At this time of year, there is increased chance of fog near water bodies in Boulder and with the later sunrises, I’ve been lucky to experience some gorgeous light and moody fog. With a break in smoky skies from nearby forest fires, last week was one such occasion.
I don’t consider myself great at the big landscape shots but when the occasion is right I shoot them. This scene was just amazing. The pink sky lit the entire landscape pink. Then it was gone.
Interested in your comments.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Any
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Nikon D610
70-300mm at 125mm
2 sec
f16
ISO 100
cropped to 4x5
Like the others, I thouvht you found a fine scene and light to convey to viewers. For me, the bright sky pulled me away from the more interesting lake landscape. I ended up cropping out most of the sky and some bottom and right and let the pink be conveyed via reflection. I pushed the pink tint a little more and desaturated some gold leaves a bit.
Matt, this really gorgeous, I love it exactly as you originally presented it. I think your composition is nicely balanced, and I think one could make the case that the reflection itself is the main subject. I love the colors and processing here, it creates a very calm and gentle feeling in the image. I also like how you used the background mountain, and clump of grass in the LRC to fill in the composition around the main reflection. I think you have just the right amount of contrast here, adding any more would detract from the softness of the fog IMO. Nice work, this is a beautiful scene.
@photomat, Thank you, I appreciate your compliment. I do struggle sometimes with these sorts of scenic images for an easily identifiable subject. In this case and in many cases with a longer lens, however, the subject is both the light and the unusual, fleeting mood it creates. Would you agree?
@Dick_Knudson, glad to see you put your own spin on it. Its a beautiful crop and not one I tried in camera. Thanks for expanding my vision with your own interpretation.
@Ed_McGuirk, thanks for jumping in to the conversation. I wonder what you think about my explanation above about the light and mood being the subject. I don’t think the subject necessarily has to be an object in the photo. After all, photography is by translation, “drawing with light” so sometimes I look for the light to guide me and then compose within the frame.
I don’t think light and the mood are the “subject” in the traditional sense, but they are clearly the star of show, and are the elements that give this image high impact. I think most non-photographers viewing the image would say the reflection or the mountain are the “subject” here. But without the colors, the light, and the fog, this image would be nowhere near as interesting. They are the elements that make the image work.
Interesting discussion between @Ed_McGuirk and @Matt_Lancaster . I wonder if it becomes more challenging to convey light and mood as the subject if strong visual or graphic elements are a significant part of the scene.
I think in the case of Matt’s image the light and mood elevate the “subject”. Imagine this same scene shot on a dull overcast day with a flat sky, it would make a dull image. But I think you are right Dick in that if the subject is too complex, or too dominant that it can make it harder to convey mood. Many of my favorite fog images are those with a good degree of simplicity in their composition, such as the silhouette of a tree in the fog, or only a few key elements poking out of the fog. To some degree I think Matts image gets it’s mood more from the colors and the light than from the fog, and these things serve to enhance the composition. To me the fog here is a nice small touch, but it’s the warm colors and the light on the mountain that make the image sing.
This is an interesting conversation to which I would like to comment.
When I compose an image I almost never search for a point of focus or even think of the subject. I find that that kind of analysis thwarts my vision, my creativity in the field. Somehow things fall into place on their own.
In this image I would say the most dominating element are the trees on the opposite bank and the reeds below them. But they aren’t that dominant and that works really well here. Having multiple points of interest is a good thing from my perspectiive. There is clear structure here within the various layers front to back. So the image is clearly not chaotic. Some layers are horizontal while others are wedges.
Great analysis and comment, @Igor_Doncov. Thank you. I identify with your perspective of composing without a point of focus because I do that too. A majority of my images are about textures, light and shadow, juxtaposition, color compliments, motion, etc. - subjects that don’t always or may not have a central point of focus. I attempt to convey my experience of a place or moment so my images encourage exploration of the image and appreciation for the ordinary or sublime.
As I mentioned in the intro to this post, I don’t shoot a lot of images that try to show a big landscape - partly because I don’t feel I’m great at them, partly because I feel they do not stretch my vision muscles, partly because they have been done before. So if I do shoot one I want it to convey something more than the obvious in an obvious way.
On the other end of the spectrum of whether an image has a central point of focus, I am generally uneasy with images that center the subject in the frame. In those cases, I may find the image static, obvious, or simplistic, and far less interesting than one composed with a balance of elements throughout the frame. But that’s me and others are welcome to do as they wish.
Matt, I’m a little late here, but I really like this as presented. The layering is great, especially where the fog mimics the treeline and separates it from the mountain. The pink sunrise cast ties the whole image together nicely.
The only thing I can recommend is that there are some bright spots in the water (in the reflection of the mountain, and along the far shore) that I think should be cloned out.
Hi @Craig_Moreau - thanks for your comments and keen eye. I’ve attached a closeup of the far shore in the image that shows some ducks in the water - are those what you are referring to? If not, could you please be more specific? The spot in the reflection of the mountain is in fact something white in the water, so thanks for spotting that.
Yep, that’s what I was seeing. Knowing that they’re ducks, I would leave them, except maybe the one that’s very close to the left edge. That one I find distracting.
My first thoughts as soon as I saw the image was what an unusual crop to choose for such a wonderful landscape scene , leaving the viewer intrigued and wanting more image, particularly to the left side. Wonderful light and reflections and spot on exposure too.
Not sure this quite accomplished what I wanted, but the idea was to make the fog a little stronger “subject.” I’m getting distracted by the mountain, which is trying to be the subject, and doesn’t rise to the occasion.
