Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Chairman Bill on April 05, 2013, 02:24:32 pm

Title: Four valleys
Post by: Chairman Bill on April 05, 2013, 02:24:32 pm
I'm of the opinion that mountains are often best photographed from the valleys, and valleys best viewed from on high. These four photos of Lake District valleys were taken within a couple of miles of each other. C&C welcome (or I'd have posted them elsewhere  ;))

Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: nemo295 on April 05, 2013, 02:46:48 pm
These vistas are all nicely rendered in b&w. #3 is my favorite. I love the light in that one.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: walter.sk on April 05, 2013, 02:50:15 pm
#3 for me, too.

Its composition is the most compelling for pulling my eye down from the mountains into the valley, among other things.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: Harald L on April 05, 2013, 03:01:48 pm
#1 and #3 are my favorites particularly #1.

The shaded foreground of #2 and the cropped rock in the foreground of #4 are disturbing me.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: wolfnowl on April 05, 2013, 04:44:12 pm
#3, for reasons already mentioned.

Mike.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on April 05, 2013, 06:12:21 pm
All four make me want to visit the Lakes District some day. But that has been a long-standing wish. I'm a sucker for scenes like these, and these are very well done.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: RSL on April 05, 2013, 06:26:02 pm
+1
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 05, 2013, 06:32:08 pm
Nope.

I am a creature of habit. And if I associate anything with English landscape in general, and Lake District in particular, it would be color.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: Chairman Bill on April 05, 2013, 07:31:24 pm
Slobodan, I can post the colour versions if you like
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on April 05, 2013, 08:05:32 pm
I'd like to see the color versions, too.
You mean to tell me that English landscape isn't naturally black and white???   ;D
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: Chairman Bill on April 05, 2013, 08:26:12 pm
OK, here's the colour versions. I'll be in the Lake District a few times this year (including in November), and hopefully autumn will provide some better colour than these.

Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on April 05, 2013, 11:33:37 pm
They are nice in color, too.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: gerafotografija on April 05, 2013, 11:53:13 pm
I'm feeling nostalgic for the monochrome Duddon Vale, but the combination of colors in the foreground of Wasdale are intriguing. I like your theme of high viewpoint for valleys and low for mountains, it does seem to maximize the drama of the scene.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: William Walker on April 06, 2013, 12:08:21 am
I think Number one is the best of a good bunch. The reason? I think the foreground is just right. It leads you very nicely into the valley. Colour or b/w.

William
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: RSL on April 06, 2013, 06:10:18 am
The monochrome is good but the color is superb. That's landscape! Bravo Bill!
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: Chairman Bill on April 06, 2013, 07:18:56 am
Thanks for the positive comments.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: RSL on April 06, 2013, 09:23:29 am
One of the things that grabs me about these pictures is the atmospheric perspective. Living in the Rockies, I'm more or less surrounded by vistas like these, but the air is so clear that this kind of beautiful shading into the distance simply isn't there. Sometimes, oncoming weather will produce this effect, but it's pretty rare and usually not this gentle. Bierstadt caught the Rocky Mountain version in "Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains." It's not very serene.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: sdwilsonsct on April 06, 2013, 03:32:58 pm
Really nice Bill.
I like these B+Ws, even though I never do B+W landscapes myself.
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on April 07, 2013, 07:57:17 am
My vote goes to #3 as well. It's excellent in b&w but I think the colour version is even better.

Jeremy
Title: Re: Four valleys
Post by: cmi on April 08, 2013, 05:47:12 pm
#3 clearly stands out. It works both in color and b/w through at thumbnailed size (large viewing distance) the color version is clearly stronger (strongest of all).