Drive-by Snow Shot

[NeonSD]

Not often am I a passenger in a car, but today on our drive home from Mammoth, I caught this shot.



What drew me to the shot were the clouds and the different little areas where light was able to sneak in.

My main focus in this shot were the snow covered mountains, the light sneaking through and the clouds. I was wondering if maybe cutting out some of the blue sky layer may help emphasis that a little more? Any other thoughts are also appreciated.

EXIF data:
Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 40 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

Thanks,

Neon

[curelightwounds]

I would shave maybe half of the sky but definitely keep some of it in there. I absolutely love how the colors have layered, it's fantastic. Because the top of the mountains are trapped in the clouds I would leave some sky in to give a rough estimate of where the mountain ends. Otherwise it's a little ambiguous and that'll make it distracting.

There is some vignetting, I'm not sure if that was intentional. I don't know that it's necessary as the whole shot is just great as it is.

Out of curiosity, did you take this while the car was moving?

[NeonSD]

Thanks for the comments.

I wasn't really aware of the vignetting, still a photography noob. Yes, I did take this shot while the car was moving. I was thinking about that much too in the cropping of the sky, to help keep in perspective, the size of the clouds.

[photocist]

The size of the clouds can be assummed from the mountains below. The excess in the sky actually tends to draw my eye, though it does not hold it. the exposure looks perfect; the colors and shadows are matched nicely.

[EOBeav]

You lose points for shooting while driving in the car. :-)

Seriously, though, you have some nice mountains, clouds, and sky...but not much else. I don't see a focal point that really draws me in. Shots like this work better right at sunrise or at sunset, but rarely in the middle of the day. Next time, stop the car, use a tripod, and take a few minutes to get a shot.

By Mammoth, do you mean Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone? I was just there last summer.

[NeonSD]

LOL, had I been driving and we weren't trying to get somewhere on time, definitely would of stopped to get a more focused shot. I do have to mentally stop still and think, what am I trying to show the audience. Which while zooming by, were the patches of light falling through the clouds. As for Mammoth, we were leaving Mammoth mountain ski resort, which was the first time I'd ever skiied there. Definitely a fun mountain. Thanks for the comments.

[EOBeav]

Ah, California. Different Mammoth.

[curelightwounds]

Originally Posted by NeonSD

Thanks for the comments.

I wasn't really aware of the vignetting, still a photography noob. Yes, I did take this shot while the car was moving. I was thinking about that much too in the cropping of the sky, to help keep in perspective, the size of the clouds.

Don't worry about vignetting. Vignetting is a fact of life in this hobby. Some lenses can deal with it better than others but it's such an easy fix. You may want to try to correct for the vignette and see what comes out.

Still though, great shot.

Just noticed that the shrubs in the front are blurry, but that's only really noticeable on the larger sizes. I wouldn't really worry about it too much at this stage.

Shooting on the run or in a moving vehicle is pretty hard but hey you weren't driving, so no biggie there. Still though, at some point you're going to want to invest in a tripod. I love my tripod, I take it everywhere with me.