"Greenland"

Iceland is green and Greenland is ice. Well, in general. This was something I remember from High School, the names didn't necessarily fit. This one does in appearance, but it is neither Iceland nor Greenland, just the foothills outside of Bakersfield. This one involves pulling to the side on a major 4 lane highway, walking up a steep embankment and jumping a barbed wire fence. From there, you enter another world of steep rolling hills and scattered boulders. Makes you feel like you are in the highlands of Scotland or Ireland. Snow fell the night before, dusting the upper slopes of Bear Mountain. This is a better spot for a sunset, but the emerging light of sunrise was my choice this day. I love this landscape in early spring, it is totally refreshing. As I write, this area is devoid of anything green, almost anything living except cows. The transformation will begin by the second or third measurable rain, an "only in winter" occurrence here. Thanks for taking some time and please utilize the Larger preview!!

Thanks for any observations or suggestions!

Beautiful work! very nice lighting! nice composition! excellent congrats

Maybe a little bit too green, no?

I guess a little bit less saturation would make it more "real"... (I don't rate)

Nice shot, mark. Beautiful colours and light.

Well Mark, this is a fine shot. I honestly thought it was somewhere a little more exotic than Bakersfield (although Bakersfield is still exotic in my mind). I don't think the saturation is an issue, a little strong but it gives it a surreal feel. The light cresting over the hill being filtered through the morning mist really does it for me.

This is one of those photos that really catches the eye. Awesome color. Just a fantastic photo!

Thanks Janegbert, K-Lys, Glen, Ryan and Tung for your observations! K-Lys, I understand your impression of the greens being over the top. It is surreal for sure. In all honesty, I have toned down the color cast from the original RAW image file, it looked more radioactive right off the camera. It's as I remember it, however. The first light of day made it appear somewhat electric, especially right in front of me. This is something like a natural sod farm. There is enough manure on these slopes to fertilize far more than the side of a mountain. That is the true source of this verdant landscape, not over-saturation!

These rolling hills with the stones are really like Scotland or Ireland. The rocks makes met hink that they are remains from the ice age that rolled those rocks down when the glaciers were growing.

 

Also, the fog on top the the mountains adds to the feel.

Very interesting story how you got to this sight. Very brave of you. I would often like to do the same but refrain from doing it.

 

Cheers!

Very playful composition here - nice play with triangle shapes and with light / shadow parts across the image. Colors seem just fine to my eye. Overally well described character of the landscape, I like it.

This is simply super! The light on the FG hillside and the shadowed middleground really give this some depth; and that fringe of snow and cloudbank are captivating. You rascal - I have always thought of doing just what you have done here, but figured I'd have CHP all over me if I pulled over for a bit-o-shooting. This is just gobsmackingly beautiful! While I recognize the foothills along the Tehachapi highway, most would view this as something in Ireland, Scotland, or 'Greenland.' Well done, Mark; this is a real beaut! Cheers! Chris

Thanks Yannik, Marek and Chris! You know Chris, we have jumped some fences. This being along a major highway makes it a bit more daring. Ever since moving to Bakersfield, I have had my eye on this location. Finally, last spring pushed me over that fence. About two weeks later, one of my neighbors said he saw my car along the side of the road pre-dawn on his way to work over in Mojave. He gave me a rather puzzled look after I explained why I was there. On this same morning, I took two of my better compositions, "Layers of Light and Land" and "My Sanctuary", from two other locations. Yes, I had to jump fences for those as well!

Mark, for me , this is a great light!! 7/6 anon