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Himalayan Contemplation WITH REPOST
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Himalayan Contemplation WITH REPOST

by Alister Benn

Gallery: LandscapePosted June 28, 2011260 views12 comments
As my previous post was moved to Hand of Man (quite rightly) - I feel ok about posting another image in Landscapes - yes, it's called the cheek of the Scots!

This Lake was our target when we trekked in the Everest Region last fall. Plenty of time was spent working out dates to get here in a good moon phase, and it's a 6 day walk from the nearest entry point to the Khumbu! (handy!)

The lake is located at about 5200m, and is something of a rarity in the region, there is not a lot of open water, and what there is doesn't have too much in the way of dramatic reflections. We'd hiked up the previous afternoon in heavy snow and limited visibility, and I quickly realised my hopes of shooting the lake under moonlight were not going to happen. The descent into this little hidden valley is steep, loose and quite treacherous, not to mention doing it in the dark.

So, we were up at about 4:30am and my wife and I hiked up - a good way to get the blood pumping! We made our way down to the lake shore in twilight and spend the most adorable dawn together. The bank of cloud shown here grew steadily, and by the time we were trekking down, the snow was falling again.

This is a 2 shot blend.

D3x 24-70 CPL.

Comments

12 comments
Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on June 28, 2011 at 10:32 AM
I love the symmetry here provided by the perfect reflection and the grandness of the scene. I might be tempted to lighten up teh snowcapped peaks just a tad to make them stand out a little more but that is just personal preference! :wavey:
Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments
Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on June 28, 2011 at 3:30 PM
The vanishing edge of the lake makes this very unique. Sounds like it was a wonderful experience getting there as well. Like Jorne, I would suggest lightening the peaks a bit to help them really stand out.
Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments
Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on June 28, 2011 at 3:33 PM
Ths symetrie is indeed beautiful here.I also like the composition, the reflection and the dramatic sky. i would crop a bit from the top since the sky is not really as interesting as in the lower part of the sky.
Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments
Comment posted by Jesse Estes on June 28, 2011 at 3:49 PM
Very nice Alister! Thanks for the info too... :toast:
Registered on April 13, 2011, 20 Posts, 174 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on June 28, 2011 at 8:53 PM
Alister,

I'm gonna have to delete this since you've posted more than one image in less than 48 hours! :biggrin: Sorry, couldn't resist.

Man, this is gorgeous. Love the reflection and symmetry of course and you've got a scene that was made for the pano capture. My suggestion is not really a fix, but more as an alternate possibility. I'm wondering if the symmetry would be further emphasized if you cropped slightly from the sky to end up with the same amount of space above and below the mid line. A case here where a 50/50 comp is perfectly appropriate. Just a thought.

No nits or other suggestions. this is a beautiful mountain and reflectionscape.

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by John Williams on June 28, 2011 at 8:54 PM
Superb beauty here Alister, but the muted tones of the peaks and reflection robs from the most interesting part. I'd play with opening up the mountains a bit, and maybe reducing the brightness of the clouds?
Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments
Comment posted by Eva McDermott on June 28, 2011 at 9:12 PM
Gorgeous subtle light and color Alister! The symmetry of the reflection is a bonus IMO. Appreciate your commentary on the scene as well since it puts it all in perspective.
Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments
Comment posted by Sarah Marino on June 28, 2011 at 9:53 PM
Hi Alister - It is nice to see this kind of landscape shot from the Everest region. The symmetry of the perfect reflection is a great element of this image. I would agree with the comments about brightening the peaks. I think that small adjustment would help them stand out more against the clouds. It looks like you had an incredible trip from all of the images you have been sharing.
Registered on November 10, 2008, 23 Posts, 393 Comments
Comment posted by Hans Kruse on June 29, 2011 at 4:43 AM
It's a very nice scene and you have exposed for the highlights without loosing detail. I also see that the dynamic range is fairly large with the angle of the lighting, however I would recommend another post processing where there is more light given to the mountains. As it is now the magic is not quite there.
Registered on March 24, 2011, 17 Posts, 44 Comments
Comment posted by Alister Benn on June 29, 2011 at 5:58 AM
Further to the comments, I have made a repost, lightening the mountains, and cropping some off the top...
Registered on June 9, 2011, 23 Posts, 258 Comments
Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on June 29, 2011 at 1:38 PM
Terrific image ! Those towering pyramids of rock and ice are so captivating and forbidding.
Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments
Comment posted by Rafael Rojas on June 29, 2011 at 3:54 PM
Wow man. I prefer the second image...I just imagine how hard must be shooting at those elevations! Well done great Scot ;-)
Registered on March 1, 2009, 56 Posts, 623 Comments