Arcadia +Update

mkii is petty noisy at iso 1250--not noiceable thou fortuntely here at least at this small size. The flowers are very pretty, the comp is pretty nice albeit a bit familiar. Im not crazy about the suntar--wish it were a bit more diffuse. But im being prety picky, it's definitley a keeper and will probably go over real well with the public.

Stan, I've attached a version with a slightly toned down sunstar. It's definitely not an inventive comp, but I do prefer it to the non-tree stuff you typically see here. I had to grab myself a couple of nice Rowena images this year, since my cursory and pedestrian effort last year was not something I was proud of.

The 5D2 is actually remarkably clean at ISO 1250 if you expose to the right and bring it down a stop or two in post (which I've found is necessary, since you can't push shadows even 1 stop at ISO 100 on Canon sensors without terrible banding). I brought these foreground exposures down 1+2/3 stop in RAW processing, so in theory it'd be equivalent to an ISO 400 exposure - but for some reason, exposing to the right purely via ISO tends to yield a better end result on Canon.

See my next comment for a 100% crop - this file would print nicely at 40x60.

100% crop (no sharpening)

Lovely composition, and processing, Alex. While a familiar comp as Stan noted, it is one of the better ones like this!

That file looks very clean indeed - should make a nice print!

Man, this looks terrific! Every element is situated perfectly and I do like the more subdued sunstar better.
I especially like the small group of flowers with the bounty of them off in the background. Your complaint on the tangent/tension nit falls on deaf ears here. ;-)
Well captured and 'developed', Alex. My favorite (so far) from the many images I've seen from here this year.

Well executed comp, the sunstar is a nice touch. Second post is a subtle improvement IMO.

I really like the colors in this one. I don't mind the overlapping FG flowers. I think the composition works well. Technically looks very good.

While I think the image has a lot going for it, I really like your take on exposing at the higher ISO and bringing it down in RAW conversion. I would never have thought this would be the case. I must give it a try. The 100% crop looks pretty clean indeed. Your processing is some of the best, taking full advantage of the images you capture. Thanks!

Thanks Floris, John, Zack, and Harry! 100% crop with a bit of sharpening attached, for anyone interested.. first one was a bit soft due to slight warping and NR.

Perfect! Sure, it's a bit familiar (as far as subjects go), but I don't think I'll tire very soon of these images...

Thanks, Nathan. It's familiar, yes.. but I've only lived out west and shot landscapes for a couple years, and this is only my second balsamroot shot in my portfolio. Can't fault me for grabbing a couple of my own images of classic subjects when they're an hour away from home.. it's certainly not the type of image I dream about or feel truly moved by, just fun to make.

Oh yes, and believe me, if I were out that way right now, I could almost guarantee you that I'd jump on the opportunity to photograph that location! In a heartbeat.

Beautiful image, I prefer the repost as well.

Really cool image Alex. I like the in your face comp and the sunstar makes this one even better. Should make a nice print.

Too tell you the truth I am little bit tired of these types of shots (maybe the reason I have none so far). Now having said that, this looks beautiful / GREAT!

Frankly, I'm tired of these types of images too, Mark.. however, I'm only 26 years old, with not even 4 years of photography under my belt, and not even 2 years with landscapes being my primary focus. I wanted a couple nice balsamroot/Rowena shots in my portfolio, and now I have them. I can't be faulted for being born long after most landscape photographers out there, and for not being able to live out west until mid-2011 - so I'm late to the party, but I still feel I should throw my hat into the ring with icons just as well as I should with new compositions/subjects.

Also, financial difficulty prevented me from photographing mountains all winter, which is really what I'm interested in. Having just gotten a camera+lens again and getting back into the groove of things, I'm not going to turn down the seasonal/fleeting subject that's only an hour away from home (rather than the gross, dirty, ugly snow that's now prevalent due to the warm weather this year). And I have one or two less-typical wildflower images up my sleeve.. just lazy about processing them!

Yes, it's a crowd-pleaser for sure. For that reason, I'm actually donating a 16x24 print of my previous (similar) image "Light Grove" to a local charity auction, which should net them a couple hundred dollars.. so it was worth making the image. Just got the print today, and as my first 5D2 print, it's quite impressive to me in terms of resolution, compared to my previous prints from the 40D/D300/D7000. BUT I DIGRESS..

I utterly agree. Don't let me or anyone else discourage you! Your work kicks as*. I admit I am skewed a bit from over-inundation of imagery sometimes. I am sorry if that comment was a bit on the negative side. I take it back!

And you did a GREAT job.

Oh, I wasn't offended or anything Mark! I do want to put out original work when I can, but I'm also not afraid of trying to do my own (hopefully) great renditions of iconic scenes for the aforementioned reasons. Just felt it bore some explanation why I have a larger percentage of icons in my "new" work than most - because I'm still hammering out that part of my portfolio when I get the chance!

As usual, wonderful

The 5D2 is actually remarkably clean at ISO 1250 if you expose to the right and bring it down a stop or two in post

huh..must remember to do that. I like darkness, tend to resist overexposing.
And now for a public service announcement: Windows 8 SUCKS!!