Autumn Light + Edit

Gallery: LandscapePosted October 17, 2013638 views14 comments

Sunrise alpenglow on Mt Adams and early fall colors near Trout Lake, Washington.

Last weekend I made it out to the Mt Adams area with my friend and fellow photographer Jordan Ek (check out his website if you have a chance). We were a bit early for the peak of the fall colors, but we were lucky enough to have one of the only clouds in the sky directly above Mt Adams right at sunrise. A light layer of frost also brought out some texture in the foreground grass.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-120mm at 65mm, polarizer (very slight polarization)
6 image blend for DOF
-5 for the foreground grass - 1/30 sec at f/11, ISO 400
-1 image the the trees, mountain and sky - 1/10 sec at f/8, ISO 100

The colors in this one were a challenge for me and I'm interested to hear what you think. Larger version is provided. Any feedback is much appreciated!

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Peter Coskun on October 17, 2013 at 11:03 PM

I love the layers and light in this scene Scott. The light is perfect for the time of day and direction of the light source allowing the mountain to really pop against the forest and sky. I do notice a halo around the tip of the trees and mountain in both versions. Other than that I have no nits or suggestions.

Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Smorra on October 17, 2013 at 11:15 PM

Thanks Peter. I appreciate the feedback. I will have to go back and take a look at the halo. I didn't do any blending where the trees meet the sky, but I definitely see what you are talking about. It's barely visible in the original file, but the web sharpening really seems to have intensified the halo.

Registered on November 2, 2009, 161 Posts, 2143 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Reid on October 18, 2013 at 7:53 AM

I like the fore ground layers and colors Scott. The mountain stands out nicely in that beautiful early light. Well done.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on October 18, 2013 at 10:32 AM

Really nice autumn scene. There seems to be a slight lack of contrst in the far aspen? trees and evergreens which might require a little adjustment. Considering the time of day, maybe a little warming of those areas might may a nice contrast to the cool tones of the sky. I wish there was a little separation of the different layers of the comp, but I realize with the zoom that this may have been the effect you wanted.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Todd Liotine on October 18, 2013 at 12:24 PM

Scott, Nice image, really like the pastel colors.

Registered on July 1, 2008, 131 Posts, 671 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Smorra on October 18, 2013 at 2:10 PM

Thanks again to everyone for the feedback. Here is a repost fixing a few of the issues.
1) I was able to fix the halo where the trees and sky meet
2) I added a bit of contrast to the midtones in the trees and grass
3) I warmed up the shadows/midtones just a bit, to contrast with the cooler sky

What do you think? Improvement or not? Thanks again!

Registered on November 2, 2009, 161 Posts, 2143 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on October 18, 2013 at 2:35 PM

Nice Scott--looks good to me, repost and original. My only nit is the first layer is relatively uninteresting--ithink id crop half of it to give equal balance to the bg layers--which are more interesting to me.

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on October 18, 2013 at 4:22 PM

This is very nice, Scott! I like this comp and the wonderful colors you caught here. The snow covered mountain with the pinkish glow looks great too. The detail in those foreground grasses looks fantastic! I personally like the original post better, but both do look good.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on October 18, 2013 at 9:02 PM

It's always nice to catch Adams out from the clouds this time of year. Even though the trees weren't peaking, the color variation still looks good and adds nicely to the beauty of the scene. The sky color is beautifully soft, and the delicate clouds are a nice topping. I like both versions, and a mix of the two might hit the sweet spot.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Gasior on October 19, 2013 at 9:58 AM

Nice image beautiful colors

Registered on March 7, 2010, 99 Posts, 502 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on October 19, 2013 at 1:41 PM

Gorgeous Scott. I love the inclusion of so much grass in the FG. Beautiful light.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on October 19, 2013 at 8:08 PM

I like the repost Scott. Your subtle processing really shines. Your images have a delicate feel which I appreciate.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Jeremy Kessler on October 20, 2013 at 5:10 PM

Beautiful Image Scott. I like the respost.

Registered on September 13, 2007, 36 Posts, 1283 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on October 20, 2013 at 5:11 PM

A simple yet powerful image Scott. Winner!

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments