"Encountering Tranquility"

This is where you would usually see Eagle Falls above Emerald Bay, yet by late August, the water level is so low, the falls are reduced to a small cascade. The only thing remaining is a small puddle which provided some additional reflection. This was taken not long after I arrived, probably a half hour before sunrise when the color was peaking. Take a look at the Larger preview and you will see a dozen or so boats just left of the tree on the left near the Bay's inlet. They are moored at a campground only for boats, no walk-ins allowed. I have posted several others from this same morning and same location so pardon my redundancy. I am just trying to gauge from comments and ratings which composition is preferred from viewers. This would be my preferred comp so far and I am wondering who may concur. As well, thanks for taking a moment to express any differences with my choice. I appreciate your comments and time!

Thanks for your comments. This is a manual blend of three exposures in Photoshop.

F11 at .25 seconds, 1 second and 3 seconds. Please view the Larger preview!

Hi Mark, What a beautiful spot. You did a great job of capturing it and blending your photos.Very nice. cher..

note, im doing this on a uncalibrated laptop monitor, they tend to mess up the shadows... but, i might darken the longest exposure a slight touch, the trees and hills in the background dont look quite right. But, that could be due to the high gamma of this thing (gotta find the calibration tool... new computer).

Mark, I prefer this to the others so far. It has all the quality post processing that I expect, and you have also achieved better separation around the island. What strikes me about this series, which is excellent, is that they don't exhibit the passion, insight or whatever it is, that typifies your work. I understand only too well how difficult it is to go to a new location, and bring back images that meet the standard.

 

I hate to ask but is the horizon level? It looks wonky to me?

Nice shot. Mark, I think the foreground rocky surface is little too bright and may be selective burning would help there. and crop the right side a tiny bit, but otherwise its eye catching.

Amazing lightness and very good post process, well done Mark!

Mark,

Stunning, as all the rest. The light and colors are amazing. Great capture. Regards, Patsy

Beautiful! Nice colours and light. The horizon is tilty, but it is not a big problem here. Regards.

Thanks Cher, Dan, Jeff, Lalit, Fabrizio and Patsy! Dan, thanks for taking a look. This is a tough situation, blending without appearing to be HDR or perhaps better said, "Hyper Dynamic Range". I work hard at presenting some detail throughout the scene, even when the scene is beyond what a camera can record in a single exposure. I think of it as recreating the way our eyes scan a scene. As we look down from the sky, our eyes adjust and we see the foreground detail. I may need to brighten the peninsula; and as Lalit indicated, burn the foreground rock. Keep in mind, the rock is similar to polished granite and is a very reflective surface. Jeff, thanks for concurring with my choice. These were taken on a family vacation, and even though I was alone for three of my quick outings, I was still somewhat distracted. As far as showing passion, insight or whatever, it may be due to shooting at a popular location. Most associate with what I am doing as searching out unknown (or perhaps, undesirable) locations and attempting to bring them back in a visually pleasing way. A location like Emerald Bay is an amazing setting, but in actuality, does not provide a challenge (well, the challenge is to capture it in a unique manner). I am not familiar with the terrain and was not up to the challenge of finding a new perspective. Indeed, the horizon is slightly tilting to the right about .2 degrees. Lalit, I will probably deepen the rock surface selectively about a half stop. I doubt I will crop the right, instead, I will clone the stray branches from the sky. I want to keep the puddle of water as is. Thanks all for your comments and suggestions!!

Wonderful sky colors and reflex , tones and composition are great, i love this scene , thanks for share

Thanks Gunnar and Ali! I have updated the preview with some minor changes based upon some insightful recommendations. You will need to reset your browser to see the updated version. Thanks everyone for your thoughts!!

Great capture Mark. This place holds fond memories so it makes it even more special. Excellent bit of work. Regards-Jim

Lovely composition and range of colours and tones!! Great clarity and sharpness!!

 

Best regards,

 

Vamsi Krishna