joe604

I was deceived also. My first reaction was annoyance, but this has been more than offset by the entertaining spat Paul's deception has triggered. If his deception was as deliberate as it appears, then yes, that was a little naughty. But we should be big boys about it and appreciate his devious little trick on us. Well done.

It's always so interesting to read the broad points of view that come out of POW discussions. I know of no other place that elicits such an open, thoughtful discussion as this forum. As I read through the comments, I found two observations that I found particularly interesting because they seemed to be examples of how breaking the rules can be used to good effect.

 

First, it has been pointed out that the picture suffers from being static and lacks life or movement. But I think that is the point: the image is supposed to convey a sense of life frozen in winter.

 

Second, it has been pointed out how a large part of the image is the empty, uniform texture of the frozen lake that contributes nothing visually interesting to the composition. But I think the vast, perfect uniformity of the lake bed is the main subject of the image -- the tree and the mountain are there to frame this extraordinary sight.

 

It works.

 

--Joe

Your comments are welcome. --Joe

This is the third and last of the shots from this location. Look in the folder to see the other two. -- Joe

Geyser basin at West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake. Comments welcome. --Joe

Sondra, all of these accolades are well deserved. This one is a winner. Congratulations. --Joe

Yes, including people in a scenic landscape is a little unusual, and I rarely do it. But in this case, the two people happened to be standing in the ideal spot for the composition -- the leading lines point to them. So, whether I liked it or not, this scene became an image about sightseers at Yellowstone.

 

As for the color, the hazy summer sun was shining through a fairly thick cloud of steam to give it this color. No color modification was made except for slight desaturation to match what I remember.

 

Thank you for your comments. --Joe

Yellowstone. Comments are welcome. --Joe

I don't know, Kenneth. This cool mountain shower would be pretty tame for you.

Thank you, everyone.

 

Leann, it was exhilarating in spite of waging a constant battle against the evening mosquitoes.

Comments are welcome. --Joe

Very effective use of tone and saturation. Congratulations. --Joe

The dark sky makes the viewer concentrate on the clouds. Very well done. --Joe

Thank you Leann and Kim.

Thanks, Jeff. I've never tried quadtone. Perhaps it is time I found out what it is and how to do it. My original aim was simple B&W, but as an afterthought I decide to keep a little of the color to enhance the cold mood. Regards, Joe.

Thank you, Birlik, Spencer, and Mark. Birlik, the out-of-the-camera image was actually bluer, and didn't look realistic. I desaturated it in order to get more of a blue-gray that we normally see on a stormy evening. Regards, Joe

From Lake Hotel. Comments welcome. --Joe

Beautiful work. Looks flawless. Congratulations. --Joe

Yeah, it looks fake, but it isn't. That's Longs Peak reflected in the window of the famous hotel in Estes Park.

Very nice tonal range. Congratulations. --Joe

You have used the low-key tonal range very effectively here. The only suggestion I have for you is to let the highlights on the center pipe glow a little brighter -- that is where you need the image to pop. Congratulations. --Joe

Looks flawless. Congratulations. --Joe

Very good DOF and background.

The best background of any insect closeup.

Perfect.