Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: Mjollnir on January 06, 2016, 03:31:43 pm

Title: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: Mjollnir on January 06, 2016, 03:31:43 pm
A bit high key, perhaps, and I'm thinking of taking down some of the highlights in the one really white tree and the snow along the bridge.

Utterly deserted on Christmas Morning from dawn until around 0900 hours.

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1638/24129582041_f86ddb2443_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CLfq5z)Christmas Morning, Merced River #2a (https://flic.kr/p/CLfq5z) by tanngrisnir3 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/87368247@N00/), on Flickr
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on January 06, 2016, 04:03:31 pm
Hardly a "high key," given the strong black presence. Also, a bit too busy for me.

I see, however, the possibility for a more abstract treatment for that bridge arch and its reflection, with just a hint of the trees in the background (seen through the opening, not above the bridge). That would require either significant cropping, or a different lens.

Alternative cropping, less severe: turning it into more of an 8x10 format by eliminating the white pile of snow on the left and the tree trunk on the right.
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: luxborealis on January 06, 2016, 07:25:41 pm
A lovely photograph. The trees receding into the background a beautiful as is the tactile nature of the stone bridge.

I have to ask about the white dots in the dark river (bubbles?). Keep 'em or clone 'em?

I'm asking b/c I have a photograph of early morning in one of the pristine parks up here in Ontario and I find the surface distractions (in the case of my photo, pine pollen, but it looks like dust on the lens/print or floating pollution on the still water). It's a gorgeous image, as is your photograph, but the white spots distract my OCD brain.

What to do?!?
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: Paulo Bizarro on January 07, 2016, 03:54:02 am
Not high key to my eyes. I would have not included the tree on the right, or included it more; meaning as it is it is a bit cut on the bottom.

Very good texture on the bridge stones, and the lovely receding trees, as already mentioned. I have no issues with the white spots on the water, they seem like leaves?
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: mseawell on January 07, 2016, 10:38:48 am
Difficult image. I am not the greatest at analyzing another's image but here goes. I like the moment you captured and the mono rendering. The tree would go. The spots under the bridge would go and I would probably (if possible) have shifted left.

File in the FWIW department and hope this helps

Mark
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: Mjollnir on January 07, 2016, 02:47:35 pm
Hmmmmm.... when I get home tonight, I'll lose the tree and see how it looks.

Emphasize the 'eye of Mordor' bit between the bridge and the water.
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: EricV on January 07, 2016, 03:15:58 pm
Very nice image.  To my eyes, it is not so much high key as high contrast.  Did you boost local contrast with something like the LR clarity slider?  If so, you might try dialing that back a notch or two to get a smoother looking image.
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: Mjollnir on January 07, 2016, 03:47:00 pm
Very nice image.  To my eyes, it is not so much high key as high contrast.  Did you boost local contrast with something like the LR clarity slider?  If so, you might try dialing that back a notch or two to get a smoother looking image.

Newp.  The only thing in that regard was NIK's Pre-Raw Sharpener.
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: Mjollnir on January 08, 2016, 11:05:59 am
Allrighty, then.

Cropped and the white things, for the most part, removed from the water.

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1525/23884988399_5ac57e75c7_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CoCNUP)Christmas Morning, Merced River #2b (https://flic.kr/p/CoCNUP) by tanngrisnir3 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/87368247@N00/), on Flickr
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: thierrylegros396 on January 08, 2016, 11:55:12 am
Really very well like this!

Thierry
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on January 08, 2016, 06:45:25 pm
Much as I liked the original, I do think this crop improves it.  Gorgeous!
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: HSakols on January 08, 2016, 08:34:15 pm
Oh I like that much better. 
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: nma on January 10, 2016, 02:28:30 am
The crop does it for me. Sensational!
Title: Re: Christmas Morning, Yosemite Valley, Stoneman Bridge
Post by: luxborealis on January 10, 2016, 02:06:25 pm
I disagree - the tree gave the scene a "presence" that allowed me to feel part of the scene. Without the tree, the photo, although still very three dimensional, doesn't give me the same feeling. I feel like everything is "over there" rather than "right here". Also, the bridge now seems like more of a barrier than a leading line that took me from the tree on the right, across the photo, then down through the "vortex" of snow-covered trees.

That being said, it is still an exceptional photo. If I had never seen the first, the tree wouldn't be missed quite so much.

Thanks, though, for cleaning up the white spots in the black water.