_Torkildsen about vertical crop but I enjoy this presentation as well.
thank you all for your comments I appreciate hearing your thoughts.
I do have some with a LOT more fog (but no sun through the trees). Perhaps one of those for my next post
Harley I think you are right, a slight crop from the left would be a plus.
Michael and Adhika, I did shoot this as a vertical just moments after doing a few horizontals, but for me it didn’t work as well. I prefer it as a horizontal given how the sun beams cut across a good portion of the horizontal. If the beams has been more completely circular, then a vertical would work well, but here they were skewed to the right, which drove me to a horizontal.
This is a outstanding capture, Ed! My original thought was this would also look wonderful as a vertical, but then I decided I would hate to lose the Queen Annes Lace in the LRC so horizontal all the way for me. I obviously love the rays as they set up such a wonderful mood of hope; at least for me; and the exposure blend looks great. I am looking forward to seeing what else you came away with from that lovely morning.
I absolutely love the sun rays Ed. I think there is a little bit of dead space on the left edge and would do a slight crop but leave the right alone. That’s where the sun rays glow through the trees. Excellent patience to wait for this “happen” while under foggy conditions But I consider you the fog King anyway so you were probably loving the fog as much as the sunrise. I agree with @Michael_Torkildsen about making the flowers more impactful by getting right in their face and really making a few of the flowers stand out. Great job of bracketing. Would love to see some of your foggy images Ed.
I agree with