The Beauty of a Forest Reflected

[Nicks Pics]

Good job getting out there to catch the snow while it was fresh. Seeing images like these is exciting. Very well exposed. What a neat framing idea you had on the first, I like how it looks like the water is so close to you at the bottom of the frame.

[IzzieK]

Oooooh Christina -- these last ones are all beautiful and so sharp. I like the blue-ness of the scenes here as you had achieved so much to make me feel ssssssooooooooo brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...........co-co-co-colllllddddd!!!

[Stagecoach]

Beautiful Christina.

That water actually looks cold and as for a favourite from these, No 3 very closely followed by No 1.

Grahame

[Brownbear]

Hi Shane,

I tried your crop and I do like it even though it means cropping the image quite a bit. And also for pointing out that the image was crooked. Many of the trees were windblown, and because the reflections of the trees are faint I had challenges determining exactly what was straight.

I also tried your brightening suggestion on the snow covered trees and I also like that effect. Thank you for teaching me about that tool.

Cropped and Brightened snow

3A


Another version just for fun...

4A



PS I used to think that the heat and the humidity of tropical climes would be the death of me. Now that I've experienced the cold I know better... (Cold is tougher to withstand) However, the worst thing about cold weather is having to wear a woolen toque and "Hat Hair."

The first is great Christina although I might crop to a square and lose a good chunk of the water if it were mine. Also rotate it a bit while you are at it as it appears to be slanting down the the left

You might also be able to raise the white point on the snow (brighten) on the branches of the trees a bit. The sun wasn't doing you any favors in the last two in terms of being positioned on the background mountains rather that the foreground trees

I applaud your dedication to go out and shoot in that weather. Although I'm a BC gal I've spent almost 20 years in a warmer climate and have become quite a woos when it comes to being cold!

[Brownbear]

Hi Nick,

Thank you. I must admit that I wasn't crazy about heading out in the cold weather but I love snow and it is so rare here that that was motivation enough.

It's helpful to know that you like the way I framed the image. I should say that the lake was almost overflowing from recent heavy rains.

I headed out to the park this morning to photograph ducks because they congregate in one area when the lagoon freezes. I spotted what looked like a huge but very skinny and ragged looking dog, thinking I'd have to find it a home... By the time I realized it was a coyote (or perhaps a wolf) and pulled out my camera, it was too late because he/she ran away from me. My first sighting and I blew it!

Good job getting out there to catch the snow while it was fresh. Seeing images like these is exciting. Very well exposed. What a neat framing idea you had on the first, I like how it looks like the water is so close to you at the bottom of the frame.

[Brownbear]

Hi Izzie,

Thank you. Yes, indeed it was cold and I went with a cool WB as it suited the scene and the feel, especially in the 3rd image. And also because with Auto WB (warm) as set by my camera the scene all the images looked to be black and white.

Oooooh Christina -- these last ones are all beautiful and so sharp. I like the blue-ness of the scenes here as you had achieved so much to make me feel ssssssooooooooo brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...........co-co-co-colllllddddd!!!

[Brownbear]

Hi Grahame,

Thank you. And a special thank you for preferring No. 3. My dear husband asked me if perhaps the image was a tad blue, and if it really looked that blue to which I replied, "Yes!" His response, "As seen through the viewfinder of your camera?"

Anyhow at this moment I like the blue, and so far no one has jumped in to say that I went overboard. Perhaps in a months time I'll look back at No. 3 and wonder what in the world I was thinking. It might be that I have that blue boat image of yours permanently etched in my subconscious.

Actually the images looked black and white so I looked up white balance settings for pre-sunrise and just after sunrise as a general guideline, and chose a WB in between these settings and as shot.

Beautiful Christina.

That water actually looks cold and as for a favourite from these, No 3 very closely followed by No 1.

Grahame

[Nicks Pics]

I did notice a little crookedness, but it is very hard to tell with lake pictures as the horizon you have to look at ( the shore) is naturally curving, and I forgot to mention it. I think that maybe the tree tops swayed in a breeze during exposure, which also leads one to think it looks crooked. I have to say that I think the new crop and brightened snow both make the image look more ordinary, the brightness has made the sky and other colors not as deep, and the crop/comp is less captivating and creative. That would be my feed-back to the new rendition. Sorry- not trying to sound discouraging!

[Brownbear]

Hi Nick,

Yes, sometimes it is a challenge to determine if images like this are straight or not. It was very windy that morning, too.
I've been using the virtual horizon tool in case you haven't discovered it yet on your camera. Shared with me by Mike, and it is handy albeit not foolproof. Nor are the level and straightening tools in LR.

