mountains - mont blanc massif Aiguille du Midi (2)

An example from two folders of pictures taken while mountaneering

in the Alps. Comments [framing/cropping], suggestions [too much

polarizer? Too thick a frame?] and -who dilikes them ?- ratings are

most welcome. See also

href=http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=385523> this folder

and

this other one

I liked most of the pictures in your folders. You are right that there may be too much polarizer, the sky is almost black, but that could also be due to inevitably short exposure time (bright sunlight, snow). Do you have a version without a polarizer ? Anyway, the picture is well executed.

Now that's cold! Brr! Great landscape!

Thank you for your comment. You are really enjoying these mountains taking good photos. I envy you. By the way, I wonder how you could make a link in your comment? (^-^)

I like the polarized sky and the crop. It's really a good shot.

I too had many problems with the sky going almost black in my mountaineering photographs so I have started leaving the polarizer at home. Since doing that I have not been disappointed once. The air is thin and very clean at higher altitudes and the need for polarizing is less. Anyway, that's what I'm doing. I love this shot all the same.

 

Well done.

Hi,

For some reason, I am not a big fanatic of polarisers anymore. I rather combine the lightmeter with some negative (more tolerant than slides !)

 

I have made a few tests this summer of the polariser vs lightmeter, and the lightmeter even seems more accurate ... and the colours fidelity is at its best.

 

Indeed, if you like the "almost black sky" effect, you don't get any with the lightmeter ... but there we go. It's just a choice.

 

I think here the power of this image is its contrast. The thick frame contributes too. I would not change a thing.

Lionel, thanks for you insight about the polarizer and the lightmeter. Actually, I do not own the latter, and I fear I would not really use it in these conditions, although I reckon that for other situations (portraits spot-metered) I would be delighted to learn how to use a decent light-measuring device.

Incidentally, the way I take picture when I'm exausted and in a rush, like in this case, is the following (actually I think it's interesting to get it written down)

 

• Point to sky at 90degrees from sun and maximize polarisation
• Back it up a 1/8 of a turn for decency
• Use the centre-balanced-and-only meter of the FM2 and point it into the snow
• Correct two stops, stay roughly at 5.6
• Point again into sky, should be fine, otherwise correct max 1/2 stop
• Switch the brain on and compose
• Do all the above without removing the thick mountain gloves!

Interesting technique !

If you are interested, I will post a comparative composition of the same scenery using the two techniques (my polariser is by far less evolved).