prairies and farms Palouse Contours

From a very recent trip. Windy in the afternoon, howling winds and 39

degrees in the morning. A 3-day trip became an overnight trip, but it's still

a beautiful area. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated.

Thanks.

You have captured the undulating terrain to perfection. the late evening or early morning shadows indicate a low sun that contributes to the soft lighting, but I think it is the "contours" of the image that for me, makes it so attractive. I have just experimented by scrolling the image up and down on my screen, and a horizontal crop just between the two bands of vegetation near the top seem to make the image more vibrant somehow. It also places the two groups of trees in perfect "thirds" positions, though this was a secondary observation. Beautiful work Stephen, it must be very gratifying to succeed despite the howling winds.

Best Regards

Alf

very nice shoot

Herd to critique an image that seems perfect to beging with. The composition is very pleasant and the colors are great as well. Perhaps I would have like a bit more contrast (if you use ARC) you might try adding a bit more on the black slider.

Regardless I love the image.

Regards

Alex

Thanks for the comments.  Alf, you make a good point about the very top of the photo; I think those are pretty weak browns, and cropping them may produce a more aesthetically pleasing image.  I might do that just above that last partial line of green, and then some small amount on the left and/or right to maintain the aspect ratio.  If I had been using a zoom or could have moved to accomplish that kind of crop, I would have done so -- deciding where to "draw the lines" was a challenge (especially with the wind blowing, relatively cold temperatures, and my coat hanging in the closet at home).

Alex, during the RAW conversion the only adjustment I made was in levels:  black was set to black and white was set to white.  The top portion looks, to my eye, like it could use some more contrast, but doing that globally would turn more of the heavily shadowed areas in the foreground to black.  I have another photo (not yet posted) that includes the very distant sky, and for that photo I decided to add contrast locally.  That's not a normal part of my work flow (I generally take what's given to me in the proportions that they are given to me), especially if what's given to me does not seem to be exceeding the limited dynamic range of the sensor.  I like the foreground here, but it does seem to get weaker regarding contrast as the eye moves toward the background.  Do you and others think I should address that?

Beautiful landscape. Love the hills and color. Nice work.

Crazy good, Amigo!  The layers and the lighting conditions simply make this photograph sing for me.  Excellent work.  I almost feel like this is an aerial view too, Stephen.  You must be on top of a pretty stout hill to obtain this vantage point.  Wonderful scene!  Cheers!  Chris

splendid colors excellent image warm regards gerolamo

Just beautiful lighting and wonderful flowing colors.

Pretty wild shot with a 400mm lens ... awesome!

Most of my photos from this location are taken with telephoto lenses, from 300mm to 500mm.  Steptoe Butte is an island of quartzite some 400 million years old, while the basalt flows that cover the rest of the region are 7-15 million years old.  The butte stands about 1000 feet above the surrounding countryside, and this provides that aerial view.  The soil came from the glaciation period when glaciers ground the rocks to dust that then was blown by the winds to this area.  This accounts for the rolling topography, and it's really quite striking when viewed to the horizon in all directions.  

That perfect light adds a richness to the greens and yellows and casts some beautiful shadows throughout all of the rolling contours from front to back. That line of trees along the bottom thirds line adds a very appealing accent to the shot as well.

Not much more to add - Superb and a visual feast!

Hi Stephen,

A great landscape. Maybe a little more contrast modifying the curves. You can up the dark tones.

Hauntingly beautiful landscape image! Perfectly done at least to my amateurs eyes. Thank you for sharing such wonderful images. 

Thanks again for the comments.  Juan, I like your increased contrast.  It brings up a problem, though, that I can never resolve:  trying to remember exactly what the scene looked like.  How dark were the browns?  How green were the greens?  Sometimes I long for a return to transparencies, but even then Velvia was more saturated than what I photographed.  In the end, I will recalibrate my monitor, look at the suggestions, and work with this some more (including contrast and crops) to produce an image that I'm happy to print.  That's why I'm so grateful for all of the feedback and points of view -- everyone gives me something to think about.

Hi Stephen.  To be honest, I like your version better than Juan's.  His may have more contrast, but your photo has a more ethereal feeling like one would see in the morning, when there is a slight mist in the air.  The lighting is fantastic, and the composition very nice.  I llike the way you isolated the group of trees at the bottom third of the frame.  Very nice work.  Thanks for sharing.

Paul

Wonderful piece of landscape, I love it, best regards :) CF

Stephen, When I see this type of landscape, I feel I have to sit, indulge or be lazy letting the time pass and I ' ll contemplate peacefully mother nature. Thanks for sharing this moment. BT

I took the time to look at all your images and read your Bio. I was also involved in an alcohol mess un til the age of 13, then the miracle happen my mother side of the family came to USA us included Mom Sis and me, father stay in Cuba. Some how my needs relates to people, been rejected or accepted, don't matter but attracting attention, like a child. Since my early twenties I have work as a counselor helping me to mature. But photography lets me connect with people in ways that are great! Love your landscapes as its brings that predictable stable condition you mention on your Bio.

My greatest awareness happened as I discovered the American way in my teens in Miami during the 60's. I been in Miami 54 years, have a master degree in Mental Heath counseling and work in the public schools in Miami-Dade for 22 years as a TRUST counselor in a Middle school and will retired at 67 in 2016. Take good care and warm regards. (be Back).