Towards Baslow from Hathersage

Tripod mounted with mirror lock up, metered for the field, 5:00am

and a 3 sec exposure using Velvia and stopped down to f11.

Looks like a great location. Too much dead sky for my eyes. Perhaps if the sky was more dramatic I would like it more. I also don't think the mist/cloud adds very much to the atmosphere either. I like the shapes of the trees against the different colours of the fields but get the feeling that I wish I could see more of them but they are a bit lost in the mist. I like the colour contrast at the bottom of the photograph.

I like the mist. I've been trying to catch a good fog for a while, but it always comes out looking so dull. I'd crop the sky, more, though. Yeah, you'll get a middle horizon, but the interest is in the ground and all that sky isn't adding anything.

The colors are great, but I would crop the sky a little also. And something bothers me about the really dark trees on the bottom left. I'm not sure what you could have done without burning the bright sections out though.

I am not sure where the magenta comes from, as this is straight out of the camera, full frame. My scanner is calibrated to the screen and the printer and in most cases extremely neutral.

 

I set up the shot using the thirds principal and the sky offered me more than the very dark foreground. These pics show the same valley from a slightly different viewpoint, unfortunately I couldnt get the muted colours from the field.

 

Michelle, I like the idea about cropping for panoramic (to lose some of the sky), I did this to the image below and it does work.

 

So thanks to you all, composition is subjective and I appreciate your input, it will no doubt influence my composition in future..thanks!!

.....cropped.

Drew, I much prefer the newly attached images. There seems to be more clarity in the image which contrasts much better with the mist. Maybe that's why ? In order to accentuate the effect of the mist there needs to be sufficuent detail/clarity in the rest of the image. I really felt drawn in by both these additional images. Some lovely colours muted by the mist. Well defined shadows from the trees in the centre. The light for these two shots looks superb. It does look like a great location. For the record I prefer the cropped version. Thanks for adding these extra two images. I really enjoyed them.

The ones you attached are wonderful! I like the pano version the best, but the other one is very nice, too. Both are _much_ better than the original. It's amazing how the right crop can turn a not bad but not great picture into a Wow! picture.

I've got no problem with the colors here - kind of nice to me actually -, but I do have the same problem as Tom about the composition. Basically, to much sky, unnecessary dark foreground, and not enough of the real subject, which is these raws of hills and their trees in the fog. One way or another you needed to get closer to your main subject here; if not it becomes so small that it becomes secondary. Regards.

Thanks for the comments I truly value them all. I get drawn into the awesomeness of early morning light and just capture what I see. I must look for shots within shots; I love the idea of isolating the tree outlines shrouded in mist. I will return there (5 miles from home) to get the shot and post it some time.... thanks again.

Great isolation of the colorful foreground against the blue, misty background. If the location was Arizona and the date of exposure was May, though, I'd have confused the mist for a massive forest fire.

 

One thing, you have included a lot of sky that doesn't add much. Might think about cropping it down a bit.

A good image, although I agree with comments about the amount of sky and the darkness of the foreground. I prefer the first alternative version with more foreground.

 

Incidentally, where (exactly) did you take this from? I am struggling to think of where you might have been - unless it was Surprise View?! I was up at Stanage at the weekend (the first time for several years) and had forgotten how beautiful it around there.

That is one of the best layered hilltop shots ever!The patch of contrasting color in the foreground field is so hot that it makes the whole scene come alive!