georges_pelpel

These are really exceptional shots. The story is perfectly depicted and the artistically and technical qualities are outstanding.

Stunning shot. I have also hiked in this area but stopped at Lower Cathedral Lake. Next time I will try the upper lake. It's about a 2-3 hour hike from Tuolumne Meadows. As a previous critique thought, this is not snow but granite rock, the trademark of the High Sierra and Yosemite. Although some may argue that the peak in right in the middle of the frame I think it works quite well here because of the nice diagonal going from the reflection to the big cloud. The composition and the exposure are both superb. Colors look very natural to me. SUPERB.

The idea of a dancer floating in the air is nice. I however do not like the composition, the

background is way too annoying especially the bright spot on the upper left. The bottom of

the image is also too dark and doesn't add anything to the image. A less muddy, dark floor

would probably have shown some nice reflection.

This is just my opinion. Is the digital technology ready to handle that kind of a very contrasty

image? Film might have allowed a more balanced and softer photograph.

The scientists who suggested ice meant a very, very thin layer of ice.

The ice element was explained by scientists in a scientific magazine published 4-5 years ago.

The precipitations at the Racetrack are very, very low. If the playa was getting very wet the

rock would tend to sink a bit in the mud and the tracks would also tend to dissapear. From

my recollection of the article the cold of winter nights allows the surface humidity to freeze

hardening a bit the playa and allowing the rocks to kind of float thus allowing the winds to

slightly move the rocks. Keep in mind that it take years for a rock to make some patterns as

they sometimes change directions.

The dark mountain is due to the graduated neutral density filter, probably 3 stop hard

edge, may be more. There is a tall mountain behind the photographer that extends

downward to the South of the dry lake toward the West (the dark one we see), the sun is

just starting to peak over and illuminates the high mountains on the West/South West,

everything else in the shot is in shadow. The only way to get a balanced shot is to use the

grad filter.

Yes, a good 4x4 is a must. Some years, especially after a wet Spring like 2005, it can be

awful. I have driven it in a Jeep Grand Cherokee without problem; the first time on a very

bumpy journey, the second on a very smooth surface (could have been done with a regular

car). The last time was with a Chevy Tahoe coming straight down from the Bristlecone Pine

forest in the White Mountains where we shot sunset with a friend. We arrived at the lake at

2am with broken front shocks, planted the tents at the foot of the lake to be ready for

sunrise. Everytime I went there (Summer) I didn't see a soul, a very solitary place, great

starry sky, bats landing on my shoulders, amazing place.

I have been to the Racetrack many times, not boring at all. Yet the time to get shots under

the "good light" is short. I like this shot. I have some similar ones but not looking West as

this one is. The composition is very good.

The rocks need more than water and wind to move. They also need ice. This location is so

windy in the Winter than the winds can push up to 100 Lb rocks if the lake bed is icy.

The sad thing about the place is that it is becoming well known and the dirt road easier to

handle than in the past. The results is that some visitors show no respect to the place and

hike on the playa before it's completely dry leaving footprints everywhere. The first time I

visited, about 6-7 years ago, they were almost none, now you have to hike way past the

first rocks to find a virgin spot. These footprints will last for decades as rainfall is very

small at this location, the reason why the rocks tracks are able to stand.

This is a great shot. I love the color palette and the wet sand texture. The exposure is

dead on and the light is dramatic.

A couple of things bother me though. First the position of the sun in the frame looks a bit

off to me and second my eyes are attracted to the blue sky on the top left corner and out

of the main subject (the rock). As suggested above I think the image becomes even more

dramatic and beautiful when a third of the sky is cropped out, just below the blue sky. The

result, to me, is that the image is simplified to its main attractions: the rock, the water, the

sand, and the dark clouds. As a second point of interests the sun ends up at a better

location within the frame as well. If preferred a tiny crop on the right side would move the

rock out of its center position. Both rock positions work fine.

I would love to hang such a image on my wall.

Congratulations.