The Firestorm

We got to Maroon Bells early in the morning and were quickly disappointed as it was snowing intermittently. Ever so hopeful, we waited in the snow and rain hoping for some color in the sky, but the cloud cover was to thick for a dramatic sky. Instead I did manage to catch this moody shot of a Fire Storm as sunlight finally made its way to the mountain in front of us.

 

Tech data: Canon 5D, Canon 17-40 F4 L, 2s@F20, 0.6 Soft ND Grad Filter, White Balance Manual.

Well, that was definitely worth waiting for! It's a beautiful image, great lighting and color. The focus seems just a bit soft throughout though, maybe camera motion?

Hi Jay, always a pleasure to see your work. I especially like the way the large boulder in the foreground complements the mass of cloud in the upper part of the frame; it adds a nice bit of symmetry.

 

Being critical I would suggest a lower tone value for the reflection in the water (or a slightly higher one in the sky) since it seems to be brighter than the originating light source. This was once pointed out to me in one of my own photographs. My answer, however, was that it was the way I wanted it ;0) I posted an example, but I think it could even go darker, particularly in the bit of reflection on the left. Regards.

The wait was worth it. Very nicely done. I like your portfolio too. :)

Thanks for the suggestion. Your adjustment is pretty small...and the results are not that far off the original image. Let me try that in the larger file and see what it looks like.

 

-Jay

I like that rock on the left, the mountain's diagonal shadow, submerged detail, and the highlighted treeline in the distance. Well seen.

Hi Jay,

 

Very impressive image!

Walter made a point.... My eyes feel more pleasing to his version.

 

Anyway, I envy you, Jay. This sort of beautiful mountains are out of my reach now. I've stopped hiking because of my worsening knee problem.

What a beauty ! The stones in water seem floating on the air. cheers Jana

Sorry to hear about your knees, but you will like this place. You can drive up to Maroon Lake and walk 30 yards and you are on shores of Maroon Lake with a spectacular view in front of you. No hiking necessary!!

 

Thanks for the comment on my photograph. I like Walter's version as well.

 

-Jay

Wonderful image Jay. Nice to see you posting after long break. -Swamy

Your talent and patience always produce spectacular moments. This is unusual, such a fusion of sky and earth exploding one into the other.

Spectacular scene. Clouds, mountainscape, and foreground make for a nice echo and radial composition, with the center rock as pivotal point. Agree with the comment on brightness of reflection

What a beautiful image, thanks for share this great work with us