landscape Deep Thoughts & Shallow Margins

It was dark when I arrived, and after taking a few shots of the bridge I

ventured up the mountain side, the mist was low, and the rain was a

fine drizzle. I wore my waterproofs and covered my backpack with its

waterproof cover too. I decided to take another route to a different

lake that I had been told about, but never been to before. the

unfamiliar path grew steeper and steeper, and my camera gear and

tripod got heavier. I was soon pespiring and my wet gear was wet

inside and out. I decided to take it off preferring to get soaked from

the rain, and carried on up. I stopped as the waterfall I was climbing

beside became a deafening roar, and just took a breather. As I stood

gasping for breath, an old man of about 70 sprinted past me shouting

a cheery "good morning" and I spluttered something back through

my gasps. I reasoned that he didn't have all the gear to carry, but

really thought to myself......"Jeeze I'm not as fit as I thought I was"

the next part of the journey involved climbing the waterfall itself, and

when I finally overcome those hurdles there was a multitude of large

boulders to negotiate. i climbed over the last one and caught a

glimpse of the lake, as I gazed at its beauty I promptly placed my

foot in a hole that afterwards seemed designed to fit my foot exactly.

As I fell to the side with my foot now firmly wedged under the boulder

that fringed the hole, my only thought was " I hope to hell I get out of

here before the bloody light gets too bright" After some wriggling and

loss of skin I was granted my wish and I got a few shots. Would I do

it all again you may ask? ............Oh Yes" in a moment! Apologies

for long narrative! Your thoughts and comments are always

appreciated! Thank You!

Simply fabulous!

The scene is exquisite with the ambiance of being the only person in the world... the narrative brings us back to the real world of fitness geezers and bloody holes ;-).  I see you're making great use of the 24-70mm and the detail is superb.  Great (free) clouds and the water grass adds a very interesting visual element.  All in all well worth your early rise and loss of skin (you can sleep anytime and the skin will grow back).  Have a great weekend... Mike

Simply put, Alf, this is a stunner!  Masterful control of the dynamic lighting conditions too.  Thanks for sharing the story, it made the image even more inspiring.  Great work!  Cheers!  Chris

new "Favorites," perhaps. the grass is wonderful. there could be more space at the bottom. best, j

It is nice to see that your landscape pictures always have a foreground, middle, and sky. The lines in this picture leading to the right are also adding to its value.

 

Well done,

Ben

no pain - no gain ;-) - again your sacrifices paid off. The calm atmosphere conveyed by the mirroring surface of the lake is quite a contrast to the troubles you took for reaching there.

I particularly like the fine detail in the grass and how you handled colours and light (they make me almost feel the chill of the early morning). Your postprocessing is very balanced: subtly emphasizing the photo's atmosphere while remaining always truthful.

Take care :-)

Alf,

Love the reflection of the clouds and rocks on the water.

Composition is well balances between foreground and background, I would not change anything. I like the rocks on the background, they add perspective to the scene. I like the drama in the sky and contrast between dark clouds and patches of blue sky. Kind of sky I am always hoping for.

Overall light is very well managed. I love pictures like this one where the colours are natural and well balanced.

Congratulation again.

Ps: “I hope to hell I get out of here before the bloody light gets too bright”..I know the feeling :)

 Best Regards

Stunning photograph.

The composition of this  reminds me a bit of your recent ' Through The Looking Glass' capture.... This one feels more 'earthy' to me -- I appreciate the subtle organic color tones here... The yellowish tufts of grass in the foreground anchor the photo in a fitting manner. Very beautiful vista indeed, Alf...  (& I admire your perseverance, yet again :-) 

So beautiful and the story just as good. Be brave and forge ahead and please keep your wonderful work and stories coming. Take care, Deanna

Alf,

  Beautiful scene with wonderful composition, colors, reflection & story to boot.  It doesn't get any better than this.  Take care, Patsy

Very nice capture and story behind it.

This has an almost surreal feeling as if the rocks in the foreground had been put there intentionally by an artist to convey a sense of the uniqueness of the place to the attentive viewer. A remarkably good photograph - much more than a simple landscape.

