This one is from an October trip to Mt. Rainier NP. This is Reflection Lakes, which are heavily visited as they are right off the highway. Not so busy in October! It was a subfreezing, clear morning and it had snowed a bit the night before. I was camping at Ohanapecosh Campground and got up early to catch the sunrise.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
The snow on the trees, the little bit of mist on the lake and the frost on the foreground grasses were very appealing to me. This is a new edit of images shot in 2021. I was unhappy with the previous attempt and started again from scratch. It is a focus stack and exposure blend (not HDR). I did some local adjustments to tonality as well. I’m not entirely happy with the comp. I arrived a little later than ideal, and I had to work fast to find a comp that I liked. Couldn’t do anything about the bluebird skies. Even though the light was coming from the east (right in the frame), the sky was a bit brighter on the left side of the frame. I tried to even that out in PS.
Technical Details
Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70mm @29mm. 3 frames at ISO 40, f/11. Processed in ACR and PS. 2 frames at 1.3 secs for the grasses and the mountain were focus stacked, and then blended with an exposure 0.5 secs for the mountain. Local adjustments to tonality using curves layers. Slightly cropped.
After some input from all of you, here is a re-work of the image:
The grasses in the FG work perfectly at following the contour of the reflection of the mountain.
That little jut out on the left gives me a sense of how this area of the lake is laid out.
The snow and the frost on the trees adds lots of visual appeal, the mist on the water does the same.
The smooth water only adds to it for me.
The sky doesn’t really bother me, yeah, it would be better if there were some interesting clouds there but it’s not a deal breaker by any means.
It certainly has a nice painterly feel to it and the exposures seem to be spot on.
I’m a little conflicted on the deep red color on the mountain and in the reflection however.
I am in no way thinking that the red color was less than presented, but in my mind, I feel that it would strengthen the image if the red color was toned down some because it seems to be the one element in the image that is overpowering everything else. But that is just me.
Great image and I’m sure it was an exhilarating feeling to capture it under such wonderful lighting and weather conditions!
Well, this is simply a gorgeous image Patrick. First of all, I’m enjoying all the pieces in your composition; you found a great location, where the mountain reflection fits in with the shoreline grasses perfectly, as if it were a puzzle. The frosted grasses work as a very pleasing foreground as well as the rising mists in the middle. Finally, the mountain peak bathed in sunlight is dramatic, especially against the blue sky.
Well, Patrick, this image truly deserves to be a screen saver. You have captured a great scene. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I love that the sky is not competing with the rest of the image. To me, the mountain, the forest, and the lake reflections are the centerpiece of the image. So, I’m happy with perfectly blue skies. You did a good job in balancing out the sky luminosity, as you pointed out. As @Merv mentioned, the red color on the mountain seems really intense. It probably was reflecting all the light coming in from the east. Although I do not like to mess with Nature’s work, had I done the editing here, I likely would have reduced the saturation and/or luminosity of those reds just to make the scene more even. I am not suggesting you do that. It is simply my preference if I were editing the photo. The grasses in the foreground perfectly frame the mountain’s reflection. The level of detail is also very good and puts me right into the environment.
Although I do not like to change Nature just to satisfy my eyes, I do want to mention two minor things that push my eyes away from the mountain and its reflection. The little jut of land on the left side of the frame breaks the placid reflection of mountain and forest. Naturally, changing the crop would not work here. The only way to eliminate that would be to clone it out of the scene. The same goes with the little top of the pine on the right side of the frame that sticks up into the blue sky. On a small screen, that is not an issue. However, in a large format, it sticks out in front of the small peak behind it. Again, cloning it out would also force you to eliminate it in the reflection. Those are two very minor points that distract my eyes. It probably does not bother anyone else.
This is truly a gorgeous capture. Everything from the top of the mountain to the tree tops and snow, all the way down to the reflection and foreground make this image screen-saver worthy. Very well done!
@Merv@Jim_Lockhart@EgĂdio, thanks for your comments and compliments! MRNP is really a treasure, especially when the weather is cooperating. @Merv, I agree that the red could be toned a little. When I was doing the initial processing, I increased the red calibration slider in ACR , so I am including an edit turning it back down some. @Egidio, I see your point on the distracting elements, although they don’t bother me too much. Sometimes a little randomness in nature is OK, I think. Even if I wanted to, I doubt that I could do a convincing job of cloning out those elements.
I’ve looked at this a few times and something still felt off but it just occurred to me what it is.
And of course this wouldn’t be noticed by the average viewer.
You see how the trees in the reflection have less detail and clarity compared to the actual view?
Well, the reflection of the mountain has just as much detail and clarity as the actual view.
The trees in the reflection don’t totally mesh with the reflection of the mountain.
Maybe just for the heck of it to see how it feels, reduce the contrast of just the mountain in the reflection?
Yeah, it’s more of a fine tuning thing but this image has marketable potential in my opinion. Not many images of this iconic view with this level of interest.
And of course most people wouldn’t ever notice it.
I totally agree with you. I think we need to take Nature as it is. The re-edit is really nice with the reduced reds on the mountain.
If I may suggest, you could edit the title of the post to include the words “with edit” or “+rework.” Generally, that is something other moderators suggest in NPN so that viewers can see there is a new image to the original OP. For future reference, you can also add the re-edit right along the original image. It makes it easier for viewers to compare the two images side by side. Please feel free to contact me or other moderators if you need assistance with that.
Patrick this is an inspirational scene. I do prefer the rework. I fully agree about nature not being “neat” with random “distractions” often being part of the scene. I will throw out one more idea as food for thought. The mist off the water seems quite blue. While this is the reality of shadow areas under blue a sky, our brains transform that vision into something more white. If you choose, this could be corrected with some local blue desaturation.
This is a beautiful image. It’s both cold and warm at the same time. I am with whoever mentioned that the blue sky is not really an issue here, so that the mountain is really the focus in the sky. I also prefer the rework with the reds slightly less saturated. I can definitely see this as a screensaver.
@Merv@Mark_Seaver@Jim_Lockhart@EgĂdio@karlag Thanks for all your comments and suggestions! I joined this group largely because I wanted to get some useful critique on my images, and suggestions for improvement, as opposed to the feedback one gets on social media. You have delivered. It’s ironic that this weekly challenge is titled “Screensaver,” as that is where I have found more than a couple of my images reposted according to Pixsy.