I truly appreciate your feedback and honesty. The crop and brightening makes for a different image, and an exercise to learn from.

I did notice a little crookedness, but it is very hard to tell with lake pictures as the horizon you have to look at ( the shore) is naturally curving, and I forgot to mention it. I think that maybe the tree tops swayed in a breeze during exposure, which also leads one to think it looks crooked. I have to say that I think the new crop and brightened snow both make the image look more ordinary, the brightness has made the sky and other colors not as deep, and the crop/comp is less captivating and creative. That would be my feed-back to the new rendition. Sorry- not trying to sound discouraging!

[Nicks Pics]

I do have a virtual horizon thing on my new D7100, if that's the circular thing with the line running through it. It only works on LV as far as I have found, but that's not really much of a problem. Thanks for the reminder to use it. It would be great for situations like this.

[Brownbear]

Hi Nick,

I access the virtual horizon tool through my set up menu (same camera) and it works in regular mode too, not just live view. It's very handy.

I do have a virtual horizon thing on my new D7100, if that's the circular thing with the line running through it. It only works on LV as far as I have found, but that's not really much of a problem. Thanks for the reminder to use it. It would be great for situations like this.

[purplehaze]

Christina,

I'm loving the last two sets of images from you, especially the snow-laden trees with the hills in the background. Just love that contrast. While you were playing with the colour temperature of the trees, did you try warming up the sun-lit hills? It might be fun to see what enhancing that cool/warm contrast looks like.

[ShaneS]

Hat hair sucks regardless of the weather Christina

I'm glad you liked my suggestions but I must admit that Nick has a point about losing the ambiance with the brightening although I do like the crop. Have you ever tried selective masking by picking a color range?

I this case I would start in Photoshop with the original edit, create a 50% gray layer set to overlay, then go back to the edit and under the select menu click on color range and then click the snow on one of the trees. Then go back the gray layer with the mask still activated and brush over it with white and a really low percentage and brush until you like the adjustment. That way you retain the lovely colors and tones of the first image edit and give the snow a bit of pop. I'm not sure if there is an easier way to do this technically but it works for me when I want to make subtle adjustments.

[Brownbear]

Hi Janis and Shane,

Thank you for the post processing tips, and guidelines. The power in our neighbourhood will be out all day today, and tomorrow is a busy day for me. So I will try the edits and post as soon as I'm able to.

Yes, hat hair sucks.

[Brownbear]

Power is back on early...

Another try at brightening the snow as per Shane's guidelines

1. Brightened Snow


Warmer colour balance on snow covered mountains and their reflections as per Janis's guidelines

2. Warmed Mountains



Thank you Shane and Janis!

[Brownbear]

Just to advise, follow-up to the requests to explore this scene in different light, and to finish up this thread.

I returned for another visit, arriving an hour before sunset and lingering for 20 minutes after sunset. After doing so I recalled that I have visited at sunset before, and the light is even more challenging because of the lakes location in a valley (with mountains on both sides). At sunset the lake waters and the trees are dark, and the light is only seen on the mountain tops albeit more so on the other side of the lake.

Also because the lake was frozen when I visited the reflections were non-existent, and the set of trees that I am especially fond is now barren colourful leaves.

I''ll visit again if we receive another snowfall this winter and/or later in the morning when the sunlight is on the trees.

No need to reply to this thread. Simply finishing it up. Thank you to all.

[Otavio]

While I haven't yet managed to visit this place to explore the light at sunset (still to do) we had a wee snowfall in Vancouver, a rare event, and I love photographing scenes in the snow, so to me that counts as different light.

2A
f/8 SS 4 seconds ISO 100 (before sunrise and a different viewpoint)



I didn't manage to capture the same scene as parts of the trail were flooded/icy/snow and that same portion of trees that I find especially beautiful were rather homely looking. So another viewpoint (not from a low angle because it was too cold to lay down in the snow) (-12 C with the windchill)

f/8 SS 1/30 Sec ISO 100

2B



3B

I was feeling artistic and enhanced the blue tones more than true to life.




PS
Otavio... I forgot to try a higher shutter speed and ISO so the tree tops would be sharper. It was too cold to think properly but next time around I will remember!

Hi, Christina. #2A (long exposure) works really well, IMHO. I really loved the silver tones combined with the slightly silky water! Very well done. Regarding the sunset opportunity, it was surely good for you as a chance to evaluate the different light positions and how the different angles change the textures. Congratulations for the effort of visiting the place several times, in search for the best shots. You did produced beautiful results in this thread! Cheers!