whydangle

Time to thank all of the respondents! William, Harry, Dominick, Mike, Radu, Fontana, Leo, Antoneta, Richard, Patsy, Falak, John, Lester, Christopher and Richard, I appreciate your thoughts and input!! I think this one will be considered Significant based upon the favorable reviews!!

Everything is excellent, including the title! Fine work as usual!!

Once again, a popular composition, but luckily graced with the seasons first significant snowfall. I was giddy like a child on Christmas morn, finding present after present as I circled the valley. The storm cleared as I arrived in the morning and the humidity helped keep the clouds active. Some storms transition into cold, wind and clear, but this storm was a lamb. This made for the finest photographic conditions, allowing me to take my time and not worry about moving branches and/or boring skies. Everything was calm and quiet. I could get used to this!!

Pretty amazing scene! Simply "WOW"! If I could come up with a suggestion, it would be to somehow add texture to the badlands with local contrast. Not a lot, mind you. Also, I see a trail or road below. Perhaps that could be brightened enough to make it stand out and give the image another dimension. This really needs to be viewed larger!!

Last week's trip to Yosemite was very productive. I added over 20 gratifying images to my portfolio over 2 and a half days, which is considerably more than an average trip of the same length. Ansel Adams stated that "twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop". Of the 20 or more, I would say at least 4 or 5 are significant. This would be mostly due to the fact that the conditions were so exceptional. Still, who defines significant? Is it the photographer or is it the viewer of the photograph? This image is a straightforward composition from an iconic location within Yosemite Valley. On any visit, this image would be like so many others. With the fresh snow and the chiaroscuro lighting on El Capitan, however, it becomes more significant in my assessment. The combination of "iconic" and "unusual conditions" make the image questionable as to whether it makes a significant work. I would like to know how the viewer feels. From the photographer's standpoint, I also feel that the processing helps the image succeed, with ample shadow detail and, as well, highlight detail. Please click the preview for the Larger image and then give me your thoughts!

Lester, this is brilliant! Very exceptional fine art!!

Really amazing light and colors! It looks like you are losing a channel in the left side sky, but only minimal. The intensity of this light can produce mindblowing colors!!

This was the first image I recorded on an epic weekend trip that started on Friday at 2 am. I arrived at Tunnel View around 6:15, so I had to wait for enough light to shoot. This image required a 95 second exposure, but as it turns out, it was an advantage. The clouds and fog streaked across the frame, giving the image a sense of movement. It looks like it could have been quite windy, but in fact was quite calm and quiet. I enjoyed this shoot so thoroughly because I had plenty of time to compose and record the scenes, all the while having time to take in the view as well. As luck would have it, a second storm rolled through on Saturday evening and dusted the landscape again. In between, the snow had nearly all melted, so there was time to shoot foliage during the bright overcast of Saturday. I can check this off of my bucket list; a photograph (or a few hundred) of Yosemite Valley covered in new snow. Thanks for viewing and make sure to use the Larger preview!!

Thanks Richard John Edwards, Richard Karas, Jeff, Lars, Larry and Tim!! I appreciate the favorable comments. Really, to be sure, this was certainly one of the easiest compositions. Just level the ballhead and make sure to not include too much sky, and BAM! this is just a matter of being here when it counts and then knowing how to operate a digital camera. Larry, the driving was actually very easy. I have a FWD Mitsubishi and it handles well in these conditions. The second storm offered more difficulties, but only when climbing the hill to get to Tunnel View. I actually enjoyed this shoot more than any other because it lasted so long. There were times when I could just stop shooting and take it all in without losing any time. Thanks again to all!!

Thanks Sean, Les, Otto, William, David, Jeff, Mike, Lester and Radu! Jeff, I agree! I have some more comps with the entire tree. In fact, I have so many more comps. Mike, I think I have seen one other like this. Before I went on this trip, I was thinking to myself how I would like to go in the winter when a snowstorm covered the valley. Check mark!!

Great! Rick, this is a winner in my eyes!!

