Summer Snow
Another photograph from the Olympic Mountains.
This time I chose HDR to get the detail from both the bright areas on the peaks and the darker middle ground. I particularly like the lone tree top that suggests the foreground and adds a lot of depth to the scene.
I processed 3 brackets in Photomatix and edited them in Lightroom (below). I then ran it through Topaz B&W Effects (above) with some more Lightroom tweaks afterwards.
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Canon 5Dii, Canon 200mm/2.8 macro lens, ISO400 f8.0, 1/1250th, +/- 2.0 E.V.
burnt embers 
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My preference is for the b&w. I find it more dramatic and it enhances the variety of textures,
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Hi Ashley! Thanks for the comment, it has been interesting to hear the responses to these versions.
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What a lovely pair of shots, my friend, I think I prefer the color version a little, but that B&W one really is just full of rich drama!
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Hi Toad – glad that you like these shots, I am happy with both of them.
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I actually like both version of this scene. In my humble opinion, I also like the restraint you used when dealing with the fog/haze. I think it adds depth and scale to the image. I forces the mind to believe there really is a lot of distance between the foreground and the background. Well done Ehpem!!!
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Thanks so much David. Glad you like it. I played with the haze a bit, but taking more than this out of it seemed to diminish the shot, probably for the reasons you have put your finger on.
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Au contraire 🙂 sorry but the colour one does it for me.
David.
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OK, I will try that response again, I thought your comment was for a different image. I am kind of surprised you are going for the colour David, on a landscape shot! But, I think they both work well and would be happy just with one, if that were what it came down to.
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Two reasons (3 maybe) the colour makes me interested in the mountains – cold… and the warmer trees with the question of what maybe below them.
The third could be dangerous for me (never be critical of others work) but the B&W seems to lack contrast ???? my eye keeps getting dragged to the tree tops.
David.
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Thanks for the feedback David. Your last comment is especially welcome (especially from a master in the darkroom such as you are).
My eye too goes to the tree tops and I really like that serrated edge. But, the lack of contrast, especially in the mountain, is a very interesting point. The haze would have been responsible for that in the original image, but it should be easily corrected. I will have to play around with it a bit.
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You are too kind – it brings up a good point:
Do you not think that we all get a bit isolated from reality on the internet?
I have a couple of good friends who I help me.
I sometimes leave prints out when they visit and find their comments very helpful.
I know that the screen does not always show things at their best though, why I am reluctant to say anything in most cases.
But I have had prints that I threw away, recovered and reprinted after listening; with far better results.
My wife is a water colour artist and I have done the same with some of her work (what is wrong with that….?) she goes away and comes back with an image she is happy with and it may only need to go under the tap (don’t ask) 🙂
David.
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You raise even more good points. I am not sure that I am too isolated on the internet, probably the opposite.
I don’t really have many people around home or in my circle of friends that will critique my work, or that I would look to do so ;). For me the internet breaks down some of that isolation as I get a lot of comments from my viewers, and I see far more work (to learn from) than I would without it.
Part of the reason for my situation is that I don’t make prints (only 1 photo printed since I got a DSLR) for visitors to see, and I don’t seek out local photographers by going to camera clubs and so on. The latter I should do, as I could get some useful criticism and tips.
Sometimes I return to photographs long ago rejected and find something in them that I did not see before, usually because I am getting better at seeing, or because I have better software to get more out of it. I expect I would do the same if people went through my hard drive and pointed to things they like.
I am glad to hear your wife comes back after you have critiqued her paintings:)
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Definitely prefer the B&W version…while the colour in the mountains w/the small trees are cool, the image as a whole looks better in B&W (my thought anyway). I don’t like going overboard on HDRs as I am sure you already know so it’s nice to see others do the same. There are times where the image just looks really wicked over-processed but I think for the most part, it’s not called for. Just my two cents 🙂
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I like the B&W version a lot. It has some natural looking tones that (for me) are hard to get in an HDR composite. The temptation to go grunge in HDR is usually high for some folks. This shows a good deal of restraint, and I like that.
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Thanks Ken. I like the tones in the black and white too, I am trying to remember if I did those in Lightroom or earlier in my workflow. I was restrained with the HDR part of the process, I am hoping that it would take a very sharp and experienced eye to notice that these are composites. In some instances I like the grungy HDR look, but this scene I wanted to look natural.
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