Distant Moutain

[rrimmerr]

I took this shot while on an overnight trip near the Buffalo River in Arkansas. I fell in love with this mountain as we traveled. It seemed to beckon to me as we drove, with it always just beyond reach or so it seemed. I tried to touch up the colors in GIMP just a bit to try and bring out the mountain more but just could not seem to get the right feeling to come through. Would really like all suggestions and criticism.









Date Created: 7/31/2010 2:28:55 PM
Date Modified: 7/31/2010 5:42:45 PM
Date Shot: 7/24/2010 18:54:45.00
Device: Nikon D3000
Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 55mm
Focus Mode: AF-A
AF-Area Mode: Dynamic, 3D
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/125s
Exposure Mode: Programmed Auto
Exposure Comp.: 0EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: Auto (ISO 100)
Flash off
White Balance: Auto, 0, 0
Color Space: sRGB
High ISO NR: OFF
Long Exposure NR: OFF
Active D-Lighting: Auto
Picture Control: [VI] VIVID
Base: [VI] VIVID
Sharpening: 5
Contrast: Active D-Lighting
Brightness: Active D-Lighting
Saturation: +1
Hue: +1

[Mike367]

I like the way you framed the mountain. On shots like this, I will usually try one at the widest aperture to see how it looks with the foreground out of focus. You can also blur the foreground in GIMP. You might also consider cropping some of the left side and bottom, as I think there's a bit too much foreground.

Something like this ( I'll remove this if you don't want me messing with your work ).

[rrimmerr]

Thank you. I really like what you did with my shot. I was totally lost on this one but then again being so new to this I stay pretty lost lol. Still learning how to use GIMP also. Having said all that guess I'm a baby in the world of photography!

Feel free to take my shots and show me how to improve them anytime.

[Krusty79]

I think your framing is okay, but I'm afraid I don't find that mountain a very compelling subject. I have never been to Arkansas, so I don't know how much that mountain stands out there, but there are thousands of tree-covered hills here in California just like the one you shot. Maybe I'm just spoiled here, but I don't find anything distinctive about the mountain in your shot.

[rrimmerr]

Hi Krusty79

There are quite a few tree covered mountains in the northern part of our state also. I just wanted to know how I could have made this shot better. I was hoping by describing what I felt when I viewed this mountain it would convey to the person who replied what I was trying to go for with this. I did not expect anyone else to feel as I did about this mountain.

If you have any suggestions on how I could have made this particular one better, feel free to do so.

[Krusty79]

Hmmm, what else could you have done? One thing is that it looks like you took this picture before the "golden hour" before sunset. So, that is giving you some harsher light. A polarizer probably would give you a bluer sky, which would help provide some contrast. Unfortunately, there are no interesting clouds to help as a backdrop to the mountain. You have green trees framing a tree-covered green mountain. It looks to me like you did not have a lot to work with. As I mentioned earlier, I don't find the mountain too compelling as a subject. If you had a river or lake to use as foreground interest, that would also break up the green trees and provide some color contrast. Or maybe a road that leads to the mountain. Not sure what else you had in the area, but I would suggest something to break up the green trees leading to the green mountain. Just my amateur opinion...

[rrimmerr]

I agree with you Krusty79 on the fact that there were no clouds or river to help break things up. Since I am just learning I didn't know if there was something I could have done differently under these circumstances other than not take the shot.

[Michael_2010]

Originally Posted by rrimmerr

I agree with you Krusty79 on the fact that there were no clouds or river to help break things up. Since I am just learning I didn't know if there was something I could have done differently under these circumstances other than not take the shot.

I like the shot. My area is pretty geographically flat, so if I had a nearby mountain, or even a big hill I would be shooting that sucker from all angles and all lighting conditions. But, I live by a bay that empties into the gulf, so I tend to shoot the water.

When you come up on a scene like this, take a bunch of shots. High, low, left, right, etc. and do bracketed exposures, so you will have something to work with when you get back to your computer. With this shot, I think a polarizer would have added a little needed intensity to the sky and maybe a tighter crop on the mountain to eliminate some of the leafy frame. It is a nice element in the picture, but the balance is a little off.

[rrimmerr]

Thank you Michael2010 for your comment and suggestions. I have been trying to decide what filter I should buy first. Guess I should start with the polarized since I enjoy landscape shots so much. Will it also be good for wildlife or is there another I should get for that type shot.

Wanted to get more shots of this mountain but that area can be dangerous because of the steep windy roads. Managed to find that one area that had a place for cars to pull over safely. So I jumped out and took the best shot available. Wish I could have taken more time but I was nervous since the parking area was right after a very sharp curve.

[Michael_2010]

I understand completely. Over the weekend, I topped a bridge about mid-morning crossing over some wetlands. It was thick with marsh grasses as far as the eye could see and had waterways winding around throughout. Decided to go back before sunset and get a few shots. The only place I could park off the road and not get stuck in the soft, muddy soil was on this little boat launch area at the foot of the bridge. That location was lousy for the shots I wanted and I wasn’t about to hike up that two lane bridge in 100 plus temps to get the altitude I wanted. I setup my tripod in the back of my truck in order to get a little height, but it wasn’t enough to capture the sight that first brought me to the location. So, I’ve marked that one off my list and will continue my search.

The polarizer makes the biggest impact with a blue sky and white fluffy clouds. The saturation and contrast can become intense. Not sure if you would gain much with wildlife photos. I’ve used mine when shooting yard birds to bring the sky out a little, but it didn’t do much one way or another with the bird’s natural coloring.