“We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.” – John Muir
It was late in the day and I was tired. We’ve been driving for hours and were now on a road west of Jasper National Park in British Columbia, Canada, trying to get to our campsite when through the windshield I saw these golden rays of the setting sun light up this peak (which I later learned was named Mount Albreda). I so badly wanted to photograph the view, but we were on a two lane road with quite a bit of truck traffic and there wasn’t safe place to pull over anywhere!
As luck would have it, after driving for a couple more minutes I saw a large pullout on the side of the road where I could stop and set up my tripod. I took a few frames, then packed everything back up, and again we were on our way.
Specific Feedback Requested
Anything and everything. I’m also rather curious what you think about the colour. The sunset colours were similar to what you see here, but I’m wondering if they don’t look too bold when this is viewed out of context and without the memory I have associated with it.
Hey Tom! I love the image. First and foremost, you indicated about the color in your image description. I personally like the color. It’s really nice. We have the liberty to adjust colors and other things as the artist. So, if you like it, awesome! Looking at the overall composition I might suggest choosing what the main subject is. I find myself searching between the two dominating features of the mountains and the sky. A crop to make one dominant over the other would be one easy way to do that. I find the sky and lit mountain face to be the most interesting, so maybe a crop like a 9x16 to only feature the mountain at the bottom and the sky at the top. Overall, a stellar scene that any photographer would be thrilled to see. Keep up the great work, king!
Tom, there is nothing at all wrong with those colors. They look absolutely right for the moment. I like the composition however there may be a crop or two in there somewhere that will make the peak more dominant. I can see why you would want to pull over and take this image. Beautiful, craggy, snowcapped mountains with a stellar sky above. The foreground doesn’t do much for me but you were certainly limited in where and how you could grab this shot. Well done I say.
Excellent image, Tom. I love the colour and, of course, the light is gorgeous. What what sets this image apart from so many other grand landscapes are all the undulating ridge lines that seem to culminate on the perfectly lit peak. Very nicely composed.
Spectacular!! The colors don’t look overdone to me, but it has a bit of a graduated warming filter look. I wonder about moving toward the Velvia look with a slight push toward blue/magenta??
I could see about a 20% crop from either the top or the bottom, for 2 different images.
Fantastic that there was a pulloff and the light was still great!!
The peak and the color of the light are the stars here. The top portion of the clouds do not add to the image and could easily be cropped, as well as a good portion of the foreground. I agree that a 16:9 crop could work very well.
The gold color makes this image for me. Gold and black is a fine combination. I like the composition as is. I find that ridge of finely defined trees along the edge to be almost as good as the snow and clouds.
I played around with the crop and this is what I came up with. I tried a 16:9 crop but it didn’t feel quite right so I settled on more of a 16:10 crop. I left the bottom pretty much intact because I feel that the mountain is more grounded with it there but I got rid some of the sky.
Much better, for me. That top cloud was competing for attention too much. I think I like the bottom edge of the OP better, though. The tiny bit you removed had an interesting dark area there that I felt helped ground it.
Tom, I have to say that I thought a crop from the top would improve an already excellent image, but I confess that seeing the crop I’m leaning towards the original. Boy, it’s hard to say, but I think there is enough of interest in the cloud textures to include it. That being said, did you crop anything from below because I’d probably prefer adding a bit below to cropping from above. Either way, a fine composition.
Tom, the colors look realistic, helped by the contrast with the dark ridges below. Your crop does a fine job of adding emphasis to the mountain (more centered and slightly larger) as it makes the viewing feel more balanced.
Tom this is a stunning image all around. The colors are spectacular and realistic in my view. I love the quote from John Muir too.
I think the original crop is stronger due to more of that intense sky pushing down on the mountain. Both are fine, but the first one just feels more whole.
I prefer it OP because I feel the topmost clouds added interest to the picture. Yes, it makes the mountain more prominent but at the cost of the overall image.
Thanks again for the amazing input everyone! I’ve purposely left this image for a couple days and now when I come back to it, I also prefer my original crop simply because I think that the sky adds so much more interest to the image.
This is breathtaking, Tom. I’m sorry you weren’t actually on a hike to this place. It looks like a place to be explored! I love the details of the pine trees in the foothills and all the snow. Love the light on the mountain. Great capture and I’m glad you were able to pull off to get this!
I can just imagine the psuedo panic you were feeling as the fleeting moment - was just that, fleeting and you so badly wanted to stop and capture. And sometimes, it works out just right. This was one of those moments.
The color? Just right, like I think most folks have concurred. Beside the color, the light is just fantastic! The light on the snow-covered peak is wonder and I love how the details of the mountain are really showcased. And the clouds? Wow, one of those moments were the sun gets under the cloud deck as it’s setting which creates for some drama in the sky. And for that reason, I prefer your original and wouldn’t crop the sky. If there was any cropping, you might come up from the bottom a little. But your original works beautifully.
