Snake River Dawn

Good Lord Chip! 2 incredible shots - i personally like the vertical the best. Excellent!

Both are amazing man. I like the cold feeling of the first. The second with the apenglow is so striking and beautiful.

I am really glad you posted the vertical one. It's got a very unique mood. Just love it (That's not too say that the 2nd is bad, just that the 1st stands out).

Thanks guys!
Younes-Your comment on P.net is the reason I posted it. Glad you like it, and thanks for the helpful comments.

I love them both but for me the vertical is on another level. It has a a higher level of what I would call purity - limited colour range, classic composition, clear message etc. Personally I'd reduce the top corner vignetting because I don't think the shot needs it to focus the viewer's attention. Lovely work Chip.

Chip,
I think that the vertical one stands really out. The composition is much more powerful.
The second one is nice, but just because of the alpenglow.
A pity that you changed composition when the alpenglow appeard...and didn't have enough juice for keeping the camera going.

gio

I'm going against the trend thus far, because I prefer the horizontal composition with the beautiful alpenglow, with more of the shoreline on the left in frame. Although, I do like that more of the reflection is visible in the vertical. It seems like the horizontal was taken from a lower vantage point. Also, the vignetting effect in the upper corners in both shots is a little distracting to me. It's more noticeable in the vertical.

This just about out does any Teton shot I have seen-- and I am a huge fan of the Tetons. I would love a print of that first image.

Both are great shots but I prefer the first

Both images are beautiful Chip, but I'm partial to the vertical. It has a tremendous feeling of depth and the overall blue tones really impart the feeling of a cold winter morning.

Thanks for all the helpful comments so far. The second one(horiz.) is actually from my first visit to this location the day before the vert. I prefer the vertical comp as well, and was anxious to try it out on the morning my batteries died. Forecast had called for incoming cloud cover, and I was happy to see that a small section of the river was still un-frozen for the reflection. The shot I came back with is growing on me though. Sometimes I have something in my mind that I want, and when I don't get it, I think everything else is just no good-I have to stop that!....Thanks for your kind comments and opinions!

Absolutely STUNNING! I prefer the vertical comp., very strong and the mood created by the blue tones. But I also love the warmth of the alpenglow in the second. Both are superb, well done

Wow, both images are stunning. It would be hard to choose between the two because each one makes a different statement about the scene. I love the depth and color of the first. I love the color and warmness of the second. Both are fantastic images. Thanks for sharing! Larry

Both are very nice shots. I think I prefer the vertical composition but they are both lovely. Nice to see a new perspective of the Tetons that I haven't seen before.

Wow, this is an amazing shot with beautiful light, great colors and great details! I love your POV with the rocks in the foreground which create beautiful depth. The reflections on the water only add to this image! Excellent work!

Greetings,
Ann

Both very striking images but I prefer the horizontal. I prefer the warmer foreground tones and that alpenglow is stunning..

Chip, These are both great. Throw the battery in the river, you got what you came for!

Mel-

Still love the vertical blue version, great work.

That first shot is awesome!!! It's nice to see something that unique from there. Love the blue colors, and the comp is great with all those circular rocks.

The first is a killer image! Love the almost 2-tone look to the image, and it is a more compelling comp than the horizontal. But I do love the alepnglow in the 2nd one.

Both are great, but the vertical is fantastic.

Both are great, I do like the alpine glow in the horizontal but I'm partial to a vertical comp. also. Ron

Chip, question: Where did you descend to get down to the water. Did you just park in the snake river overlook lot, and then hop the wall?

Monty, I'll take door number one... beautiful. Chip, this is one heck of a shot. WB setting was a brilliant choice.

I tend slightly toward the alpenglow version but agree that the vertical comp is sweeter... both are great Chip!

Theyre both killer. I prefer #1 for its mood (and blue ) but the 2d has more commercial appeal.

Even though the alpenglow looks great, I prefer everything in the first post. Composition is much stronger, and I think the mood is more engaging. The burning of the top edge could be blended better, but other than that, I see no flaws. Nice work.

Both are superb, Chip! You could have stashed one of the batteries under your coat to warm it up for a few minutes, which would have gotten you a couple more shots (and you can keep rotating them as you work).

