Arpy lake twilight

I like the deep red foliage but the shadows seem dark but that may be how it was. You know, you always want to see more of a drop dead gorgeous scene! Beautiful work Paolo!

Thanks Eva for your comment. It was indeed very dark (40 minutes after sunset!). You know what, larches were catching the last light beautifully, just like the peaks and clouds, while the evergreen pines remained almost completely dark. I could perhaps locally dodge those, will see how it works.

Thanks Charlie, I'm pleased you like it. Well, fortunately modern digital cameras can easily detect even the faintest light that your eye can't even try to see. In this case though it wasn't completely dark yet, the peaks were still catching some glowing light from the sky and the sky itself was still blue. So in this case I simply used the matrix method and then I bracketed three exposures in a range of -1,5/+1,5 stop. I chose then an exposure of 5" second and overexposed by 2/3 of stop in PP. that's it.

Cheers,
Paolo

Paolo,
This image is a lesson, both technical and artistic. The use of the 4x gnd, exposed after the sunset, made it possible to capture the range of light. I also appreciate the composition, bands of detail, with symmetry and reflection. The ice adds a special little detail.

Another excellent comp and your usual great use of color! The mountains make such a beautiful backdrop for those red trees.

These are some real mountains, Paulo. Gorgeous image again. Is the lower mountain on the far right really that red or is that fall foliage on it too?

What a place man! The large file is a pleasure to watch. Balanced comp and killer colors. I should fly to italy some day, I have family in Catania and Friuli. Awesome work Paolo

Fantastic Paolo. The light on the peaks and the tones in the larches really make this spectacular. Gorgeous alpine image.

Outstanding! The treescape in the middle ground really put this image into a higher class. Well done.

Thanks all for the feedback, fellows. Tony, those are indeed amazing mountains, this is the northeastern half of the Monte Bianco range, from Dente del Gigante/Dent du Geant on the left to Punta Walker/Les Grandes Jorasses on the right. The whole ridge is well above 4000 mts, and the highest peaks are around 4400-4500 (Walker). The Monte Bianco itself is not visible here, as it is covered by the larches and hill slope on the left, despite its 4850 meters.
That red mountain you mention is not actually that red, it is a grass covered slope which is usually yellow/orange in this period of the year. By catching the same light that tinges the peaks and the larches, it turned that red.

Thanks all again,
Paolo

This is beautiful, and so well done. There is nothing here that is too dark for me. Those really are beautiful mountains and there reflection along with the larch trees is very nice. The ice is a nice added touch, I like that alot. Wonderful image, Paolo.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

What a wonderful fall scene, Paolo. I like how you accented the red in the leafs and the cool sky and lake colors in contrast to them. The saturation bump of the leaves somehow affected the hill in the background as well - I might turn this down just a little. In the full version the main mountain also looks a little soft on the right side. I don't know how that happened but it looks a little strange.

So beautifully composed and executed, Paolo! I really like the dark red/orange of the larches and the hint of light on the peaks. A great capture again.

What a fantastic scene, Paolo!!

Beautiful Paolo! Love the rust colored trees especially against the the background mountain with the snow. You have everything here, nice reflection, beautiful colors, nice comp. Really nice job.

Beautiful scene, Paolo. Nice color contrast between the red trees and the mossy boulders.

Mark Capurso
Phoenix, AZ

An awesome study in serenity, Paolo. Great job on the techs as well the art form.

Wow, this is majestic! Awesome scene, and wonderful red colors that are unusual to me as we don't have anything quite like that where I live.

Chris