Catching breath.

You might want to see this LARGER, without .jpg compression artifacts...

...need to catch breath every now and then.

 

How do you like the "aura" effect I crafted here (while lying flat

down in the snow trying not to get blind framing the shot?)

Nice silhouette, well captured body language.

Wonderful!

Perfecta luz, color y bella composicion, un cordial saludo Salvatore.

Daily, Michael, Julio, thanks. I'm happy you like this. I've been inspired by Galen Rowell's pictures with this effect, and that's the first attempt in which I produced something nice. I'll be using this more often in the future, possibly with a wall of snow behind me, to reflect light onto the subject and getting both the aura and the details but, alas, that does not happen everyday!

Salvatore, you just need to hike up these mountains with a really big reflector :). I really like the effect here. It tells the story of a bright sun without trying to put the sun in the composition. I might like just a little more space above the subject . I look forward to more along this line.

I really like her pose here - I feel like she's pausing at the top of the rise before moving on, the rise being perhaps a false summit, and the realization having hit that there is much more to do. The lifted heel and lean on the pole make her look comfortably at rest, perhaps moving about slightly to keep her feet warm while she waits for her slower partner to struggle up the hill behind her (just kidding!!!).

 

The light halo and breath mist are great. I don't miss the shadow details. At the risk of sounding like a cracked record, I agree with Laurie that some more space above her might be nice.

Salvatore,

 

The aura effect is nice, but I think the whole shot presents very well. The dark figure against the deep blue sky works well. The person's shadow, although unavoidable, is slightly distracting, but the shot still works.

Laurie... I just need to find "natural reflectors" behind my back (cfr one of the first pictures in Mountain Light, where Rowell played this game as a "self portrait" from above a peak, with a big reflecting rock face to recover details). I had a few ideas, but this weekend does not look promising at all...alas you'll have to wait for more of the same, although I've high expectations for this summer. I will try to get much more vertical shots of people climbing with their aura sourrounding them.

 

Julie, you like a "static" shot of mines! Wow, this means it is not so static after all... Jokes apart, I see what you mean with the pose, and the story, and that was roughly what it was like! As for the space above the head, I seem to be going through a tight-framing phase these days...

 

Sherwin, the shadow is indeed distracting, but since I was shooting from below the slope was unavoidable. I just couldn't get the aura effect otherwise. I am also slightly disturbed by it... on the other hand, cropping even tighter without snow would put this too much out of context. I'll keep this in mind for the future, through.

Superb use of backlighting. The light on the snow is gorgeous, and the image really conveys the feeling of catching one's breath on the ridge. I like the shadow. My only criticism would be one mentioned by Laurie (I think): I'd prefer a bit more space above the climber's head, and indeed I'd be happy to see more of the shadow, even all of it. Like many of your shots, this one is very successful in projecting a "you are there" feeling.

Chris, thanks. The parts I've slightly cropped are from the L and the bottom...not so much. Getting all the shadow in is a technical problem. If I shot with the 50mm (1.5x on digital) I had to get too far and get not enough aura from the slope I was onto. I tried to look at this with the 20mm, this would give all the shadow but the aura would be limited to too small a fraction of the frame to be of interest.

 

At any rate, as soon as conditions will allow, I will try more of this style, taking into account both the no-shadow and the full-shadow suggestions.

What a special effect, realy love this and this aura is just amazing.

 

Els

Salvatore, A suberb, dramatic shot to be sure. I agree with Chris on your excellent use of backlighting here. The rim lighting and 'breath' cloud against the deep blue sky is eye candy. On Laurie's suggestion that you carry a big reflector: I don't think you could improve on the one nature provided, that being the snow:-) I think I would have framed this shot with subject a bit more to the left with the result of now having less negative space behind your subject and more in front of her. Your only option, post exposure, is to crop even tighter on the left to minimize the negative space there. Worth printing and displaying no matter your decision in this regard. Best, LM.

I noticed a new comment on this one -- Len's, it turns out -- and so came back to view it again, and ... Wow! It sure does have impact. Don't crop, don't do anything. This works beautifully just as it is.

Els, thanks.

 

Len, there is no hope in framing too much off-centre. With this focal lenght, I had to lay flat in the snow straight in her shaow, and thus dead-centre, to get the aura effect. Cropping, I reckon, would be the only possibility. It was cropped before submission, but I then realised that the structure in the snow to the left was nice and sort of stopped the eye from "sliding" away along the ridge. I kept it. At any rate I am glad that I can now master this effect, and I will try to produce more of this next times I'll be in the mountains.

 

Chris, I'm glad to see this hooked you. Thanks again.