Great story to accompany a wonderful landscape shot. Lovely scene and beautiful muted colours and reflections..

You're an amazing story teller, in words and in pictures! A work of art.

Many Thanks for your encouraging words!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

MIKE

 

It was a bank holiday weekend, and you would expect there to be a lot of people about, but at 6.30 am in the morning, it was indeed just like I was the only person in the world, its a magical place.

 

I swear to god that hole was just made for my foot, it was covered in heather, and looked like a nice firm footing, another thought occured to me as I lay wedged there, "what if the somethng that made the hole is still in there and needs to get out"?  As well as the light rapidly becoming less user friendly that thought of something chewing on my leg to make a hasty exit, spurred me on : - )

 

The 24 - 70 mm is now a firm favourite, I used a polarising filter on this one that I forgot to mention in the above details.  I have used the 14 - 24 quite a lot recently too, but the filters remain a problem with that lens.

Many Thanks for your thoughts and encouraging words, have a great week  Mike!

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

CHRIS

 

Sincere Thanks for your interest and positive feedback, much appreciated!

The lighting was very kind to me, courtesy of the cloud cover, and I used a polarisor filter that enhanced the sky too. As for the story, I guess it's one I'll tell in more detail when I eventually write  my book.

 

Cheers!

 

Alf

 

JAMIE

 

I'm not sure if its ethical to mention favorites of my own, but I'm going to mention this one anyway as I do like it. I kind of wish that little fringe of grass went all the way along, but it was the shape of the lake shore.

Many Thanks for your thoughts and thoughtful feedback!

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

BEN

 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback.  I suppose its all a matter of balance, a foreground middle and sky is a good balance, but there are ocassions when a 50/50 split works too, i suppose eacch case has its own merits, its just a matter of finding the optimum one.

Cheers Ben!

 

Alf

 

WOLGANG

 

That sounded suspiciously like a Margaret Thatcher quotation : - )

But to be honest if I had come back home and didn't have a single decent image to show for the experience, it would have still been worth it.  For me the end result, the photograph, is just a part of it, I think the biggest part, the most enjoyable part, is being there, seeing it and feeling it.  Yes I agree the calm serenity of the scene belies the struggle it took to get there.

I tried to remain faithful to the scene as it was during PP and Its very gratifying to read that this has been communicated successfully.

Many Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback, have a good week Wolfgang!

 

Alf

 

FRANCESCO

Sincere Thanks for your thoughtful comments and positive feedback, much appreciated!

The sky was changing rapidly, and it was only minutes previously when the whole scene was lost in very low mist, but as fortune would have it, as I approached this little corner of the lake with the reeds, the mist cleared, the slight wind dropped and i was left with this scene.

 

Its very gratifying to read that the colours appear natural, as that was something I was keen to retain.

I think we have all been stuck in a hole of one kind or another anxious nto to miss the light : - )

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

GUNNAR

 

Many Thanks for your most encouraging words!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

MARJOLEIN

 

Yes, I can see the similarity of the composition, but fortunately on this one I wasn't met with any impenetrable shadows, and the sky is a tad more interesting.  Similar time of day though too!  "Earthy" is a good adjective to describe this one. It is a most earthy place, the lake before you is on the site of a glacier, and its path was the slope I climbed up to get here. If you could look over the rocks to the right, you would be able to get an idea how high up this lake is. Who wouldn't give up a bit of skin and pain to see all this : - )

I'm really glad you liked it Marjolein, many thanks for your thoughtful feedback!

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

DEANNA

 

Brave or foolish? ...yeah ok I'll go with brave : - ) I will be "forging ahead" in a different part of the UK in a few weeks time, and hopefully I'll get afew shots from Northumberland.

Many Thanks for your positive feedback Deanna!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

PATSY

 

Wow! Thats quite a compliment, Thank You!  I have to admit its one of my favourites too! : - )

Have a good week Patsy!

