Crystalline Sunrise

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 9, 201191 views7 comments

I'd like to post something current but day after day of thick gray clouds and flat dingy light haven't done much to inspire me. That's of course my own fault but anyway I decided to revisit this shot from a few years ago around this time in early February. The sun is rising over the cloud-filled gorge of the Youghiogheny river in southwestern PA after a wicked ice storm. The air was quite calm and in fact warmed up quickly as the sun rose and before long all the delicate ice on the tree branches was gone.

C&C welcome

Sony R1, 3-shot combo, Photomatix into Lightroom

Thanks for looking and please view the larger version for best detail

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Robert Stough on February 9, 2011 at 5:46 PM

Thanks Charlie. Below the fog is part of Ohiopyle state park and a nearly wild river valley. There is a fairly unobtrusive railway line on the far side of the river which is barely visible even on a clear day from this vantage point and a maintained bike and hike path on the near side but otherwise there is no human presence. Also the forest in the gorge has for the most part not been logged for around a hundred years and there are even patches of beautiful old growth here and there.

Registered on November 20, 2010, 26 Posts, 273 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 9, 2011 at 7:25 PM

The large version of this is really nice to look at. The ice on the branches really shows up nice being back lit like this. That heavy fog in the valley is awesome.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on February 9, 2011 at 8:20 PM

Being above the fog is one of the most beautiful things IMO. Combined with the icy foliage and a nice warm sun it looks like a great moment and place. If it were me, I would have tried to concentrate on those three aspects, removing everything else from the frame such as the rock and non-frosty foliage.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Raymond D Smith on February 10, 2011 at 9:43 AM

Floris has given you some good advice and I echo Nick's comments. The ice on the branches and the sun's light reflected on the ice looks awesome in the large photo. The conditions you have capture are real nice. The rock in the llc is a little intrusive for me. Looks like a difficult place to come up with a good comp and you have managed well. Cheers

Registered on January 22, 2009, 12 Posts, 479 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on February 10, 2011 at 7:21 PM

The back lit ice on those branches is glorious Robert. The fog and distant light on the river is beautiful.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on February 10, 2011 at 11:21 PM

Nice combination of elements and light. The varied texture almost create a theme for the image.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on February 11, 2011 at 10:28 AM

You did a great job on the exposure here to keep the highlights of the ice on the branches and the shadowed fog all with detail. Very well done!

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments