"Chamisa Dawn"

The Chamisa are a common sight along the Owens Valley of the Eastern Sierra in the fall. Early October brings out the blooms which paint the high desert with yellow. It is truly a bonus during a time when fall colors are also gracing the landscape. This was taken at the Buttermilk Hills near Bishop. I am somewhat astounded by this image file. Generally, I bracket exposures for blending in PS to tame the dynamic range. Scenes such as this, a strong backlight of the rising sun, require a spacious bracketing in order to retain all of the highlight and shadow detail. This file, however, is a single RAW, double processed and blended. All of the detail is available and without any noise in the shadows. I can't say I have ever recorded a scene with this intensity in a single exposure. It makes postpro alot easier for sure. Thanks for your thoughts, suggestions and observations!

Composition, colours, DOF and especially details... everything in this shot is impressive. Very well done! Regards, Alain

I like how you ballance the light here,sharp and clear image,best regards.

Bravo Mark. This is a blending very well balanced. Usually I see elaborations of multiple shots that goes over the limits of the logical sense. Your moderation, in this sense, is perfect.

Beautiful shot Mark. I like the bouquet of wild flowers in the foreground with it's radial branches mimicking the star burst of the sun. That to me makes this picture.  Great work - regards - michel

Thanks Alain, Radu, Andrea and Michel! I am a sucker for these understated environments with their subtle colors, yet intriguing textures. As you stated Michel, the fanning out of the dried stems is what caught my eye, and when I stopped down the lens to get a star, it all came together!

Another great photo, Mark.  Thanks for explaining your processing technique.   It helps me improve my skills.

Mark... I'm always drawn to the spectacular detail and the artful composition of a common scene presented in a special way.  It gives me incentive to sharpen my own eye to possibilities.  Beautiful shot, by the way, but I would be remiss if I didn't point out the errant "green" pixel at center bottom of the frame.  I, of course, point this out in jest since I so rarely get to gig one of your shots  :-)... Mike

Una composición de libro y un control exquisito de la luz.

Saludos.

Way to get up early for a great capture of the sun, peeking out from the mountains. Love the foreground subject leading into this pretty scene and the contrasts of gold and gray. And then there is that one errant green pixel. lol