Dinas Dawn (Larger View Available)

The weather men had forecast below -2 C and a frosty morning, but

they were 7 degrees out! It was in fact 5C when I arrived at Lyn

Dinas just as first light was showing. I wasn't too dissapointed

though, the light was pleasant and the lake remained fairly calm.

I tried to get the proportions of the boat house big enough to arouse

interest but at the same time not to dominate the whole scene.

Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated! Thank You.

Lovely light - creating lovely warm tones on what was apparently a very cold morning! Very nice!

A very nicely composed shot with impressive lighting, Alf!

Alf,

very nicely composed, I like the reflections of the house and mountains on the lake.

Colors look natural as always in your pictures. Tones are well balanced.

On the house, I think the position in the frame is quite right, I did not have the feeling it dominates but it is interesting and it is nice to have the whole reflections on the water. I also feel that there there is the right amount of sky and water and lots going on there.

Regards

Francesco

Alf,

  Beautiful scene with wonderful warm tones & lighting.  I would love to see more of the reflection in the water.  Take care, Patsy

what a wonderful image Alf...a spot on the Earth filled with beauty...thanks for sharing this image with us...regards....David

Love the contrast of shadows and light. Very impactful. The large view is excellent! That boathouse is about as retro as you can get. Regards. Jim

an excellent blend of variegated elements.

What a Beauty! nicely captured this so special moment. Thanks. Regards Alf.

Hi Alf,  This is most effective viewed large.  Larger, the clarity of the reflection and the line of light in front of the left mountain are evident.  You captured the boat house well without having it become too dominant.  The light is wonderful.  Best to you.  Larry

What a wonderful capture with this lovely light and colors. Very beautiful indeed :)

It was indeed a cold morning, though not as cold as what the weather men told me it would be, and hence no frosty scene to photograph.  The nice warm light was some compensation though, and as always it was a joy to watch the sun come up. 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and kind words Pat! 

Best Regards 

Alf 

RUUD 

Many Thanks for your interest and positive feedback Ruud, much appreciated! 

Best Regards 

Alf 

FRANCESCO

Sincere Thanks for your interest and thoughtful feedback, it is very much appreciated! 

I do pay a lot of attention to composition, and the reflections are always a consideration too. But it is always a good measure to get feedback.  On this particular image I was trying to balance the detail and interest of the boathouse with the overall appeal of the landscape, the proportions are sometimes elusive, but I think your comments relate well to my thoughts on this.

Best Regards 

Alf 

PATSY 

Many Thanks for your thoughts and invaluable feedback, much appreciated! 

I did another version with a slightly different composition that allowed a fuller and wider view of the reflections, and it is an attractive arrangement I think.  You can view it on my facebook page "Alfbaileyphotography" 

Many Thanks & Best Regards 

Alf 

DAVID 

It is indeed one of those "good to be alive" places, and it was the time of day when the only sound is of a trout leaping from the water and the call of some kind of hawk, it just makes it all worthwhile.

Thank you so much for looking and providing me with invaluable feedback David.

Best Regards 

Alf 

JIM 

I don't think too much has changed to the boathouse since it was first built from the local stone, nature just lends a hand by weathering it over the years and somehow makes this man made structure as one with its surroundings.

I used a ND Grad 4 to balance the light.

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback.

Best Regards 

Alf 

RANGA 

"Variety is the spice of life" as they say.  Many Thanks for your interest and kind words Ranga.

Best Regards 

Alf 

MARTA 

Winter days are so unpredictable, sometimes you can have good light all day, but it was restricted to the first two on this day.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and kind words! 

Kind Regards 

Alf 

LARRY 

Like most of my images, I like to upload them large so that in the event that they are of interest to viewers at least they can be viewed at somewhere nearer their potential.  The downside of that is that the normal sized image is compressed and therefore not as sharp looking initially.  Many thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback particularly relating to the proportions, its something that at times escapes me, though hopefully I'm learning : - ) 

Best Regards 

Alf 

LENNART 

Many Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback! Very much appreciated.

Best Regards 

Alf 

Ahhh, well worth the chilled knickers.  As noted above, the scene is remarkably warm for the cold morning and is very inviting.  Very well done...  Mike

serene.  great picture.  best, j

Hi Alf,

Lovely saturated colors and a good composition. Very peaceful atmosphere. It must have been great to be there.

best regards Per.

