I grabbed this shot yesterday morning of a hill about a mile north of us. We just had our hundred-year blizzard out here, NW of San Francisco. It dumped about an inch on the hills around us but the freezing level was about 1000 ft, and we’re at 600, so we just got rain. We had house guests from WI who had escaped just ahead of the blizzard back there and were checking their iPhones for news that it might be a while before their road was plowed, while we were getting alerts about dangerous conditions on our hilly back roads.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
I didn’t have a chance to do any serious scene-chasing and the snow didn’t last long so this is basically a grab shot from the best opening in the trees to give a view of the most scenic hill.
Technical Details
Handholding and feeling way too rushed, so I had a lot more ISO and SS than needed. And then on the computer I decided the composition encompassed too much and wound up with about a 50% crop. There was a bit of color on some of the trees, and on the bare FG trees from lichen, but I decided I liked a cool monochrome better, to minimize the FG stuff which was just too different. The trees are relics of two recent wildfires that ripped through this hill, in 2017 and 2020. I think they are interesting enough that I need to go back and do more with them in different light.
I like the “cool monochrome” very much. Did you get this through Photoshop, Diane? I also find the mist enshrouding the trees very atmospheric. It will be interesting for you to see if your freak conditions affect plant and animal life later in the year.
Thanks, @Mike_Friel – I went to PS and did a B/W layer (adjusted to taste for the different colors) and then above that layer did a Hue-Sat layer to tint it. (Could also have done a Color Balance.)
This is not the most dramatic temperature event here. When we have clear nights in winter we can get major radiational cooling and can get early morning temperatures in the low 20s for several hours until the sun comes up. But that’s for us. We’re in the bottom of a small bowl where the cold air settles – on the nearby hills such as this one, it can be up to 10 degrees F warmer! Talk about microclimates. My plants hate me.
I really love this image. I think the monochrome is great. I had to look at it for a second because I couldn’t tell if it was black and white or if there just wasn’t much color in the photo.
May I ask where NW of SF you are? I grew up on the Sonoma County Coast. Snow like this is so rare up there. I think 89 or 90 was the last time I can remember snow accumulating so much.
Thanks, @Jens_Ober, @Andrew_Dunbar, @Eva_McDermott and @Jim_Zablotny. Andrew, we’re in the hills between Santa Rosa and Calistoga. That’s closer to N than NW from the city.
There is some interesting scenery on that stretch of coast.
This was a strange storm that swirled up from southern CA – there were pictures of snow on some southern CA beaches – bizarre. I think I’ll find some good snow in the eastern Sierra on an upcoming outing. I’ve seen it absolutely bare.
Nice! It’s rather fun to have snow here, isn’t it? (As long as your trees aren’t breaking apart - a big limb fell on the neighbor’s car in our hood). The fog/clouds are a lovely touch. I could see trimming a bit off the left, where the “blank” piece of hill is. We’re going to get more snow tomorrow!
I know those hills very well! I finished High School in Dixon and used to get into all sorts of shenanigans out there. I’ll probably be returning to the North Bay Area in the next year or so.
This is a really great shot, Diane! I love the comp and the image is so full of atmosphere. I also really like how you processed and tones this image. Excellent work!
This is simply wonderful! Not only the rare opportunity to photograph snow on our local hills, but you too great advantage of the conditions to frame and process this so beautifully.
I just love the “island” of trees - at least that’s my impresson, surrounded in fog. I think the crop you selected works beautifully. Oh, and the tones you’ve presented work perfectly as well. It’s like a sepia tone, only with a cool tone. Very cool!
And you inspired me to get out today with the current storm passing thru. No where near the same conditions you experienced as our snow level is up around 2,000ft… I did see a rainbox and cool skies today and the mix of snow-capped peaks and the green hills… always a nice sight.
Super nice image, Diane. The atmospherics are incredible. This is a great reminder of the unbelievable winter California has had this year. I just read that Lake Tahoe currently sits at the second highest snow total in recorded history at over 652 inches with about 4 more feet coming in as we speak. Mammoth Mountain has just recorded it’s largest snowfall in recorded history and again with several more feet before the week is out. This image will be a great reminder of what we’ve all been through this winter. A winter we will never forget. Your poor guests probably thought they were going to get nicer weather. Oh man. I feel for them.
