Clouds and Ice

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 15, 2015455 views8 comments

Rock covered terminus of the Fox Glacier, NZ. Hassel-Bad 500CM CFV 50, 50mm Distagon. Converted from Digichrome in Photoshop CC via channels.

The original image is some 296 MB so a significant tossing out of information in reduction to less than 400 kb. In a large image this fits into a different gallery as there are two miniscule "dust spots" which when I went to remove them turned out to be helicopters, the first one clearly identifiable as an Astar B3. Maybe less than a pixel at the resolution here. Surprising how good the old Zeiss primes are, especially when corrected in the Hassy software.

A pleasant and contemplative way to work, something satisfying about advancing the next digits with the hand crank.

Cheers: Tom

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on March 15, 2015 at 4:13 PM

Very dramatic scene and I like the composition. I wish it had just a little more detail in the dark area in the middle and the left. Also I think it could use some rotation to the left.

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

Comment posted by Tom Falley on March 15, 2015 at 5:20 PM

Thanks for the comments Richard: The camera is actually carefully leveled, the NZ glaciers fall quite steeply from the accumulation zone to forest level (almost a semi tropical jungle). It is a good issue as to whether we should replicate the scene before us or in this case unlevel the camera for effect. Either way has it's own merits.

Cheers: Tom

Registered on November 21, 2014, 189 Posts, 454 Comments

Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on March 16, 2015 at 12:13 PM

The detail in the large version is very appealing, Tom! I think I would like to see the darker parts a bit lighter though, to give some more detail. The helicopters are a cool fact, I would not have guessed them to be copters. There is a real dust bunny at the very top of the picture though, haha.

Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on March 16, 2015 at 11:48 PM

I like this, Tom, hand cranks and all. I really like that spot of intense light mid-frame I think if it were mine I would remove the helicopters. Even at 300% they are not recognizable. The large view opens up some of the shadows and I'm sure with the full resolution available they would look much better.

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

Comment posted by Tom Falley on March 17, 2015 at 12:35 PM

Gary

The helicopters are quite recognizable in the original 270 mb image, for fine detail nothing replaces more pixels if the lens resolution is there. Indeed they add little of interest. Looking at similar photos of climbers on the side of Denali taken with the canon 5DII and a pretty sharp canon Zoom and the Hassy with the CFV 50 (MB) back, one can easily resolve two legs instead of one, the reason being that a leg width at that distance approaches one pixel on the 21 MB image.

My apologies to those who believe it gauche to comment in the thread on my own photo, but I do believe a back and forth is valuable to us all and wish more would share in a discussion of how they are thinking and working.

Best wishes! Tom

Registered on November 21, 2014, 189 Posts, 454 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on March 17, 2015 at 4:43 PM

very moody and dramatic scene. I would remove the helicopters, but that's no big deal.

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

Comment posted by Sandro Bisotti on March 17, 2015 at 6:37 PM

amazing sharpness (spectacular but without artifacts) , gorgeous composition and subject, perfect tonal management.
In other words: great good taste.
All the best,
Sandro

Registered on February 8, 2015, 30 Posts, 265 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seawell on March 20, 2015 at 3:58 PM

Booming capture Tom! This renders well in mono. I think the composition could be a bit stronger. For me it lacks direction for lack of a better term. Just my two cents!

Mark

Registered on December 5, 2011, 197 Posts, 237 Comments