 

Alf

 

MUSEEB

I'm very pleased you enjoyed reading and looking, thank you for your feedback, much appreciated!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

JACK

 

I got the impression of a painting myself when I first viewed the RAW file, in fact the very first title I gave it was simply "PAINT" but I thought "no, thats got to have been used ten billion times before" and come up with the this slightly more complex title.

Sincere Thanks for your thoughtful feedback and positive words, very much appreciated!  

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

PAT

 

Many Thanks for your feedback and thoughtful comments. I had to cut the story a bit short and leave out some of the other little acedotes of the day, I was beconing acutely aware that I was rambling a bit : - )

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

DROR

 

I wish I could tell a better story of Arsenal V Liverpool : - ) Good win for the gunners, but the worst start for Liverpool for over 50 years!  <sigh>

 

Many Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts, I know just how busy you are these days and your interest is very much appreciated!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those who persevere to be at the scene at dawn before the sun rises or wait after the sun has set are the ones who get the best shots. I guess you achieved what you waited for with this shot, Alf.

 

The lighting is perfect and excellently brought details in the shadows. I admire the reflection of the mountain that brings my eyes deep into the image and the stones give beautiful emphasis in the foreground. A well deliberated and excellently composed landscape.

 

Best regards!

 

Lester

When working with Landscapes, its all about composition and lighting, and Alf you seem to always pull a rabbit out of the hat. I really like the banding in this image, the composition breaks the image into sections that can be studied and admired in small chunks. Excellent work.

This is an impressive photograph.  first of all, I like that you left just a bit of grass upon which we can stand (and, hopefully not get caught in a hole and fall) to look over the water.  I love the shadows of the mountain, which cut the water almost in half like a semi-moon tricking our eyes.  The combination of being able to see the floor of the water and the cloud reflections is just FUN.  You've got rocks in the water upon which we can stand, but my favorite part of this is the grass because the spikes cut through the expanse, calming the scene down.  You are working up quite a chest of stories to write to accompany your works.  Hope you are well.  Holiday weekend here in the States (though we are plagued with non-stop politics)  Take care and great work

Alf,  This is definitely worth sticking your foot in a hole.  Nice capture.  Larry

I've not been around lately so making up for lost time. Excellent serene landscape with good f/g interest and reflections. BTW, you are a long way from home !!

John

Hi Alf

 

Fantastic image!!...... I know you haven't suggested "VIEW LARGE"  but I did....and wow!!..... The reflection is a visual delight,as is the whole image Alf..... I always love to read the narrative with your images,telling us of your adventures and mishaps leading up to the triumphs of capturing images like this one......well worth the sacrifices.... excellent work Alf ...... and may I recommend future viewers..."VIEW LARGE".... it's worth it :)

 

Kind regards 

Jacqueline

Sounds like a bit of an adventure to get his beautiful reward Alf! I've come to the conclusion that there's no such thing as good rain gear for hiking. If the rain doesn't soak you the perspiration will! A superb image, and an excellent story!

All the best,
Neil

I love the title Alf. Sometimes I think when one is 'searching' either 'just because' or also with 'deep thoughts' to ponder, revealations of the Soul, often come in overwhelming surprises such as the one I see before me. You are very fortunate you did not break your leg!! (I fall into 'bogs' you get wedged in holes-placed there 'just for you'!). But so often today I hear over and over again, 'there are no coincidences in life' and that often the answers we seek are 'already answered' - we just haven't 'arrived' at that 'space in time'just yet. I do not have the answers of course, but you set out on this journey, with no intentions of 'backing down', or you would have turned back when that older gentleman ran past you. And perchance that encounter in of itself was meant to be as well? Perhaps this beautiful sight that was before you, was so breathtaking, because of all it 'reaveals'. I am always amazed when I see the detail that you 'gather' with your camera. Could it have been predestined that your were meant to be in that place , at that time, and the beauty before you, caused you to linger, lost in 'deep thoughts'.  There are many places that we discover, that give us cause 'to weep'. I think this would have been one of those for me. Many thanks for sharing your intimate thoughts as a Prologue to this fine 'WORK OF ART'.

My sincere regards, Gail