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Field Of Dreams w/Repost
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Field Of Dreams w/Repost

by Zack Clothier

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 18, 2013366 views18 comments
We've had plenty of rain this year in Montana, a blessing since last year was so dry. The wildflowers are blooming all over the place. This was taken up on Lulu Pass, a few miles from my home. Definitely one of the nicest displays of light I've witnessed.

The Technicals:
This is a blend of 8 images total, 6 for depth of field, and the other 2 for dynamic range. It was one of the more difficult images I've processed because of flower movement caused by the wind.

Please view LARGER, thanks for looking and for any comments!

Comments

18 comments
Comment posted by David Edwards on July 18, 2013 at 4:10 AM
Wow, larger version is a must! Excellent shot Zack. Beautiful light & color, and the flowers look sensational. Great sky too! Blend also looks very natural. Perhaps a little dark in the shadows around the bottom of the image, but it does look very natural like that. Nice one.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments
Comment posted by Chet Dowell on July 18, 2013 at 10:03 AM
This image has a real impact especially seen large. I like your upfront comp. Color in the foreground and sky very nice. Good work, Zack. Chet
Registered on December 3, 2012, 237 Posts, 1171 Comments
Comment posted by Tom Hilton on July 18, 2013 at 10:05 AM
Zack,
Those back lit flowers are excellent,
the depth, diagonal and sky really work nicely together.
Great image.
Registered on September 19, 2011, 68 Posts, 668 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Reid on July 18, 2013 at 10:22 AM
The large version is just great Zack. Wonderful depth and a beautiful sky and I like your composition. Well done.
Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Clinch on July 18, 2013 at 10:39 AM
Great use of technology. Well exposed and composed, the dark top and bottom combined with the strong colors in between really creates a powerful mood. Seems the skies could open up and pour, or clear entirely at any moment. :toast:
Registered on January 5, 2013, 37 Posts, 261 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Metternich on July 18, 2013 at 10:47 AM
Nice use of the light and drama!
Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments
Comment posted by Morris McClung on July 18, 2013 at 11:54 AM
Some nice color and clouds to compliment the flowers. While the deep shadows do bring out the foreground flowers, I do agree a little recovery there would be nice. Beautiful scene, and the blends look good.
Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments
Comment posted by Grant Collier on July 18, 2013 at 1:38 PM
Really nice shot and well executed! I think it could also work with a little bit of a crop on the left & right to make the front flowers fill more of the frame, but that's an observation not a critique, since it also works just fine as is.
Registered on July 29, 2005, 73 Posts, 430 Comments
Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on July 18, 2013 at 1:40 PM
This is stunning! Love the drama, energy and emotional impact. Perfect as is
Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments
Comment posted by Stan Rose on July 18, 2013 at 9:19 PM
I love the sky and flowers--great scene! Im gonna be a bit tough on you with the blend cause I know it's a tough one--but i disagree on it looking natural here--it has some issues that are very common with these sort of blends, namely the transition. It is too bright at the transition and too dark at the bottom, which is causing that classic hdr issue for the silhouetted area. I would bring the sky darks up considerably (brighten sky overall--just preserve the highlights) and darken the horizon while brightening the darks at bottom. I know you didn't wan't to hear that--but i think the shot is worth some sweat and tears. :wink:
Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on July 18, 2013 at 10:00 PM
This is great, looks to be well worth all of your work.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Eva McDermott on July 18, 2013 at 10:32 PM
Wonderful color and light Zack. I would bring up the dark shadows a bit though.
Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments
Comment posted by Dean Sauskojus on July 19, 2013 at 12:02 AM
Looks like the sunflowers are pretty good up there. Real nice bringing them close in and filling the bottom of the frame. The sky looks wicked, very dramatic. Nice work Zack! Last Saturday I saw black bear near the Trout Lake Trail. I don't know if he is still around though. Maybe I can get up there this weekend.
Registered on September 29, 2009, 137 Posts, 2659 Comments
Comment posted by Abdulmajeed Aljuha on July 19, 2013 at 6:46 AM
amazing shot !, I can imagine how difficult to blend such picture.

I couldn't help to notice that there is some noise in the shadows of the sky

great job :toast:
Registered on December 4, 2010, 77 Posts, 149 Comments
Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on July 19, 2013 at 11:07 AM
wonderful Zack :toast:
Registered on June 1, 2009, 372 Posts, 2282 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Chambers on July 20, 2013 at 3:33 PM
Beautiful shot Zack. The bottom shadows seem a bit too dark on my monitor, but the contrast looks great.
Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments
Comment posted by Zack Clothier on July 20, 2013 at 6:41 PM
Thanks everyone! I do have the detail at the bottom but I purposely left the shadows darker due to it being pretty noisy down there, I was shooting at ISO 1250 to combat the wind.

Stan: The sky was really dark, I did minimal burning of the shadows up there. I may play around with it some more and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the critique. :wavey:
Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments
Comment posted by Zack Clothier on July 21, 2013 at 10:45 AM
Stan, here's a repost incorporating your ideas (except for brightening the dark areas of the sky, as this made it seem to HDRish, and the sky was very dark to begin with). I've added a bit more detail in the shadows at the bottom as well. Let me know what you think guys.
Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments