The Mighty Fallen
by Nicolaus Wegner
Deep in the Cloud Peak Wilderness, nightfall, on the side of a mountain. Here lie some of the most amazing falls and country I have ever witnessed in Wyoming. This is my personal take on an area I'm not quite sure has ever been seriously photographed, and is rarely even visited. Most people that venture into the Bighorns do so on horses, and this place can most definitely not be reached by horses...which is totally awesome in my opinion. Hopefully I have done it some justice, and yet, even still, this photo can't compare to the awe I felt (and still feel) in the face of such an amazing and insular a location. No trails here, just pure natural awesomeness. I still wish I was up there, and will definitely return again and again, despite it's remoteness.
Tech: 5 image blend. I tried to make this as natural as possible, but still took some artistic liberties. Most of the foreground was shot at f/11, 120 seconds, ISO400. In order to bring some detail into the shadows, I blended portions of an f/4, ISO 3200 photo. Then another, darker exposure for the mountain. Another to brighten the falls just a tiny bit, and the final image, about 30 minutes later, for the sky. ISO 3200, f/2.8, 49 seconds. The streaks are low, fast moving clouds. I thought it added a bit to the sky. That is the northern portion of the milky way by the way. Not as epic as the southern portion, but still kind of cool. There is a very small amount of star movement, but it's hardly noticeable.
Again, this image is best viewed in dark, and I'm sure a few people will still say it needs to be brighter. };]
Thanks for commenting, hell, thanks for just looking.
Comments
28 commentsSandy r
Dean, the Winds are without a doubt some amazingly dramatic country. However, they lack epic waterfalls the Bighorns have no shortage of. At least I have not yet found them. Give me a year or two. I'll find something new to photograph up there. They are also seriously over-crowded in some areas.
As for Bighorn dramatic...well, I have a few shots I'm working on that might just change your mind. ;]
Concerning the knack for night photography, thank you. Still, anyone can do this with a bit of patience and practice. I think more importantly, a fairly high proficiency with photoshop is needed. I have been using PS longer than a digital camera, and knowing how to put all these pieces together correctly is probably the most difficult part. As is fixing all those tiny mistakes one makes in the field. Being there, witnessing the moment first hand, is definitely the coolest part.
aF
KAE
I especially like the kiss of light on the peaks.
You are fast becoming the 'Emperor of Wyoming'.
I'm surprised you didn't record any movement in the stars with a 49 sec. exposure.
Absolutely beautiful
love the exposure .. Excellent work
Outstanding and magical!! You have "It" for night photography, big fan of your work.
Hahhaha John, if I was the Emp of Wyo, first thing I would do, make it illegal to graze cows and sheep on public lands and in national forests. THE very first thing. It'll never happen, and I keep telling myself I just need to accept it, but it's difficult every time you step in fresh crap or see how messed up the land gets. Let's not forget that most of the bison are missing in Wyoming because of them. At least they can't get up into places like this, so I still have a place to escape. ;] Ahh, and there is a small amount of star movement, especially in the right hand side, but the clouds do an ok job of faking the eye out.
Heck Luis, I just saw your milky way/moon shot. Talk about magical! What a great idea. Would have never thought it possible but you pulled it off perfectly.
Hope to see more from this area and from you.
As for the comp of this image I personally find it very appealing. I was not going for a leading or S type composition, but one comprised of angles and lines. Comparing this to Marc's flowing work is like comparing apples to oranges. Sure they are in the same food group, but the taste and texture are totally different. There is a waterfall in the shot but that does not mean it has to 'flow'. To my eye, the line of the falls in the bottom right of the image do lead to the smaller peaks and the left corner of the main peak, which then leads into the sky. The Milky Way also ties into the smaller left peaks and then to the falls if you look carefully. The lines of the clouds hold everything together...lines everywhere. Again, it's a personal taste, and in this image I find the composition to be pretty complex, yet solid if explored properly. There's a bit of a 50/50 here as well as the rule of thirds. It definitely won't appeal to everyone, and it is certainly not meant to look like any other photog's work. I thoroughly enjoy following my own optical tastes, and of course, sharing those experiences with others if they care to venture a gander.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts. Keep 'em coming. And yessir, I plan on continuing to shoot what excites me. You do the same. ;]
- Dan.
Chris
No nits from me. Well done!
Overall too dark for my taste. I wish it a tad brighter. And as a print will need to be brighter for more appeal, IMO.
As far as printing quality, as long as you developed it well, the lower iso shots blended with the higher iso shots, and some smart noise reduction and maybe a touch of grain simulation, this should look great big. I have found iso 1600 and about 20-30 second exposures with the 5D Mark II and the new noise reduction in ACR 6.1 to allow really great quality of stars even in enlargements. Not sure about 3200 though.
This is a fantastic concept....excecuted extremely well! I don't cre what liberties you took.....this one shines!!!