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Shimmer + repost
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Shimmer + repost

by Scott Smorra

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 29, 2012344 views15 comments
Sunrise light and lots of smoke at Sparks Lake, Oregon, September 2012. South Sister is visible through the smoke on the left and Broken Top is barely visible just off of center (I promise it's there!).

I wasn't sure what to expect while I was driving up to the lake in the dark that morning. The air was clear in Bend when I left, but as I drove up into the mountains, I ran into heavy smoke from the Pole Creek fire burning near Sisters, OR. It looked like the sunrise was going to be very unspectacular (the sky was just white), until the sun came up over the ridge and illuminated everything in a beautiful golden glow. The light, smoke, water and mist all came together here for a few moments and this is the end result.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 14-24mm G at 14mm, no filters
2 image hand blend for DOF. 1/15 sec and 1/25 sec at f/16, ISO 100

Thanks for taking a look and for any comments or suggestions you have. Please view the larger version.

Comments

15 comments
Comment posted by Mark Metternich on September 29, 2012 at 6:04 PM
Great shot Scott! Love how the smoke compliments the color! If you don't tell people it is smoke they might think morning mist only. :toast:

My only wish is that the water looked more level. If it was mine I might consider using "warp" to pull up the right side a hair.
Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 29, 2012 at 7:09 PM
One of these days, someone will figure out a filter system for the 14-24! I like this as posted except for the extreme distortion on the right.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Stan Rose on September 29, 2012 at 9:45 PM
yeah, sometimes distortion works--not here! But the shot is a beauty, wonderful light and comp! :toast:
Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments
Comment posted by Karsten Wrobel on September 30, 2012 at 9:07 AM
WOW, superb conditions, Scott... love the light, smoke/mist over the water and the treeline on the horizon :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2008, 117 Posts, 851 Comments
Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on September 30, 2012 at 11:18 AM
Great mood and a beautiful scene. I agree on the distortion with Stan. But it's a great comp and awesome light.
Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments
Comment posted by Scott Smorra on September 30, 2012 at 1:10 PM
Thank you to everyone for the suggestions. Here is a version with the distortion fixed. I used the puppet warp feature in CS6 as suggested by Mark and I'm happy with how it turned out. This should definitely be an improvement over the original version. The distortion isn't completely gone, but there is no way to remove it all without making it look silly. Please let me know what you think.
Registered on November 2, 2009, 161 Posts, 2143 Comments
Comment posted by Dean Sauskojus on September 30, 2012 at 6:13 PM
What a gorgeous shot Scott especially the larger image! The golden light is fantastic and the foreground rocks below and above the surface really grab your attention. If you wanted to get rid of more of the distortion you could crop off the rock on the far right giving you more of a 4x5 ratio. Wouldn't hurt the image IMO. Excellent work!!
Registered on September 29, 2009, 137 Posts, 2659 Comments
Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on September 30, 2012 at 7:20 PM
The sun-illuminated smoke adds a lot of warmth to the scene. I like how the rocks grab my attention first and then the mountains a little later. Nice to stay engaged in an image for more than a fraction of a second.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments
Comment posted by David Edwards on September 30, 2012 at 8:46 PM
Nice fg arrangement Scott. I like the warm light in the smoky atmosphere. Love the way the mountains seem to emerge from the smoky background.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments
Comment posted by Cristina Strudthof on October 1, 2012 at 9:34 AM
Your repost does help with the distortion look. This image has great mood and feeling. :toast:
Registered on January 14, 2011, 53 Posts, 363 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Chambers on October 1, 2012 at 1:23 PM
I like this a lot Scott. Love the warm color and especially like the way the distant peak on the left rises out of the fog/mist.
Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments
Comment posted by Wick Smith on October 1, 2012 at 3:45 PM
Nice shot! The smoke really changes things. I flew out of Seattle in mid-Sept. It was tough to see all the forest fires burning as we got up above 5,000 feet heading east. Great capture... :toast:
Registered on June 12, 2009, 91 Posts, 379 Comments
Comment posted by Shantikara Valuska on October 1, 2012 at 4:39 PM
Very nice mystical image! First I thought it's a coastal scene, then I noticed the mountain in the mist. :smile:
Magical!
:toast:
Registered on July 25, 2011, 38 Posts, 451 Comments
Comment posted by Zack Clothier on October 2, 2012 at 10:49 AM
Wonderful image, Scott, I like the tone the smoke adds and the repost looks great! :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments
Comment posted by Matt Anderson on October 3, 2012 at 8:40 PM
Once again the thumbnail doesn't do this one justice. So glad I clicked on it.
Killer mood in the fog, with the slight details of the distance coming through.
Love the contrasts and colors.
:toast:
Registered on September 6, 2007, 346 Posts, 2696 Comments