The Crystalline Silence
by Michael Anderson
Switching gears from the tropical South Pacific to 17,000 feet up in the Khumbu Himalaya...
For some reason, most trekkers to Everest Base Camp stay on the trail or go climbing and rarely venture out into the surrounding wilderness. I decided to do some exploring and found this spectacular alpine lake with a reflection of Ama Dablam. Clouds obscured the view in the afternoon but parted just after sunset to reveal some of the most beautiful twilight colors I've ever witnessed. The cloud layer that had surrounded me all afternoon can be seen receding back down the valley. The unusual light on the fog layer is exactly as it came out of the camera. No dodging. I never posted this here because there was a little noise in the blue sky. I've since learned how to fix that, so here it is. I've still got a few more from Nepal that I'll share as I get more time to work on them.
Thanks in advance for any critiques.
-Mike
Comments
42 commentsHow high did you go?
What was the elevation where the photo was taken?
The pristine water with both reflection and visible rocks, as well as the contrasty white peaks with dark areas, really works.
The eyes follow the 'V" formed in the water and this V-feature also adds a gradient to the depth of the view.
Very good compostion and excellent eye.
the fisch
The Nepal Himalaya is the only place in the world where I've seen skies like this, but now I've seen it a couple times. I think it has to do with a lot of the unique atmospheric conditions you get there such as the sun setting through the thick orange haze of the Indian subcontinent, and the refraction of that light through valley clouds up to 25,000 foot + landscapes. Look back at some of Galen Rowell's classic Himalaya shots and you'll see it there too. It's a place of extraordinary beauty. I've always said that I wish all true mountain lovers could get a chance to see the Himalaya once in their lifetime.
This was taken at 16,500-17,000 feet based on the Nepali map I was carrying.
-Mike
I love the way those peaks just glow! The unusual sky and subtle fg really make this sing for me. Did you happen to get a vertical comp?... I think that would also work very well here. Amazing work as always!
Wayne
Great points. I was a little heavy on the grad here. I used a 2 stop Grad when it was probably only a 1 stop difference between FG reflection and peak. I lightened the peak and sky 1 stop in RAW to even the exposure and that resulted in some noise in the dark sky that I fixed. Trying to burn the bottom half down results in color shifts that don't reflect what I saw, so I kept processing to a minimum and left the bottom alone. The scene was so otherworldly in color, any significant manipulation felt like it would betray the scene. Also, the lake has a lot of 'glacial milk' that gives it a green color so part of the color shift in the reflection you see is probably due to the color of the lake. Thanks for the observant comments!
-Mike
Excellent processing for noise, color, and sharpness and a beautiful scene overall. On my monitor - your reflected peak and ridgeline left of the peak is brighter than the actual thing and needs to be darkened. By any chance, did you take any verticals of this scene with a greater emphasis on the peak? For me, this image is compositionally unbalanced with more emphasis on the left hand side and an emptiness in the middle, right hand side of the scene between the water and the sky. Overall, I think it is a fine image, but not one of your strongest...I hope this helps. Thanks for sharing. Michael
Kathy
This photo is gonna taking some gazing.
A very complex composition.
This one is gorgeous. The composition is strong and the light one the peak add a lot to the general scene.
Waiting for the rest work from Nepal, Well done
Wow!
That reflection is such a perfect complement to the mtn and cloud shape .. the shapes here are amazing, the light is amazing, (yet another) killer photo.
Cheers
Carl
georg
Albert Darmo Canada
One of the best images I have ever seen!
Mark
Congrats on the EP!
SAndy r