The Passing of Time

When we glance back and consider what has been, it is easy to look with regret upon what has occurred in the past. Thoughts like, “If I had only done this”, or “If I had not done that” things would be so different. I think about the past when I am in Glacier National Park. I wonder how tall the mountains used to be. I think about what it looked like when this land was covered in glaciers. After the ice had finished its work of carving this work of art, how different did it look than before the ice appeared? How tall were the waterfalls? How deep were the canyons? I love to imagine this wild place eons ago when Native People viewed this majestic place. Did it look the same as it does now? Do you know what I think? I think Glacier National Park has endured some difficult times. I imagine that if it could talk, it might express some regret at what had happened. Think about it though, if the Ice Age had not left its mark here, it would not look the same. This unmatchable landscape would likely not be nearly as interesting. I think life is like that for all of us. To be sure, most of us have endured pain and difficult circumstances. Some of you have faced a more difficult journey than others. On the other side of that though, is a beauty that is difficult to comprehend. Be patient, stay strong when you can, lean on each other when you can’t, and embrace the journey. The passing of time leaves its mark on all of us, and it is a beautiful thing.

Specific Feedback Requested

This image was captured during an extreme wind event. I decide to capture the movement of the clouds since a reflection was out of the question. It is most certainly a “artist’s rendition” of what I witnessed that evening. I’ve saturated the color far beyond what was there. Does it go too far?

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Nikon D850
Nikkor 18-35 f/3.5-4.5
ISO 64, f/18, 54 seconds, 18mm
6 stop ND filter

I used Lightroom Classic CC to clone out some overexposed areas, saturated the colors with the brush tool, and lightened the face of the mountain where the light was hitting and darkened the back side a bit.

singingskyphotography

Paul, the cloud movement, the smooth reflections in the water and the details in the mountains all look good. Yes, the color makes it look rather “unworldly”, more of an interpretation than a representation. The dodging on the mountainside near the center shows clearly, so I’d suggest toning that down a bit.

Thanks for the feedback Mark. I’ll revisit this and see what I can improve upon. I’ve learned a bit about processing since I captured this image in August of 2019.

Very nice image and certainly fits the category.

Hi @Paul_Holdorf I was not sure what to think about this photo. After looking at it several times I have some ideas. I think I would crop the bottom. The reason is that the water and the sky and the mountains all draw my attention - and they are all saturated. The saturation looks the most overdone on the water which is also the least interesting after the sky and the mountains for me. Cropping about 2/3 or 3/4 of the water helps the image be more about the wind event made visible by the clouds and anchored by the mountains. That is the most powerful aspect of this image for me (saturated or not). Also, the saturation in the sky adds drama while remaining more natural than its effect on the water. However, I also get that this image has a story for you and cropping might detract from that.

I like this a lot - I’d just remove the few orange and grey spots (sensor dust?) in the sky.