Guy

Very pretty. I love the colors and round rocks. The depth of this composition is very nice. This is quite a pleasing image!

Chip, both images are very striking, but the first one rises above.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

awsome images both are gr8 my pick is the first one aj

Wow, now this is a tough pick! Both are stunning shots. The vertical shot I will choose because of the mood and the masterful depiction of freezing cold. With this hung on my living room wall, I would freeze to death in front of my blazing fireplace!

Chip, I think the comp of the vertical is just exquisite. The alpenglow of the horizontal is captivating...but if I had to pick one or the other, I'd go for the vertical. Can't say enough about how nicely composed that is.

Both awesome, Chip! I almost wish you could space out your posts so I can savour them a bit longer. Back to your question, I prefer the first post. The alpenglow in the second one is prettier, but the first one is a stronger comp that sucks the viewer in, and the cool tones really work here.

The vertical one with half the sky cropped out really sings. Nice shot! Love the blue...

I like the vertical comp. better, but the light in the second one is great.

Chip,

My vote is for the vertical too! Both are outstanding!

Thanks very much for all the comments on this!!
Benjamin-I parked a few miles south of there, and walked down the road a ways, then descended down the hill.
Guy-I tried warming them in my inside pocket. In fact, I kept one in my pocket during the 45 min. snowshoe trip back and still had no juice when I got back to the car. I was nervous that my camera was broken but it started back up again after a while.

Both are beautiful, vertical is even better. Love it! Excellent work.

Chip,

I like this image. The detail in the water really adds to the interest of the shot. I like the first image much better than the alpenglow version but both are nice.

I love the vertical image. while the horizontal is pretty, it is a standard landscape in sunrise lighting. The vertical image however is unique and tells a story. The story being it is damn cold!

Chip this is stunning. I love it! Taking rocks in the fg, a lake and a mountain-range is surely not the most innovative idea, but this works so extremely well here and that's the reason why this type of composition has it's justification - it delivers some awesome images. It is also a new and fresh view of the tetons. I like the blue cold feeling, the tetons look excellent back there. The vertical beats the horizontal! Great work!

Both are superb, each one in its own way. While the horizontal one stands out due to the alpen glow, the vertical one really gives you chills due to the extreme weather you experienced. Of course, like everyone said, the vertical is a lot stronger, mainly because of the comp. Superb photography!

The horizontal version is quality work, but that vertical image is stunning work IMO. What separates the two is the vertical image's ability to trigger a much greater emotional response from me. I feel like I want to be there... even though it looks freakin' cold. Beautiful work!

Chip #1 is really stunning and a very unique shot from an overshot place. What an awesome perspective and it truly looks like it's 1 degree out there !!

The vertical for sure - very pretty. I'd crop off 2/5 of the sky though. The distortion of the trees is horrible, but I'm learning to ignore it. Very well done!

Two excellent shots here. I also prefer vertical version to the wider one. I like the emphasized depth in there and they way the vignetting makes the rock glow.

Pure beauty,

The vertical is the one for me! Refreshing view of a great scene. You extra effort to get the photo was well rewarding by my eye.

Wow, what an amazing scene. I love the FG. The blues are wonderful and convey the coldness so well. Great depth to this shot. A bit from the top just to keep my eye from floating up and this is one amazing photo. Great stuff.

It certainly explains why your batteries died. Excellent depiction of a stark winter.

Great images - love the second one..

Excellent images, Chip. I prefer the comp and coolness of the first one. Whoa, this indeed looks cold.

Amazing. What a wonderful image.

I feel the composition is stronger in the first version. The chopped off mountain reflections bother me a little in the second. The faint mist in the first is the best emotional element in either shot. Without it, the scene would loose a lot of impact for me. Nice use of the rocks in both shots.

Chip,

The cool blue colors capture the feeling of this spectacular place IMO better than the warmer version. Excellent composition and processing as usual!

Both are great, but I prefer the 1st. I can feel that it is only 1 degree without you even telling me on that one!

Excellent work!

Congratulations on the EP, Chip! Cheers

Congratulations, Chip! Beautiful work...

I absolutely love both of these!

Amazing, like the coolness and the rocks are interesting, at first I thought they where bubbles, then realized they're rocks. I prefer the the first one.