Approaching Storm at Green River Overlook

[bretedge]

A friend and I were heading back to Moab after a hike to False Kiva when we made the fateful decision to check out Green River Overlook.  A storm was brewing and we agree there might be a decent opportunity for photography.  We arrived in time to set up and make two exposures before the storm was on top of us with the wind whipping, rain and sleet pelting us.  We grabbed our tripods and dashed back to my truck.  I had no idea if I'd made an image that was worth a crap until I got home and imported them into Lightroom.  The image blew my mind.  It has not been toned and very little processing was required.  I've got a lot of photos from Green River Overlook but this is my favorite - even more so than the best selling from here that we have hanging in our gallery.

Thanks for having a look and leaving a comment.

[wolfnowl]

Well done, Bret!!

Mike.

[Tony Jay]

A stunning image.
Anyone would be happy to have have shot this.
Just goes to show though that it isnt always obvious when one has struck the motherlode.

Well done.

Tony Jay

[churly]

Finest kind Bret!

[Walt Roycraft]

Lovely image Bret!
Just curious, does the story that went into getting the shot make this your favorite? And would you tell the story to customers so they too would become emotionally attached to it.(or not)

I have several shots that I am quite fond of, but I think knowing what went into getting them(hypothermia comes to mind) makes me appreciate them all the more.

Thanks for sharing.

[Chairman Bill]

A beaut, and it just goes to show that the best light usually comes with less than the best weather

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I think Walt is right. It's a stunning photo by itself, but the back story adds something. Like the frosting on the cake, maybe.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Exquisite!

As for the story, I do not think one needs to hear it: it is all already there, in the picture.

[Peter McLennan]

A beaut, and it just goes to show that the best light usually comes with less than the best weather

Yep.  Most exceptional landscape photographs are really weather photographs in disguise.

Whatever, this is a superb image, Bret.  Congratulations.

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

Stunning!
Congratulations for getting such a great shot!

[Rajan Parrikar]

Atmospheric scene, very well exposed.

[markadams99]

That works. Less is more.

[langier]

+1! Good timing and well done!

[Walt Roycraft]

Exquisite!

As for the story, I do not think one needs to hear it: it is all already there, in the picture.

I agree that you don't NEED to hear it to appreciate that wonderful image. Yet the story could have been, "As we pulled into the parking lot of  Green River Overlook there was a strong storm occurring, As we were about to leave I noticed a faint clearing on the horizon so we stayed. When it stopped raining we got out of our car and snapped this wonderful image." Maybe less endearing than the story Eric shared.

[bretedge]

Lovely image Bret!
Just curious, does the story that went into getting the shot make this your favorite? And would you tell the story to customers so they too would become emotionally attached to it.(or not)

I have several shots that I am quite fond of, but I think knowing what went into getting them(hypothermia comes to mind) makes me appreciate them all the more.

Thanks for sharing.

That's an interesting observation and question, Walt.  I do think the experience has much to do with my affinity for this image.  In my gallery each print on the wall has a small plaque next to it with the prices, sizes and, most importantly, a short story about the creation of the image.  We find that people enjoy reading those stories and it's often a great conversation starter as they'll read the story, then turn and open a discussion with us about the image. 

[Peter McLennan]

Makes total sense, Bret, from an artistic as well as an business perspective.

Mitch Dobrowner's story behind his incredible image of Shiprock added tremendously to the image, IMHO.

[Rory]

Sweet shot Bret.  Luv the tones and composition.  It will look awesome when printed BIG.

[Isaac]

Makes total sense ... from [a] business perspective.

Yes.

Makes total sense ... from an artistic ... perspective.

Really?

Every year the aspiring photographer brought a stack of his best prints to an old, honored photographer, seeking his judgement. Every year the old man studied the prints and painstakingly ordered them into two piles, bad and good. Every year the old man moved a certain landscape print into the bad stack. At length he turned to the young man: "You submit this same landscape every year, and every year I put it on the bad stack. Why do you like it so much?" The young photographer said, "Because I had to climb a mountain to get it."

The Writing Life, Anne Dillard

[Peter McLennan]

Really?

Yes, really.  The back story is often very interesting, adding to one's appreciation of the image.   Read  "Examples. The Making of 40 Photographs" by a Mr. Adams.  The story of photographing "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico" is worth the price of admission alone.

[Isaac]

I've been re-reading "Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs" all week, page vii --

Only the print contains the artist's meaning and message. I hope that my creative and technical standards are supported in this book more through my images than through my dissertations.

To belabour the obvious -- no such explanations were included in Ansel Adams' portfolios, just the art.