Swoosh

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 13, 20056,254 views14 comments

4:30am on Saturday morning I found myself in the vicinity of Sabrina Lake, 20 miles south west of Bishop, in California's Eastern Sierra Region. As I was preparing for my hike into the John Muir Wilderness, I couldn't help but notice the roar of crashing water. As is often the case, curiosity got the better of me and I had to check out the source of this sound. So I slowly climbed down the hillside to find a fast flowing stream. It was a magical feeling to be standing there at the water's edge, surrounded by giant boulders. It was pitch dark, extremely cold and scary. However, none of that mattered. I was just glad to be there and able to enjoy the purity of the surroundings.

This photo was made a short while later as light from the pre-dawn sky lit up the scene around me.

Pentax 67ii, 45mm, UV + 81a (warming) filters, Velvia 100F

I went with a 1 second exposure in order to retain some texture, yet capture the energy and speed of the water. I am happy with the results but would like to know if it works for you. Any thoughts/comments you have would be most appreciated.

Kind regards.

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on July 13, 2005 at 8:41 PM

Nicely done, Anil. I like the diagonal flow of the rushing water and the framing with the boulders. Nice choice on the shutter speed also.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Pelton on July 13, 2005 at 8:50 PM

This is very nice;it works for me. I like the texture in the boulders and background trees and the flow of water is a nice contrast.

Registered on November 25, 2003, 380 Posts, 4647 Comments

Comment posted by Brian VanDenzen on July 13, 2005 at 9:33 PM

No complaints from this happy camper... I can hear the water flowing!

Registered on April 17, 2005, 60 Posts, 1245 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Cooper on July 13, 2005 at 11:39 PM

Very nice, Anil.

Registered on April 26, 2005, 51 Posts, 183 Comments

Comment posted by Marsel van Oosten on July 14, 2005 at 3:07 AM

No nits from me - you chose just the right shutter speed. Very nice.

Registered on March 9, 2004, 285 Posts, 2277 Comments

Comment posted by Marko Trebušak on July 14, 2005 at 4:02 AM

Hi Anil!

IMO boulders and water are the strong points of this photo. I would concentrate more on them and would leave much of the trees out of the frame. But I still like this image. The texture of the water and boulders is plain fantastic.

Good light
Marko

Registered on November 1, 2003, 98 Posts, 1260 Comments

Comment posted by Nye Simmons on July 14, 2005 at 9:25 AM

Anil - it works quite well for me - just the right shutter speed to give the water a brushed look without burning out and losing the sense of motion -

Registered on December 12, 2004, 112 Posts, 1111 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen Weaver on July 14, 2005 at 10:59 AM

Anil
I do really like this. The composition is quit nice and the water has just the right texture. The more I look at it , it is apparent that the elements all compliment each other extremely well.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 226 Posts, 623 Comments

Comment posted by Michelle C. Parent on July 14, 2005 at 11:02 AM

Anil,
This is wonderful! The comp is lovely and the SS is just right, IMO, since I don't really like the super silky water. This really give the water that feeling of immense power funneling through the boulders. Excellent!

Registered on June 23, 2004, 453 Posts, 5551 Comments

Comment posted by Michael E. Gordon on July 14, 2005 at 11:24 AM

I love it, Anil! It looks like someone rolled a large boulder or two out of the way, and out comes the flood of water. The starting point for the water seems to be right here, not higher upstream.

As a Sierra-phile, every speck of detail rings true in my heart; from the color and texture of the boulders to the pines in back.

Totally dig it, Anil. Good one!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 90 Posts, 2482 Comments

Comment posted by Prashant Khapane on July 14, 2005 at 2:25 PM

This is really cool. I love the details and the composition.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 492 Posts, 4580 Comments

Comment posted by Anil Rao on July 15, 2005 at 10:51 AM

Thanks for all the comments I received so far. I appreciate the feedback. I look forward to printing this photo and hope to get the chrome drum-scanned soon.

Michael: Since you have spent a lot of time in the region, I am quite honored that you find the details here to be very Sierra like. Thank you.

Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Dunn on July 15, 2005 at 8:11 PM

This is very nice, Anil. The water and rocks make for great subject matter, but what really makes it for me is the splash of warm color from the reddish-orange tree trunk and yellow lichen; perfect compliments to the cooler blues and greens.

Registered on February 22, 2004, 35 Posts, 1311 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on July 23, 2005 at 10:56 AM

Don't know how I missed this, Anil. Congrats on the EP. The water here is outstanding and a wonderful contrast to the stolid boulders.

I also like your story of how this image came to be. It never ceases to amaze me that the best light happens in the most unexpected places.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments