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Winter Merced
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Winter Merced

by Jason Blankenship

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 25, 2011693 views40 comments
Had a fantastic time last weekend in Yosemite with Harley Goldman. Caught up with Chris Chamberlain for a bit too one morning. When I made this image I had spent a couple hours walking along the Merced, seeing nobody other than a couple snowshoeing. Quite unusual to find such solitude in Yosemite but such a wonderful experience.

Chamonix 4x5
Fuji Astia
Fujinon 240mm

Comments

40 comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on February 25, 2011 at 2:22 AM
Jason,

Gorgeous! What a scene along the Merced; a perfect definition of a "winter wonderland." (You should go post this on the LFinfo site too!)
I'm rather jealous and angry with myself that I didn't make the trip. But there's some comfort in knowing that you guys were blessed with some great conditions, even though it may have only lasted a few hours.

Great conversion btw. Awesome winter image from Yosemite.

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on February 25, 2011 at 2:43 AM
Jason,

Just stunning. I always miss the great winter conditions in Yosemite. Someday. :frown:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments
Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on February 25, 2011 at 2:47 AM
What a serene and beautiful image, Jason! The tones are fantastic too, excellent work. No nits from me on this one.
Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments
Comment posted by Andrius Pašukonis on February 25, 2011 at 3:06 AM
absolutely gorgeous!
Registered on July 23, 2005, 111 Posts, 408 Comments
Comment posted by James Fougère on February 25, 2011 at 3:15 AM
WOW!! Clear and crisp :eek: Nice light and texture in the trees :toast:
Registered on October 25, 2010, 41 Posts, 831 Comments
Comment posted by Joseph Balcken on February 25, 2011 at 8:14 AM
Fantastic! No nits from me.
Registered on November 29, 2009, 48 Posts, 249 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on February 25, 2011 at 8:21 AM
Absolutely first rate, top of the game! Do not change or monkey with it in any way; nit free!
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on February 25, 2011 at 8:22 AM
Fabulous. :toast:
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Jay Patel on February 25, 2011 at 8:28 AM
Very nice composition and textures throughout the image. Well executed photograph...Yosemite is at its best in Winter.
Registered on August 28, 2008, 87 Posts, 566 Comments
Comment posted by Gary McGhee on February 25, 2011 at 8:52 AM
This is beautifully composed Jason with the meandering river and its glass like reflection.Very peaceful winter scene.

Gary.
Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments
Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 25, 2011 at 9:06 AM
This is beautiful! You captured a wonderful feel here, Jason. What a fantastic place. Bet this would make a great print.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI
Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments
Comment posted by Koveh Tavakkol on February 25, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Beautiful winter scene Jason. I would have liked to seen a bit more of the reflection, but this is spectacular.
Registered on September 1, 2009, 41 Posts, 608 Comments
Comment posted by Lorna Taylor on February 25, 2011 at 10:38 AM
Breathtaking shot, love the quite mood of this image and that you chose B&W for this.
Registered on November 12, 2010, 254 Posts, 3083 Comments
Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on February 25, 2011 at 11:30 AM
Yeah, gorgeous. I can't imagine it could get much better than it was friday morning! I saw some scenes of the river like this and wanted to stop. But was always on the way to something else on my mind, thinking I'd come back. Something to learn from I guess, just stop when you see something worth stopping for, darn it! NICE!

Chris
Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments
Comment posted by Jimmy Gekas on February 25, 2011 at 12:09 PM
Can it get any better? Probably not! Glad you guys had a blast up there. This is just fantastic, Jason. Very peaceful. :toast:
Registered on July 26, 2007, 244 Posts, 2807 Comments
Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on February 25, 2011 at 12:16 PM
This is gorgeous, Jason! the tones in the reflection are perfect.

Very nicely done!

