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March 2014 GOTM

Gallery: Gallery of the MonthPosted February 11, 20141,665 views23 comments

Winter's Warmth

Snow, ice and golden light in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon, February 2014.

Last week/weekend the Pacific Northwest received the most significant low level snow since 2008. Luckily I-84, which provides access to the Oregon side of the gorge, remained open throughout the storm. After reviewing the snow forecast and road conditions with my friend Jordan Ek, we decided to head out to the gorge to see if we could make it all the way up to this location.

When we arrived at the trailhead and stepped out of the truck into 10 inches of fresh powder, we knew it was going to be a fun hike. We had no idea if it would be possible to reach this location with all of the snow, ice and high water, but we decided to give it a try. It was definitely a challenging hike, but we were really excited when we finally arrived in this beautiful part of the gorge.

We had a blast shooting this location, but it was damn cold! The temp was about 20 degrees when we left the truck and started hiking. I'm guessing the water in the creek was just a hair over 32 degrees since it was freezing on both the top and the bottom. Our tripods did not fare well in the cold water, since the ice completely locked them up after about 20 minutes of shooting. Mine got stuck at about 3 feet off the ground and Jordan's was stuck about 4.5 feet. After standing in the water (with waders on) for about 2 hours we could hardly feel our feet. Once the feet went numb, we decided it would be best to start heading back to the truck, since toes are probably worth more than images!

Nikon D800, Nikkor 16-35, polarizer. Larger version is provided.
3 image blend for DOF, 1.6 sec at f/16, ISO 100 x3

I'm interested to hear what you think of this comp. I captured this image while the sun was illuminating the upper canyon with a nice golden glow. The foreground ice is a combination of surface ice and ice forming about 2 feet underwater on the bottom of the creek. Thanks for any feedback you have.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by Michael Cothran on February 11, 2014 at 3:35 PM

I think the star of this show is definitely the background. Not sure how much the foreground adds to the image. But the blue shaded area contrasted by the warm sunlit area is truly beautiful.

Registered on December 5, 2012, 31 Posts, 730 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on February 11, 2014 at 3:53 PM

I love the warm/cold contrast in this one. I love the image and you have some nice elements in the foreground. But what I like most is really the cold/warm contrast as well as the blue/ yellow-red contrast. This is what makes this scene special to me. I'm not really sure about the blurred water though. But sure it's a beautiful image

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Kearl on February 11, 2014 at 3:59 PM

Very nice.
The warm/ cold contrast colors really make this. I also would have probably froze the water instead
of blurring for a colder effect.

Registered on September 2, 2013, 209 Posts, 1514 Comments

Comment posted by Jon Daining on February 11, 2014 at 6:09 PM

Scott, I really enjoy the foreground of this image! The ice and blurred water have a surreal look that I enjoy.

Registered on February 25, 2012, 25 Posts, 191 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on February 11, 2014 at 6:33 PM

Fairly epic, Scott! Love the warm cool contrast, the color, and the variety of elements from the ice in the foreground to the trees in the background.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Glenn Tunaley on February 11, 2014 at 6:56 PM

Gorgeous image Scott! The comp works for me and I like the longer shutter speed to blur the water. Love the golden glow. Great work!

Registered on March 1, 2013, 19 Posts, 93 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on February 11, 2014 at 7:03 PM

Beautiful color and composition. I think I agree that I would crop some off the bottom so there is more emphasis on the background.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on February 11, 2014 at 11:11 PM

super image - i only wished for a little more reflection of that gorgeous golden warmth. i'd consider cropping off the bottom to make a 4x5 of the top - the bottom doesn't add much to the show.

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on February 12, 2014 at 12:20 AM

Just a really sweet image, Scott. Looks like the entrance to middle earth or something from a fairy tale. I agree that the FG takes more away from the shot than it adds. I think you were rewarded nicely for your effort.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on February 12, 2014 at 10:15 AM

hey Scott - the light and color in this image is really awesome. I like the colors in your rendition. The comp is good, but I find myself being a little lost in the fg. Maybe because of the many soft textures under water that are hard to discern. I think with a little more contrast and shape, it could make the fg shine some more. I would err to keep the composition vs. crop from the bottom.

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on February 12, 2014 at 1:32 PM

The flowing water and hint of ice at the bottom make a fine starting point for a long slow view into the distance. The warm yellow light at the back makes a great, but subtle contrast to all of the chilliness of the foreground. The larger version starts showing details better...makes me wish for an even larger view.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Andrew Waddington on February 12, 2014 at 1:57 PM

I like this, I'm sure you looked for the best foreground you could find and decided that this composition gave a nice leading line into the image.

Registered on February 11, 2014, 44 Posts, 183 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on February 13, 2014 at 2:42 PM

Very nice Scott, I do wish there was a bit more of the surface ice showing, but what can ya do, it's nature

This might work well as a square format image also, putting more emphasis on that nice warm/cool color contrast in the background. Fine image as is though. It's nice when hard work pays off, eh?

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on February 13, 2014 at 3:36 PM

Crazy conditions we were having; glad you made it back safe and sound! I love the blue/gold contrast Scott, and the ice anchors the scene well. Amazing how different this looks than in the spring.

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

Comment posted by Crystal Brindle on February 14, 2014 at 2:24 AM

Really fantastic image! Nice work! The cool and warm tones are juxtaposed nicely.

Registered on February 14, 2014, 4 Posts, 16 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Reid on February 15, 2014 at 11:52 AM

Great image Scott with wonderful colors and comp. The light in the back round is sweet. Wonderful.

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

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 15, 2014 at 1:34 PM

Scott, This is really nice! The light is beautiful and I love the conditions you captured. It works with less foreground but I like it very much just as you have it. Beautiful work! All your effort paid off.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

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

Comment posted by Marylynne Diggs on February 15, 2014 at 3:19 PM

This is great, Scott. I always love warm light and cold colors together. I scrolled up and down a bit to experiment, and If you crop just a little off the bottom, the foreground is less dominating. I think if you crop too much of the fg you will lose what makes this a unique take on the scene.

Registered on December 14, 2010, 122 Posts, 1034 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on February 15, 2014 at 3:55 PM

Well, Scott, the top half of me is nice and warm, but my feet are frostbitten. This image is so contradictory it's fascinating.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on February 15, 2014 at 5:15 PM

The cool tones of the ice and the warmth of the sun trickling in up top create nice contrast and the details are wonderful

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on February 25, 2014 at 2:34 AM

Terrific perspective. The crisp details and contrasting colour palette make for a winner.