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Stillness After the Snow
Stillness After the Snow
bassbone


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Free Study 2007-12 (Advanced Editing V)
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
Location: Windsor, VT
Date: Dec 28, 2007
Aperture: F11
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/125
Galleries: Landscape, Rural
Date Uploaded: Dec 29, 2007

An overcast morning after the Christmas Snow. My wife and kids were out skiing and I drove around looking for some shots. I had a pretty good morning, probably with about 5 to 10 keepers - maybe calendar quality shots. This shot is one of my favorites of Mount Ascutney that I have taken so far. The water was so still, the clouds were rolling over the mountain, and the fresh snow provided just enough contrast to the starkness of winter in Vermont.

Tonemapped of a single RAW image using Photomatix Pro.
Cropped image
Cloned out reeds and grasses in foreground and replaced with reflections of clouds (used the incidental powerline rule)
Noise Ninja to smooth and sharpen
Adjusted levels
Hue/Saturation - partially desaturated.
USM at large radius.
Save for web, burned and dodged, USM at small radius and saved.

hope for about a 6...a pretty scene, albeit quiet for a free study and will likely get overlooked.

Post Challenge for comment group I really liked the photo but I have some agreement with the commenters that say it is a bit too contrasty and overprocessed. I guess what I am looking for is how might I have done this one differently. I want to print this one and slap it on a wall and am looking for some opinions. Here is the original HDR of the image and also an alternative edit (one that I think hits on what some would have rather seen). The third one is without HDR processing.


Statistics
Place: 174 out of 429
Avg (all users): 5.7102
Avg (commenters): 5.4615
Avg (participants): 5.5526
Avg (non-participants): 6.0000
Views since voting: 841
Views during voting: 279
Votes: 176
Comments: 29
Favorites: 1 (view)


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AuthorThread
10/18/2008 07:49:27 PM
I like this image, and appreciate the processing you used, it is a Photo-Graphic art, and it is well done IMO.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/09/2008 03:18:18 PM
I do like the scene, but don't care for the extreme sharpening. However, I do like it compared to the original. Makes no sense, huh? ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 11:29:27 PM
It is a great image to begin with, but it is too overprocessed to my taste.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 06:34:36 PM
5.71? Your having a laugh, in a free study when there were so many great landscapes I thought that this beat the vast majority of them into a cocked hat

Brilliant reflection and I love the cloud touching the top of the mountain

Just to prove that you can never please all the people all the time I thought the high contrast really gave the shot some bite and feel it would have lost something without it
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 05:10:56 PM
HDR is like an emotional attachment and I guess some don't care much for it. But I like this one and gave it a 6.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 01:18:19 PM
A 4 from me... I don't want to notice the HDR effect and this one screams HDR. I quite like the unprocessed one, a bit of +saturation & curves is all I woulda done with it. Most of the time for me, less is more. I don't even go into Photoshop much these days, I just use my Nikon Capture Editor and I'm done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 11:12:01 AM
I gave this a 6 for the scene but you would have gotten more if it hadn't been overprocessed. It looks a bit noisy in the sky and I can see haloing around the tree on the left.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 11:01:10 AM
i liked this gave you a 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 09:54:51 AM
I remember this shot, and remember thinking, wow, great image, too bad its so overprocessed. For me the harsh high contrast processing doesn't complement the scene. Looking at it a bit closer, I like the way the processing affects the distant mountains and sky (and their reflections), but the bridge, framing trees and opposite bank are all too high contrast for me.

Scanning the comments below I see I'm not alone in this view. But as Deb said it comes down to a matter of taste, so if you love it that's all that matters.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 09:50:44 AM
Peter, this is a great b/w conversion and a beautiful scene. I admit I prefer the second outtake (squarish one) as I think the softer colors suit the mood of the day better - the entry looks just a tad oversharpened to me. Lovely as usual though!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 08:21:34 AM
I like this. I like the way you processed it. I like the way the black trees stand out in the new snow. It does look so peaceful. I imagine the color version is quite nice too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 07:26:28 AM
I rather like this shot. I read the comments and while I can see the points being made, overall this is a gorgeous shot. I think it would have scored better if the processing was toned down just a bit. I also wish I could compare it to the color version.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 06:59:27 AM
Melethia summed this image up for me nicely. The processing isnt to my tastes in this image. A lighter, softer possibly colorful version may have done you better.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 01:38:49 AM
You said it! This is so stunning and powerful, yet lovely and serene.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2008 01:20:17 AM
The processing, as you can tell by the comments, is a matter of taste. Some really like it, some not so much. My first impression was it was too much contrast for this scene. The stillness suggests something softer to me. The composition is very strong - I like the split horizon - but again, it's a matter of taste. Some may prefer a more "rule of thirds" comp with respect to the horizon. The basic shot is excellent. I think it would be interesting to see other edits of this shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/06/2008 09:59:13 PM
nice scene though the contrast is a tad harsh for my taste.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/06/2008 11:07:18 AM
Lovely! Great reflections. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2008 06:38:11 PM
Very cool post process. Some enhancements can make an ordinary photo looking better :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/04/2008 02:48:36 PM
beautiful and serene, looks like a charcoal drawing
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/04/2008 12:28:58 AM
PP is overdone!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/04/2008 12:14:07 AM
Outstanding, wish I was there to see this! 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/03/2008 04:40:24 PM
I like the high contrast black and white here. Nicely done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/03/2008 11:32:22 AM
A bit too much sharpening. But a very nice landscape.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/02/2008 07:25:10 PM
Overprocessed
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/02/2008 02:07:25 PM
The darkness to me is intrigueing and a little distracting all at the same time. I think to go with the title you chose I might've softened the color up just a little? Just my 2 cents though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/02/2008 02:57:45 AM
seems to be a little over processed
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/01/2008 09:21:33 PM
Lovely reflections.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/01/2008 05:15:53 PM
A little too much contrast here. But what a nice scene.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/01/2008 12:31:05 PM
Good reflection. I think the detail is lost at 640 pixels. I'd prefer colour.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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