mountains - valais Which way up?

The picture was taken during an alpinism ascent of the mountain in the

background, on a glacier at about 3000m/10000ft.

 

What I like here, is the way the glacier and the climber from an arch,

and attract me into the scene as much as the mountain attracted us to

the top.

 

Would you care sharing your comments and suggestions on the

composition, the subject, the light? I'm trying to improve my alpine

picture-taking skills and your opinions are very valuable to me.

 

Thanks a lot,

 

Salvatore.

I cant offer much in the way of useful suggestions or critique but I will say I like the composition.

 

I just got chivers from the snow/ice.

 

Knicki

Good job keeping detail in the snow. This is dificult for many people.

Very good picture. What can I say? The blue is great, enough detail in the snow. Nice framing of the mountain. The only critique I can think of is that I am not sure where the climber is looking at. If you can take the photo so that you can see where he is looking at (the long way to go?), that might improve this already very good photo. Any one else?

I agree (but we both know he isn't looking up that way since this isn't the normal path up - am I right ;-) ? chris

Chris, indeed in this shot she is wondering which is the way up, since, from this point, midway the Glacier de Piece, there is little hope to see the normal route on the back! But, we might have tried some of the AD ones on this side... who knows!

Actually, if you look at the lenght of the shadows in this and the other picture from the front of the Glacier de Piece (which was taken arond 11am), you'll figure out that when this picture was taken we knew pretty well which was the way up :)

a+, s.

P.s. You still did not find the mistakes of those passer-bys in that other picture

Lovely composition

Absolutely perfect composition. It was very nice of you not to have cut off the tip of the mountain at the top right corner. The composition works well both in structure as well as in the colours.

THis shot to me excel in exposure and composition. Beautiful photo, congrats. (7/6)

1/2 stop added? Great photo. Regards

Great, I can really feel this climber asking himself wich way to go....Well done.

I think everything in this photo is perfect. You show us the way to finish climbing the mountain. Maybe a little more sky on the top.

Another vote for not changing anything about this particular comp. Something that I would like to see, is a wider angle (24-28mm?) and get really low down behind someone like this and use the climbing rope (even more) as a 'lead in' to the image. I hope that description sufficiently explains what I'm talking about...

I have quite a few shots with a 20mm (I own no 24 and happily sold the horrible 28-70 I made the mistake to buy in first instance) of people walking up, taken from behind. Actually, when you're in front you think of other things, and when you follow as well, as getting camera out, gloves out etc. while walking -without stopping: that's crevasse country- usually is not so straightforward.

 

These shots invariably turn out to be a disaster. The slopes are completely distorted, everything looks like a wall, ropes look like km long, perspective makes walking climbers fall backward, and seasickness strikes.

 

This is partly fault of the 20mm, but it is also a known fact that these upward shots always distort reality ways too much. I understand 35mm is what is used when need be, and actually all best mountain shots are done from a different party... or just absailing down parallel to the climbers.

For me, the eye follows nicely from left bottom to top right. I think your doing just fine. If it were just me, I would not try to be too perfect. I think you have great instincts and trying to stage things too much might take spontaneity and and this feeling of being there out of it. Break some rules and feel good about it. I love your shots!

Salvatore, An absolutely excellent composition. Dramatic side lighting and deeply polarized sky contrasting with the brilliant white but detail filled snow combine to make this one a winner. The climber is perfectly placed with the safety line and her shadow helping to point the way to her with the added benefit of breaking up the mass of white snow lower right. Reminds me of a National Geographic cover shot I saw many years ago which, coinidentally, was also taken with an FM2. The other thing that amazes me is you used a consumer grade film. So much for the generally accepted wisdom that this is a no-no! I think this is one time a partially, rather than a fully, polarized image would have worked also, just to lighten the blue (almost black) sky area a tad. Gorgeous return on your investment. Best, LM.

Len, thanks for your kind words. Actually, when I posted this for critics I had not the habit of thanking the kind people commenting, and I feel guilty for that. I thank all of them -late- as well.

Using the words "Salvatore" "Fm2n" and "Nat Geo" in the same sentence, without negatives, of course qualifies you for a free drink!

I have always liked the composition of this shot, and amazingly it was one of my first "climber-looks-at-mountain-while-we-look-at-climber" composition which then became my main theme in the outdoors. I am glad you like it.

The way I used to take picture with the Fm2n is inherently giving the deep blue skies. It's an integral part of ensuring I get some decent exposure of the snow:

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

Moving to digital with the D70, the procedure stays roughly the same but I bracket +/- 1/2 stop since I've seen that the sensor is much less tolerant of wrong highlights. I still use the centre-weighted meter, keeping the meter with the ratios of the Fm2n.

Sure, in this photo I might have skipped the backing up 1/8th of a turn thing. At any rate, it is amazing how the sky does change dramatically, provided the air is terse, with altitudes. At 3500m it really gets black like here and here.

Excellent image. Strong, bold, and humbling.