I left Bakersfield on Friday morning at 2 am to catch this sunrise. I think I made the right choice. After shooting from the Tunnel View, I entered the valley and it was like driving into a fantasy! I took pictures throughout the day and returned here for a great sunset. The following day, the snow melted away and by Saturday afternoon, everything returned to normal. Late Saturday evening, another storm rolled in and by Sunday morning, the landscape was again white with heavy snow. Two solid snowstorms in one Yosemite visit would have to qualify as lottery type luck I would say. I will post the second sunrise soon. Thanks for your input and please utilize the Larger preview!!

When I travelled to the Eastern Sierra on Saturday the 22nd of October, I brought my Father-in-law and two kids. I had been watching the foliage reports to calculate my Yosemite trip coming up this week, but I just couldn't pass up a quick jaunt over to the Conway Summit. Everyone was describing it as spectacular. All told, we drove almost 700 miles in two days just so I could get a few pictures. I believe my Father-in-Law thinks I'm a little loony for this very reason. Can't say I blame him. After our return to Bakersfield, however, he described the view as very beautiful. I showed him the captured results and he was quite pleased. Turns out, I guess, that I had two reasons for going!

Holy Guacamole Stephen! This is one of your finest! The composition is perfection! The dappling sunlight filtering across the image is superb! I guess the only suggestion is that the lower left has some inconsistent looking branch/leaves that I feel could be cropped, basically cropping up above that anomaly but preserving the lit leaves mid lower-left, if that makes sense. Very fine slice of this primal forest!!

I am enjoying this dusky spectacle while having fresh cookies and milk! Nothing better than quality images on my computer while having a late night treat! Really lovely Richard!! Oh, of course I'm nit-picking when I say you're horizon is tilted about 1.5 degrees left. Perfect beyond that however!!

Thanks for your assessments! The Larger preview is recommended for a detailed image like like this! 

Not sure I completely understand your point Jeff. Let's see. Firstly; I have used grads in the past, but they became a pain. They got nicked and scratched, they added an additional piece of piece of glass/plastic across the lens, they hampered me when I was in a hurry and they didn't always give me the precise amount of light block needed. I would have to measure the variance of light and then hope the .9 would be the right filter. Most of all, they shadowed anything rising above the horizon or the mountain tops near the horizon. Now, I just bracket a quick 4 or 5 exposures and decide later which ones work best to build the final image. HDR pretty much. My current camera produces a  file size of about 5200 X 3500 pixels. This final image TIFF file is almost exactly the same size, so I've lost no pixels in the process. I've just used the most useful pixels from several RAW files. The hand block simply reduces or eliminates lens flare in the bottom portion of the image. The top quarter of the hand block file is unusable, but then I just used the top quarter of another RAW file that was underexposed by 4 stops to replace those sacrificed pixels. If I wasn't shooting directly into a bright sun, I wouldn't have used my hand, but I still might have used several files if the dynamic range exceeded my sensor's range. I am aware that many landscape shooters use grads in order to avoid the post pro headaches of blending. For me, I actually enjoy the process and feel the results are superior. A heavy grad would have left me with a dark shadow across the peaks, but as you can see, they are rendered as a dark midtone, not a black. To me, that just looks more natural. Not saying one way is right or wrong, just that this way is my preference. I appreciate the feedback!!

While I have spent time near Mono Lake, I have never photographed this photogenic icon. For one, I actually don't think of it as a beautiful place. Otherworldly, perhaps, but not on my list of tranquil and serene places. Just after finishing my shoot at Conway Summit, we headed dow the long hill. I couldn't help but notice the radiant reflection on the lake surface. It was glowing noticeably, but my daughter was not in the mood for more picture taking, so I continued without stopping. Suddenly, this shoreline revealed itself as we approached the bottom of the hill and I couldn't resist. I was most intrigued by the bands of color across the surface and the amount of color that was occurring. After all, the sun had long since set and it was behind us, so why would this scene be so vivid. The blue band across the horizon is the Earth's shadow, a common sight during sunset at this elevation of over 7,000 feet. This is a long telephoto shot, so it has compressed the pink band just above the shadow, making it appear to be rather large, when in fact it looked quite normal to the eye. I've included this in my Fall Foliage folder because it was taken during a foliage endeavor. I think it is also appropriate because as the sun passes the equinox, it's lower angle produces more color at sunset. That's why the best sunsets are typically in the winter months. Well, winter is on the way, but hopefully not before I get out one more time this fall!!