Moraine Lake Banff Canada

This has been a difficult image to print. Though it may look like a

simple image it is quite complex. The left wall I wanted to be very

dark but I also wanted detail in that part of the image. I also wanted

the lighter sand or gravel small mounts to stand out and reflect the

same intensity in the reflection as the real thing. The small crop of

trees on the right presented a even more complexing problem. By

increasing the contrast for the left wall the trees went to black. I

corrected this by using another curves layer and a mask to lighten

just the trees. I'm still not completely sure that I have lighten them

enough.I wanted the mountains to have a luminosity and a glow produce

by the cloudy sky. This took another adjustment layer just for the

mountains. I also made one more for just the sky; accented the highest

value in the scene and many of the mid tones. Put that all together

and there it is; the only change I am considering is lighten the

trees. What do you think?

I think all your efforts paid off...it's a great image...Bert

Well, it's a beautiful image, and the effort you put into it does show. If it were mine, I would lighten the snow just above the trees a bit - not enough to lose detail, and also darken the lightest part of the sky just a little. I think the trees are fine. When you get to your level of craftsmanship, everything I am saying is just preference and not necessarily right.

 

I would like to see it larger. Even at view larger, it's not very big on my screen.

A good black and white scenic, however, I have been through this part of Canada and can say, color film just has so much more to show. Maybe this day was gloomy and couldn't be shot with color? I would have waited for better weather in that case.

Excellent work, Leo! Superb tones, with a wonderful dramatic sky. The reflection really adds a lot to the composition. Top marks, my friend. A 7/7 anon. Cheers! Chris

Whoops, I just happen to like BW images, including landscapes. I can concentrate just for lines and shapes, light and shades... I can not compare to your original image, but this looks great. Did not waste your time with layers... No ratings. a s l a

Wasn't that a 'helpful' comment from Steve Rasmussen...All of his comments tend to be in that vein...less than 'helpful.' You have to wonder...

It's always good to hear from other photographers and listen to there point of view. Thank you all for your comments.

I went back and looked at his comments and they all are in the same vein.

Leo, I like the black and white shot. Number 1 its got more " soul " Number 2 you can see the amount of work you put in it. The fact that you got this great of a shot on what was obviously a gloomy day speaks volumes on your craft. Don't get me wrong color would have been nice for a calendar, but Ansel would haved loved your work...RAY

Good compo and b&w edition,in this kind of images it is dificult to establish the appropiate timming the snow areas against dark areas as the left wall,trees and lake.Good Balance!Excellent job!Best regards