It was covered in snow a few days before, but temperatures are up and down here at the moment with no kind of pattern emerging.  The sun did emerge on this fine morning, but then the wind kicked in about 2 hours later.

Glad you liked it Mike!

Many Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

JAMIE

You should get down to North Wales more often, its such a scenic place!

Many Thanks for your positive feedback!

Best Regards

Alf

PER

I could see the light beginning to develop in the sky as I drove along silent backroads, very little traffic, so I raced the last few miles to make sure I didn't miss the first light.  It was worth losing a bit of sleep for!

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and invaluable feedback!

Best Regards

Alf

Very beautiful and peaceful scene that is surprisingly warm in tone yet your description states how very cold it was. I love how the little boat house is nestled protectively under the hill. The hill side, the clouds and the boat house all seem to beckon one to that calm water. Lovely image Alf! Thank you for sharing. :)

Hi Alf,

The Nikkor set to 24mm F/5.6 brings a smile to me.

Very nice clarity as the details improve with enlargement.

Nice work my friend,  Mike

One must look at the larger view to appreciate this wonderful image.  Love the colors and the time of year, goes very well with the small building. The sky is one of those great morning dawn skies and the lake reflections top it off. The larger view really gives the feeling of being right there and feeling this place.  Excellent Capture. Best regards,

Good viewpoint with the eye going to the boathouse then following the contour of the hill to the light on the background mountain. Excellent shot Alf

John

A scene and a shot with lots of delight and beauties! Composition, placing of the the house at the golden point, excellent light and color management, and rendition of details and definition at the sky and water surface all are made an unbeatable landscape shot. My humble suggestion, if i was there tempted to do, is preparing to shoot a long exposure to get a mirror water surface devoid of ripples, and also get a bit of motion blur at clouds, although completely a personal choice based upon a personal taste! Without this also, the scene is very natural looking and live, as much live and natural as your most other shots.. Bravo dear friend.

My best wishes,

Hamid.

Ahh yes I guess the warm tones are deceptive, the winter sun illuminates with a light that I love, yet gives little in the way of warmer temperatures.

I am not complaining though, it was great to be there at dawn and get a few shots before the harsher light arrived.

I have attempted to take a photo of this boat house on at least 6 previous occasions, and to date this and few other shots I took on the same morning are the only ones I would consider successful.

Many Thanks for your thoughts and invaluable feedback Trisha!

Best Regards

Alf

MIKE

I might have guessed the F5.6 would meet with your approval :- )

I do take on board all of your recommendations and try to apply them whenever possible. This way I get the best of your scientific knowledge applied to my hopefully pleasing aesthetics.

Sincere Thanks my friend!

Alf

SHERRY

I can think of nothing more rewarding than reading a like minded and well respected landscape photographer like your self, describing how one my images as it puts you "right there and feeling this place"  In fact, I couldn't ask for a better accolade.

My Sincere Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

JOHN

Lyn Dinas can be very elusive in terms of the right kind of light for photography, but the early start seemed to pay dividends on this occasion.

Many Thanks John, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

HAMID

Many Thanks for your thoughts and well considered feedback.

I guess the light was perfect for a long exposure, and yes I'm sure the movement in the cloud would have added to the image. But I'll be honest because the water was relatively calm I didn't see that much benefit in the longer expsoure.  Also there was another consideration that the wind was forecast to start increasing shortly after dawn (and it did) so I was quite anxious to get a few shots while it remained calm.

It is an interesting proposal though, I usually contemplate long exposures when photographing seascapes, I must broaden my horizons and take some experimental lake shots.

Best Regards

Alf

Hi Alf,

This photo makes one's mind travel. The boat house has a strong presence and reinforces the feeling of stillness of the scene. 

It seems to have been there for centuries, and to want to continue.

The tones are warm and harmonious, the sharpness is just perfect.

I discovered this shot with great pleasure, thank you for sharing.

Best regards

I am always attracted to buildings that seem like they belong in the landscape, like they have earned the right to be there by weathering the storms and blending into the environment in a sympathetic way.

Maybe the local natural materials used in building the little boat house also helps with this perception.

I am really pleased you liked this one. My sincere thanks for your interest and thoughtful feedback!

Best Regards

Alf

Alf,

Reading your comment above, this boat house truly does seem to be part of the landscape, in fact without the building this would have been a rather ubiquitous early morning shot.  This image is all about the structure in its natural and very beautiful setting.  For that reason I might have been tempted to crop a little off the left side allowing the boat house to play a more prominent role in the photo.

Jim