"Awakening to a Dream"

This is what I refer to as a "point and shoot" location, just point your camera, shoot, and you have a winner. Two days prior, I had scoped a potential composition that included a certain dead tree that I thought would enrich my composition. So on the previous morning, I set out early to catch first light with said tree in the foreground. Upon arriving, I realized that my choice presented some problems, such as the need to climb down a slippery cliffside in the dark to position the said tree within the frame. I made the best of the situation without killing myself, but then realized that another tree in the frame was intersecting with the island. Too late, however. The sun was rising and my position was too precarious to quickly change, so I was stuck with about 40 RAW images that were probably useless. Now I am back on the following morning to redeem myself. The light is even better on this day, so I'm feeling good. But wait, I didn't expect there to be such a clear reflection of the opposing shore, which also threatened to collide with the island. Luckily, I had given myself enough elbow room to re-position myself and the island to separate it from the reflection. Close call. I am happy to say the title was not "Awakening to a Nightmare". Thanks for your time and as always, enjoy the Larger preview!

Thanks for your observations. Please enjoy the Larger preview!

Excellent imagen de gran belleza, luz y color, Saludos . 7/7 en anon

Fabulous colors. A bit of time on the island with some wine and a basket of good food would be a true dream.

Gorgeous image. Fabulous location, excellent composition, and lovely light all merge to create a beautiful image.

All the best,

Neil

Thanks Julio, Fred and Neil. Fred, it is indeed permitted to land on the island and take advantage of that possibility, with the exception of winter when the birds are migrating. If you look closely, there is a structure at the peak of the island known as Mrs. Knight's Teahouse. Believe it or not, there are actually homes along the ridgelines above the road that have residents. I haven't priced any of them because that indeed is a dream, no chance of reality!

Mark,

This is another beautiful shot. I love the colors they are magicial. Great image. Regards, Patsy

wonderful colors and composition , sky are great

Thanks Patsy and Ali! It is always interesting to see which of my images are well received and which show moderate returns, compared to which images I am most pleased with. While the other images I have posted from Lake Tahoe have more fire power, this turns out to be my favorite, yet it shows the least in favoritism from onlookers. I believe it is partly what goes on behind the scenes that influences my choices. This is a blend of three exposures to bring out detail in the shadows. A single exposure for proper sky and reflection leaves the landforms in complete silhouette. Yes I can open the shadows, but they turn ugly as the detail is revealed because of the noise (noise created by Photoshop as it tries to create detail from a condensed range of tones). Making two separate exposures of greater length provides shadow detail. I make one for the deepest shadows and another to facilitate the blend. I have found that when blending two exposures only, I encounter problems transitioning from bright to dark. An example here is the transition from sky to the far side mountains. That's where the third exposure comes into play, to allow the transition to occur in a seamless appearance. The fact that there is separation between the farthest shore and the peninsula that juts out in the middle ground gives me most of my satisfaction. If the landforms were simply silhouettes, then the two shorelines would merge into one mass of black. There is also separation between the individual trees and the peninsula, much the way our eyes take in a scene such as this (the camera cannot record this variance of tones in a single exposure). Well, for what it's worth!

I really love all of your work, Mark, and wish that I could make an image such as this. I will offer a nit of criticism with regard to the dark cloud in the sky that seems to be inconsistent with the light on the rest of the image. I think that lightening that particular cloud would stop my eye from going there.

 

Very nice. Worked very well color.

Thanks Dave and Jose! You know Dave, when I finished processing this, I noticed that cloud and told myself to lighten it, then I checked the RAW file and it turns out that it was consistent with the original, so I left it alone (the reflection in the water to the left of the island also looked a blending oversight, but also holds true to the original). Based upon your comment, though, I will indeed lighten it, but I will probably do so moderately. I can see how it might pull the viewers eyes away from the main components of the image. I appreciate your observation!