"Highland Dance"

I have passed this area many times traveling from Bakersfield to Tehachapi in South Central California. This landscape has the appearance of Scottish Highlands when the grass is green (for this area, green in the late winter and brown in the summer). Yesterday finally begged for me to pull over and do some hiking. The only way in is up a steep embankment along the highway and over a barbed wire fence. I truly like shooting under these lighting conditions. The enormous, sunlit cloud bank acts as a huge reflector, lighting the landscape as well. I expect to come back here and shoot again when conditions like this come round! I recommend a look at the Larger preview. Thank you for stopping by!!

Thanks for your impressions!

I would never believe that color like this was real, if I hadn't seen exactly this phenomenon before. Absolutely magnificent. Small detail, which I also like: I like the fact that I can see your use of the grad filter along the base of the background range. The tonal transition is very pleasing to these eyes, and is in just the right place. Very painterly, in keeping with the Luminist character of the image.

Geistweite #2 of the Favorites folder.

...I am forced to give this one of my few double seven ratings. It is an exciting image, Mark, and you captured the scene with expertise. With that said, I would like to have had a touch more blue sky on the left as well as that lower left-hand boulder in full view with a bit of green grass around it. I understand that it may have been impossible to do this and that the scene is probably as it was. That is just me being critical ;0)

 

I hope you don't mind me saying this but this reminds me very much of the style of Ian Cameron's excellent 6x7 work that he does in Scotland. Regards.

Very good light ^^^ Tanx for sharing

 

***Ali***

Fantastic warm colours in this photo. Well done.

is the word to define this shot. well done. 7/7 anon.

Exceptional image with so special light, very nicely taken

Thanks John, Walter, Ali, Ramunas, Hussein and Milena for your kind observations. John, you mention the grad line transition. This is a blend of three exposures, no grad. I rarely use them anymore and my files are cleaner than ever. That said, when I am blending, I sometimes am forced to reveal some of the "digital grad" effect. Walter, I don't respond well to compositional observations because I usually don't have an explanation. When you see something like this, first you freak a little, then you fumble putting the camera on the tripod and then everything gets blurry, as if to blackout. When I finally come to, the image is made and the composition is iced. It is not until later that I play monday morning quarterback and assess my comp choices. As a side note, I reloaded this image with a slightly cooler color temp. It won't look very different, but I think a little more blue and magenta gave a touch more snap and corrected the tint in the sky to the right!

Walter, I almost forgot. Thanks for the comparison to Ian. He is one of the best and I am humbled by that reference. I'm not worthy!!!

This is a masterful composition in all aspects, Mark! The only thing I could imagine improving upon would be me being there in person to take in the incredible view. I'm overwhelmed!

 

Best regards,

 

Dick

"When you see something like this, first you freak a little, then you fumble putting the camera on the tripod and then everything gets blurry, as if to blackout" - I can surely identify with that - well done. 7/7

What a remarkable image! You were lucky to get such light, but you have done a wonderful job of capturing it!

Many congratulations.

7/7

 

Rob

 

Pure beauty of nature!

Unas perfectas luces, con un extraordinario color y composición. Una gran foto.

Love your image. Love the title. Nice green, blue, yellow, red... Best Regards.

Fantastic photo, great colours composition and amazing lighting. I would never have guessed that this was California. Opportunist photography at it's best.

 

Dave.

Outstanding creation!

Thank you Dick, Tony, Rob, Pulok. Gallego, Marta, David and Lester. Marta, the title is referring to the appearance of the Scottish Highlands and the way the clouds seem to dance across the scene (you may have discerned that already). It is also the title of a song from one of my favorites CDs. The artist is Robert Strickland and the CD is Tales From the Mesa, solo piano at it's finest!

Wa-hoo! This is a spectacular image, Mark! Truly oustanding and very well captured. Thak you for posting it...

In the venacular of our good friend Leo B this is a 3 wooos and an attaboy thrown in to boot. This is one fine piece of photography Mark. Kudos on a wonderful presentation

Thank you Vladut and Ray for the kind words. I have since returned to this spot for a sunrise shoot. The distant mountains are now snow covered. I could probably return here 100 more times and not have this amazing light, but it is worth a try!

This is just right, and very representative of the southern end of the Tehachapis. I know just where this is off of 58. Good one, Amigo; beautiful light and color palette. You're workin' the B'field region really nicely. I hope all is well with you and yours. Stay in touch! Cheers! Chris

Hey Chris. Thanks for the comment! Hope you are doing well. The rains we have been receiving lately have really greened up the foothills around the valley. I think this spring is going to be a doozy if we stay on the moist side. We need to get together, maybe a quick camp trip, at the very least a day shoot, when the wildflowers start coming in. These digital cameras can get rusty if you don't keep them in use for long periods of time (a long period would be more than two weeks). Get out and shoot when you can!!!!

and now I´ve come to spoil the party. Well, maybe not exactly that because I like your landscape, much in fact but to be honest I´m rather put off by these colours. Way too yellow (overall) in my mind. Terrific in classic untoned b&w and terrific after some colour correction. As it is, sorry Mark, but too overcooked for me.

 

As a composition I think it´s very good while I like your description of the way you work.