Lake Louise, Alberta

[kevin99989]

View of Lake Louise in rainy weather

Created from a composite of 2 images; one focused on the rocks (near) and the second one focused on infinity

[Wicked Dark]

that must be the grand canyon of alberta...everyone shoots it. I like the fog, but the colors seem a bit strange. could be my monitor though.

[thoughton]

The greens, especially in the centre, are slightly blue-ish on my calibrated screen, but that could just be because I am unfamiliar with the trees you have there. The waterline appears slightly tilted downward on the left. And the central rock which for me is the main focal point, is perhaps somewhat too central.

Having said all of that, it's a fine photograph, only some minor adjustments needed :) (IMO, of course)

I was interested to read that this was a composite. Was it because you were forced to shoot with a large aperture due to poor light? Otherwise it seems that with a short enough lens, and a middle-range aperture, you could have included both the rocks and the mountains within your DOF.

[Bambi]

great composition. However, the colours seem over saturated to me. given the weather a more muted colour palette might work better. That said, I like your angle and that, while this is recognizable as Lake Louise, it's a diff't shot then what we normally see.

[kevin99989]

Tim: I think you might have answered the question I had when I took this photo (should I have taken 2 photos?). I used f13, ISO100, 1/50 sec; 22mm. The rock in the center was about 5 feet away from me. If I stepped back up the embankment any further, i wouldn't have gotten this composition. Next time, I'll use a tripod, and higher f-stop perhaps.

I increased the saturation and contrast in the mountain area. The whole scene was a bit hazy at the time.

Thanks everyone for the comments - keep them coming!! I want to create a new version soon...

[Marko]

This is an Interesting view and i like the comp overall.

(I also agree w/the others about the odd blue/green cast in the center that also looks oversaturated)
I also like your thinking here, but the execution might be off to me.I just did some quick play using a depth of field calculator.... A Flexible Depth of Field Calculator (http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/dof-calculator.htm)
If your goal was the most sharpness from immediate foreground to infinity, then you should have focused on the nearest rocks in one of the exposures, not the center one you focused on. If that was the goal then 2 exposures were indeed necessary.
If you are okay with the current level of sharpness, you probably could have achieved it in 1 frame using a higher F stop as tim suggested.

[kevin99989]

my new version! I desaturated the mountains (and straightened the image)...

[Wicked Dark]

That looks better, although maybe you didn't have to knock the sat back so much...

[JAS_Photo]

This type of shot is classic Darwin Wigget style. I do like it but I personally would prefer to see sharpness front to back. The composition is very nice with a strong foreground interest, and triangular shapes leading the eye. The turqoisey blues in the first photo edit are a bit strong, but Darwin is not afraid of colour in his photos either. Have a look here:

The Canadian Rockies - Spring : The Canadian Rockies : Nature and Landscape Photography from Canada (http://www.darwinwiggett.com/gallery.php?gallery=spring)

[kevin99989]

wow - amazing stuff !! Thanks for sending that link. Now i understand a lot better after seeing Darwin's photos. In some of his pics, he uses a lot of saturation. I've also studied Ken Rockwell's stuff, and he has a very liberal philosophy on using saturation - i do like his work.

[Marko]

Although you fixed the background, You've lost sharpness on the rock you focused in this version. Personally I like the sharpness.

In terms of Darwin's work, your phrase "he uses a lot of saturation" and the Rockwell comparison is off imo.
Ken puts his camera settings on VIVID if i recall...there's nothing wrong with that in many people's opinions. Personally I like my photos to start off more natural. To me it's like running a subtle photoshop filter over every shot....not my personal style.

Darwin on the other hand, is a master landscape shooter. He goes out in the good light, waits for the good light and uses conventional FILTERS IN CAMERA to create his stunning work. He uses software of course, but the majority of his awesome work is created on the spot in camera. Spend WAY more time studying Darwin's work if you want to become a better landscaper.... Go to Ken for his opinions on gear. :twocents:

[kevin99989]

Darwin's stuff is really spectacular. He has a tutorials on his website that JAS mentioned. Under articles:
Articles « Darwin Wiggett (http://darwinwiggett.wordpress.com/articles/)
I especially like the articles on "Painting with time" and "Good Photos in Bad Light" (that's all I've read so far). Lots of good reading in there for a rainy day here in Vancouver (or not - maybe rain is a good time to take photos :)

[kevin99989]

I think I got it now - i remember to compress it before downloading this time!