Topic: Badlands of Caledon (Read 3810 times)

John R · « **on:** December 03, 2009, 09:01:21 pm »

I often visit a place called the Badlands of Caledon. It's the only expansive landscape I can get to that is close enough to home and still get back in time the same day. This is the first time I was able to see frost on a red, hoodoo like landscape. Very interesting and different than simply being covered with snow. I was just in time to capture a little bit of mist, but missed most of it. I think you will agree it has a surreal quality to it. I am posting this one shot but if anyone is interested, I have four more at:

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-yo...ds-caledon.html

JMR

RSL · « **Reply #1 on:** December 03, 2009, 09:57:04 pm »

John, I really like the composition. It's a very strong collection of triangles and diagonals, and the eroded bank and forest diminishing into the hazy distance draws you into the farthest reaches of the picture. Great shot.

Good lens too.

dwood · « **Reply #2 on:** December 03, 2009, 10:22:28 pm »

Very nicely done John.

Eric Myrvaagnes · « **Reply #3 on:** December 04, 2009, 12:15:18 am »

Excellent!

wolfnowl · « **Reply #4 on:** December 04, 2009, 01:10:54 am »

Well done, John! Back when I lived in southern Ontario I drove past that place a few times (first time by accident), but I never had a chance to do any photography there.

Mike.

iancl · « **Reply #5 on:** December 04, 2009, 02:47:21 am »

Very, very nice indeed. My favourite of your postings from here that I've seen.

Ed Blagden · « **Reply #6 on:** December 04, 2009, 02:54:58 am »

Gosh, that is really really good, for the reasons that Russ gave. I think this needs to be rendered a bit bigger - say 1200 x 800 on the screen. The image wants to be big (unlike some of your colour studies which often, IMO, "want" to be small).

Great shot.

Ed

Rob C · « **Reply #7 on:** December 04, 2009, 03:58:54 am »

I have to agree with the choice of the first shot - the scene is better than the parts. Now this might just be me: have you been to Mallorca? They have a speciality pastry called an ensaimada. Your close-ups with the frost are exactly how this soft, fluffy pastry thing beneath a fine, sugary/flour-dusted skin looks in close-up. It tastes devine.

Amazing what lies around us and how forms can be duplicated in manifestations almost worlds apart.

Rob C

francois · « **Reply #8 on:** December 04, 2009, 05:55:30 am »

Stunning photo! The foreground is so smooth with just enough texture - it's almost like a painting.

EduPerez · « **Reply #9 on:** December 04, 2009, 06:23:15 am »

Quote from: francois

Stunning photo! The foreground is so smooth with just enough texture - it's almost like a painting.

My thoughts exactly.

dchew · « **Reply #10 on:** December 04, 2009, 06:58:46 am »

I really like this. The fog makes all the difference, complimenting the wonderful textures.

Beautiful photo.

Dave

Ed Blagden · « **Reply #11 on:** December 04, 2009, 07:02:06 am »

Quote from: Rob C

I have to agree with the choice of the first shot - the scene is better than the parts. Now this might just be me: have you been to Mallorca? They have a speciality pastry called an ensaimada. Your close-ups with the frost are exactly how this soft, fluffy pastry thing beneath a fine, sugary/flour-dusted skin looks in close-up. It tastes devine.

Amazing what lies around us and how forms can be duplicated in manifestations almost worlds apart.

Rob C

Rob

No - it isn't just you. When I saw the pic for the first time I thought hmm, if you crop off the top half you could call the image "Accident in the Bakery" or "Great Culinary Disasters of our Time Part XII". But then I thought no, such levity could easily be construed as taking the piss, and a great shot like this one doesn't deserve to be teased. Well not much anyway. Not on Fridays.

cmi · « **Reply #12 on:** December 04, 2009, 07:56:19 am »

Quote from: Ed B

...if you crop off the top half you could call the image "Accident in the Bakery" or "Great Culinary Disasters of our Time Part XII". ...

Hahaha, this made me laugh!

I think too the image is really excellent and the best I have seen so far from you John. I would not change one bit. It already works in small wich is often a sign of a really good picture.

Christian

Slobodan Blagojevic · « **Reply #13 on:** December 04, 2009, 10:14:53 am »

Quote from: Rob C

... Amazing what lies around us and how forms can be duplicated in manifestations almost worlds apart...

Fractals in nature?

Great photo, btw. Love "Lord of the Rings"-like atmosphere.

jasonrandolph · « **Reply #14 on:** December 04, 2009, 10:53:45 am »

Beautiful shot. If I were to change anything, I would take a few steps back to include all of the closest tree in the image, but it works very well as-is. Nice work.

John R · « **Reply #15 on:** December 04, 2009, 05:42:29 pm »

Thank you all for the comments. It is a bit overwhelming, but I appreciate them all the same. I am amused by the comparisons to pastry. Never been to Mallorca Rob, but the pastry sure does sound divine. On other sites the comparison is usually to parts of the human body, like some dune shots resemble the human body. I have to agree that the mist helps make the shot better than it otherwise would be. I have a BW version and it is quite surreal. As to the parts not being as good as the whole, that is inescapable- one shot is bound to be better than the others; and as is often observed, one tends to go with what drew them to the scene in the first place.

Here are two more shots taken over the years for comparison. They are from slides. I love the mottled winter shot and the resemblance to an elephant back in the second shot, which by the way, is the nickname of the place.

JMR

Eric Myrvaagnes · « **Reply #16 on:** December 05, 2009, 12:17:59 am »

Looks like a place worth many return visits. Nice shots!

Eric

Author Topic: Badlands of Caledon (Read 3810 times)