Storm Light + repost

My brother and I have been to Sunset Hill in Sugar Hill, NH numerous times over the years and we have been fortunate to witness and capture some beautiful lighting conditions on many occasions. I can probably count the number of times on one hand that we did not come away with several compositions that we did not like. This was one of those evenings that we were fortunate to be graced by some gorgeous light and clouds. As always thanks for taking a moment to leave a thought.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

All C&C welcome

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

All C&C welcome

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-200 @ 155mm, f 16 @ 1/8 sec, ISO 400, MLU, cable release & tripod

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1 Like

Hi Ed,

The atmospherics are great here but what catches my eye are the repeating diagonal lines in your composition.

What has happened to the foliage on the main ridge? Has there been a beetle infestation?

This is one of those places that always seems to manage to pull off a good sunset or sunrise when the surrounding area has nothing going on. I know this composition (and those diagonals) well :smiley:

I might try to select the sky and darken it slightly, or add some mid-tone contrast, you might be able to tease a little more of the alpenglow color out of it (but maybe not). The red trees on the background mountain are not beetles as @Nathan_Klein speculated (fortunately not much of that in New Hampshire yet). But are the red trees due to alpenglow ??? Given how green the foreground trees are, I’d guess it looks like spring or summer, so it’s not early fall color.

Nice one Ed. I really like the comp and that red glow on the mountain is great. And that sky ain’t half bad either. I might go in @Ed_McGuirk’s direction and burn it in a little.

Agree with the comments made thus far. The composition is simple and elegant. The volcanic light and alpenglow could be enhanced if you are drawn to guiding the viewers eye up there - I agree with that. My only other comment is that the foreground ridgeline is a wee bit brighter than it seems it should be for this degree of alpenglow.

Many thanks to @Nathan_Klein, @Ed_McGuirk, @Michael_Lowe and @Jim_McGovern to taking a moment to leave your thoughts; always appreciated. Here is a repost with your wonderful suggestions.
@Nathan_Klein: Thank goodness it is not a beetle infestation. I think it is just the way the light from the setting sun is striking the mountainside.
@Ed_McGuirk: I seem to remember an image of yours with some autumn color and snowfall that appears to be taken looking in this direction. I darkened the sky for a little more drama as you suggested and I pulled a little more color out of the alpenglow as well. Your suggestions have helped. This was taken a couple of days before our NENP meetup last year.
@Michael_Lowe: Thanks Mike.I burned the sky a little more in the repost.
@Jim_McGovern: I darkened the FG ridge just a little with the repost. I like it.

Great minds think alike… :smile:

@Ed_McGuirk: You got it :grinning:.