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Yellowstone Series #3
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Yellowstone Series #3

by Michael J Greene,

Gallery: LandscapePosted December 19, 2009347 views11 comments
Sorry to write a book here. You can skip down to the number items if you don't want to hear about the background information.

This was one of the best sunsets we witnessed during our four week stay in the park. It was taken on the first day of a six night backpacking trip near our campsite. All day long we experienced a mixture of threatening weather and sunny skies, and at one point, I was convinced it was going to rain, but it really never came to fruition. Composition was difficult because of the waist high wild grass and brush that surrounded most of the creek in the area. What you didn't see was an osprey feasting on a 14 inch Cutthroat Trout for dinner. At least until I accidentally spooked it, and out dropped the fish. For some reason, the osprey failed to retrieve it as it floated down the creek. Anyway, it was a very memorable evening...

A few questions and disclosures about this shot:

1) The sharpness level - my L bracket was not on tight and I was having difficulty getting tack sharp images during this portion of the trip. The shot is acceptably clear in my opinion, but not tack sharp. It has more a painterly look to it at 100%. How does it look to you for online presentation?


2) A disclosure about the fg: I dressed the colors up quite a bit to - I hope tastefully create some visual interest in the water. How do think it looks?

3) The conifers on the right hand side are considerably more bright than what my eye could see at the time of the photo as well as the stream bank on the same side. How do you like this effect?

Thanks for looking and all comments and critiques both positive and negative are always appreciated.

5DMK2, 24-105, Grads, single image exposure and processing

Comments

11 comments
Comment posted by Robert Dayton on December 19, 2009 at 8:40 PM
Beautiful, Michael. Great light.
Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments
Comment posted by David Edwards on December 20, 2009 at 12:00 AM
A beautiful shot, Michael. Sounds like it was a great trip. Must have been inspiring to have such a beautiful sunset on your first day! The overall color is fantastic, including the sky's reflection in the water. The conifers on the bank look great too. The overall mood is very peaceful.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments
Comment posted by Andreas Resch on December 20, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Wonderful place and capture, Michael. The sky is lovely with these clouds and the colors. The peaceful mood on the ground with that creek is a nice addition. The 50/50 split supports the calmness of the scene.
One little thing - the blues in the reflection are a little more on the greener side than the sky. I adjusted them and the shot felt a little more in sync. You could also tone down the reflections just a hit for balancing.
Registered on November 14, 2007, 322 Posts, 6101 Comments
Comment posted by Stan Rose on December 20, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Nice simple comp, Michael--i like this a lot! Wow, 4 weeks in Yellowstone, must have been some trip! Colors, exposure, everyhting looks good here. If i struggle to come up with a suggestion the only thing i might do is burn the shoreline/bank on the rhs just a bit. :smile:
Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Chambers on December 20, 2009 at 6:34 PM
The clarity of this is striking; colors too. Beautiful scene Michael.
Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments
Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on December 20, 2009 at 7:19 PM
Dressed up colors look perfect. Ditto the light on the conifers. I like it just fine. You did a good job interpreting what your camera captured.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments
Comment posted by Dean Sauskojus on December 20, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Love the colors especially in the creek. Nice shot!
Registered on September 29, 2009, 137 Posts, 2659 Comments
Comment posted by Daniel Ewert on December 21, 2009 at 12:14 AM
Beautiful image, Michael. I am really liking the color in the sky and in the water. Nice work!
Registered on June 2, 2009, 103 Posts, 1500 Comments
Comment posted by Bruno Silva on December 21, 2009 at 7:25 AM
I think everything looks fine here. very pleasent and serene image. colors are sweet and reflection too. beautifull shot michael.
Registered on May 6, 2009, 132 Posts, 1406 Comments
Comment posted by Waleed Marhoum on December 21, 2009 at 8:01 AM
I always like and admire the single shot image
I think it would be nice with 4x5 crop
thanks for sharing this shot
Registered on December 29, 2006, 85 Posts, 421 Comments
Comment posted by Eva McDermott on December 22, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Beautiful scene Michael. The light and color are delightful. Wonderful comp as well.
Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments