Daybreak (at Salt Fork Lake )

Wonderful frosty morning colours and great early morning sky, I love the detail in the foreground. I feel that I could almost touch the grasses. Mother nature put on a rare show for you and you were there! Congrats! Kim

Hey Bryan, great to hear from you again! The colors this year were awful, just as you observed, many areas were still green late in the season. Then wham, overnight they went brown and fell. I saw some isolated areas of truly beautiful color near Cadiz and also into the Monongohela National Forest, but a lot depended on which side of the mountain you were on. Thanks Kim. Regards.

Beautiful capture. The blue frost against the gorgeous sky just makes for a wonderful photograph. Congrats for your highly rated landscape of the month It deserves it. I see were both from NEO ( I transplanted to Vegas). Enjoyed your beautiful planet series. Fantastic job on that...RAY oh, Isn't getting up early a Hoot!

Thanks Ray! As I am getting my snow blower ready tonight, please try to stay warm out there in Vegas. Regards.

Excellent - pieknie

Truly exceptional stuff Walter. Frosty early morning shots like this rarely fail. Perhaps if you converted to nocturnal and slept during the day you would never miss. I know how challenging it can be to get out when its cold and dark. Glad you made the effort!!

Thanks Mark! Yes, I'm almost a total night creature now the way it is. The problem is that when the sun comes up I have to find my resting place in a hurry. By the way, Mark, what's your blood type? And how about you Mycatherina...type O, I hope? Regards.

This is wonderful work, Walt. I just bought me an old obsolete Bronica GS-1 (6x7), so look for me to try to post some medium format stuff before the month is out. (I couldn't afford anything else. but it looks pretty good--and I got a wide angle lens, too.)

 

I finally had to recognize that digital is not going to match medium format during the time I likely have left to shoot very much. I still shoot a lot of digital, though, so this is not like I am forsaking one medium for another, just taking a stab at medium format. I have always admired your work and wondered if I could get those wonderfully smooth and clear shots you are getting.

 

I love the long DOF on this one, especially with the plants looming practically in front of your lens. This is truly very nice work--as usual.

 

--Lannie

Sounds great, Lannie! I have a friend who had a Bronica and he loved it; the lenses are good, too. A 6x7 with a wide-angle can't be beat if you ask me. I think the real secret to getting a good MF image is in the scanning. You have all this information sitting nascently in that emulsion and it needs a good scan job to bring it out. Naturally, drum is the best but who can afford it? My Minolta DSMP does a great job and I am really happy that I have it. Too bad its manufacture was discontinued (like the Bronica). The Epson V750 looks like it would be a nice alternative, especially with its fluid mounting.

 

Thanks for the comment on the photograph. The DOF was achieved by f22 and hyperfocal focus. I had to walk back a bit into this underbrush to get a good comp. When I came out I was covered with a whole mess of those little stick-tight seed pods that I remember as being ubiquitously present in my childhood. Took me quite awhile to pick them all off. Regards.

This image is fabulous, I have looked at a similar scene in the corner

of fields 10,000 times and never spotted the potential, I have just walked by.

All credit to you for seeing and then producing an image of this class and quality. Inspirational. Simon

Thanks Simon! Your comment is greatly appreciated. I envy your postition of having such an opportunity frequently presented to you. True, one has to take the time to grab hold of it; I have regretfully walked-by many myself for one reason or another. My New Year's resolution, I think, will be on a theme of carpe diem. Regards.

Quite beautiful, Walter! I love the silouette of the dark weeds against the frost and sky.

Thanks Kim! Even though all of those grasses and thistles were pretty high I still set the tripod a bit lower to get that POV. Regards.

Came back again to enjoy... and to wish you Happy Holidays!

 

I look forward to enjoying many more wonderful images from you in 2008!

Merry Christmas to you Brad! Thanks for the visit. Regards.

phantastic image. seems like a photo taken with old rolleiflex twin lens and tele- xenar. very great!

Well, I entered this and one other photograph into this year's Erie Shores Photography Contest and was pleased to learn yesterday that this image was awarded a First Place in the Color Nature category as well as Best of Show awards. Made my day!

 

Thank you to all those Erie Shores members who had put this year's show together. Their hard work was certainly appreciated by me. Regards.

Stupendous image! I see why it is an award-winning image! Congratulations!

Thanks Todd. I made a 22x22 inch Chromira print of this on Fuji Supergloss and matted it with a rich, dark blue suede mat under TruVue Museum glass in a simple black frame. I am very pleased to mention that yesterday it was awarded Best of Show at the 3rd Annual Juried Competition at BayArts.

 

I think of all the photographs that I have ever made that this one may be my personal favorite. Regards.

Walter Congrats on the award this is a wonderful image for sure. - Sean

Thanks Sean! Hope you are still shooting your 6x7. Regards.

Incredible work! Perfect exposure and detials. I love the contrast of the cool tone and the warm light in the distance. Well done

oh .. amazing image ...

I agree with all of them. so very eyecatching.! Wonderful

Madeleine! I am a fairly modest fellow but permit to say that I consider this to be one of my best efforts. I made a 30x30 inch Chromira print of this and it is presently hanging above my fireplace. It is truly outstanding behind TruVue museum glass (if I say so myself). But the credit has to go to Fuji RVP and Pentax medium format equipment.

 

If time permits and you do not mind, I would be interested in how you came to visit this photograph since I do not post too frequently here anymore. Regards.