--P
Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments
Comment posted by Derek Yow on February 25, 2011 at 1:18 PM
Superb Jason! The snow covered trees offer some enjoyment, but the tone and reflections on the water is gorgeous.
Registered on May 18, 2010, 26 Posts, 655 Comments
Comment posted by Morris McClung on February 25, 2011 at 1:36 PM
Wow, this is just everything that a black and white should be imo. Extraordinary tonal range, and rich tones as well. Excellent comp and light. :toast:
Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments
Comment posted by Jason Kim on February 25, 2011 at 2:14 PM
Beautiful! What wonderful conditions you captured here, and the composition is just excellent.
Registered on July 1, 2006, 60 Posts, 1233 Comments
Comment posted by Art Escobado on February 25, 2011 at 2:21 PM
i love the trees and the composition. for some reason the background is bothering me. regardless that's just my aesthetic. it's a great shot! :toast:
Registered on January 7, 2007, 0 Posts, 775 Comments
Comment posted by Grant Collier on February 25, 2011 at 2:29 PM
Wow!!
Registered on July 29, 2005, 73 Posts, 430 Comments
Comment posted by Phillip Noll on February 25, 2011 at 2:48 PM
Wow! Beautiful! I f I had anything at all to suggest it would be maybe a 10% crop off the top. I find myself wanting to see more of the reflection. Do you have any vertical comps? Great job! :toast:
Registered on November 17, 2003, 207 Posts, 1083 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Metternich on February 25, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Beautiful scene!!! :toast: :toast: :toast:
Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Chambers on February 25, 2011 at 3:59 PM
So beautiful Jason, and how nice to pretty much have the place to yourself! Beautiful comp, and the calm reflection just puts this over the top IMO. Great work.
Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments
Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on February 25, 2011 at 4:19 PM
Stunningly beautiful image Jason. Incredible. I might suggest burning down the highlights along the upper edges a tad. A wonderful, wonderful scene.

Michael
Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments
Comment posted by Kyle L. Krause on February 25, 2011 at 8:16 PM
What a spectcular shot Jason, strong composition, love the B&W. :toast:
Registered on June 15, 2010, 29 Posts, 605 Comments
Comment posted by dean hebert on February 25, 2011 at 9:28 PM
Fantastic! I love the processing. There's almost a sense of timelessness to this.Wonderful! :toast:
Registered on August 4, 2010, 70 Posts, 1132 Comments
Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on February 25, 2011 at 9:59 PM
That is so special, Jason. Dare I say, maybe even better than AA.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 25, 2011 at 11:11 PM
Well, THIS is what I was looking for when I went to Yosemite - the weekend BEFORE it snowed ! Nothing but mud there for me.
THis is exquisite - fine detail, nice comp, lovely reflection, and very peaceful and serene.
:toast:
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Adrian Klein on February 25, 2011 at 11:39 PM
This is a stunner Jason in every way! And close to solitude snow shoeing at Yosemite is a gift unto itself that I can only imagine helped make this trip that much more memorable. :toast:
Registered on June 10, 2007, 112 Posts, 1506 Comments
Comment posted by Anil Rao on February 26, 2011 at 12:56 AM
While the composition is stunning by itself, when combined with the amazing tones throughout the frame the end result is nothing short of stunning. I really love this one, Jason.
Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments
Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on February 26, 2011 at 8:37 AM
What a gorgeous image. Awesome winter image. I just love it. :toast:
Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments
Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on February 26, 2011 at 2:49 PM
Friggin gorgeous, a total winter wonderland. Love it.
Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments
Comment posted by Justin Reznick on February 26, 2011 at 10:38 PM
Incredible winter wonderland scene Jason!
Registered on November 24, 2009, 79 Posts, 515 Comments
Comment posted by Jason Kim on February 27, 2011 at 1:11 AM
I know I already posted once, but I came back to this and have to say again - wow. This is beautiful. Wonderful image you've got here!
Registered on July 1, 2006, 60 Posts, 1233 Comments
Comment posted by David Edwards on February 27, 2011 at 4:42 AM
A beautiful image, Jason, with some really stunning light. I love the toning. A fabulous composition and a crisp capture. Beautiful work!
:toast:
Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments
Comment posted by Peter Richter on February 27, 2011 at 6:04 AM
Jason, I am just admiring every detail in this outstanding picture! The B&W conversion is one of the best I remember.

Peter
Registered on November 10, 2010, 218 Posts, 2723 Comments
Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on February 27, 2011 at 6:39 AM
Excellent! Wonderful conditions and a great capture. About the best b&w I've ever seen. :toast:
Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments
Comment posted by Andrew Morrill on February 27, 2011 at 5:41 PM
Sorry I didn't get to comment on this earlier. I think everything here is perfect. I bet a print would be amazing. It reminds me of an Ansel Adams composition, but with more refined modern processes. Makes me want to try black and white shots using Astia.
Registered on June 10, 2010, 51 Posts, 216 Comments
Comment posted by Laurent Baig on February 28, 2011 at 1:19 PM
Exquisite!
Registered on January 12, 2005, 206 Posts, 6784 Comments