Here's the picture. Sorry about the last post.

Matt

-- Matt Cox (cox.matthew@worldnet.att.net), August 16, 1999

Answers

I quite like this picture.

Obviously a very good example of how the early bird catches the worm. What especially appeals to me is the deep blue tone in the middle of the picture. This leads me into the picture towards the protruding piece of land visible in the left side of the picture. The small cloud in the middle also helps with this effect.

My only problem with the image is that it seems you used a polarizer to accentuate the sky. This has had the adverse side effect of making the rocks on the bottom of the lake show up as well, and it looks a bit messy/double exposure-like in some places. I think the reflection in the water would have been stronger if you had skipped the polarizer. But then again, the sky would not have become as blue as one would have wanted.. Tough trade off.

Is there a way of seeing a larger version of this image perhaps?

-- Magnus Wahlkvist (magnus@sparta.lu.se), August 17, 1999.

I agree, wonderful morning feel. Love the cloud hanging on the right but the rocks do interfere with the reflection. if it was a daylight shot the clear water and rocks might have been positive.

-- Micheal F. Kelly (Radiant@gci.net), August 17, 1999.

I like the contrast between the warm and cool colours here. It leaves me wanting to get up into that sunlight. Great picture.

Pat

-- Patrick Feltmate (v50a@unb.ca), August 17, 1999.

Any minor improvements possible already stated by the folks above. It's a beauty, Matt!

-- Jim Erhardt (jimerhardt@hotmail.com), August 18, 1999.

Thanks for the kind words and constructive criticism. To be honest, I had always sought of liked the rocks. I guess they work better when you can't see them from a distance on a display print, then when you get up close, it adds a new dimension to the image with respect to the clarity of the water. The blue in the middle is actually punched up by glacial silt.

Anyway, the polarizer was still in the bag on this shot -- I think using it would have just about wiped out the reflection. What I did use was a 3-stop, hard-edge graduated ND layed diagonally across the upper shadow line to balance the exposure through my Nikon 20-35 zoom. I was interested to see if anyone declared it too noticable.

Thanks again.

-- Matt Cox (cox.matthew@worldnet.att.net), August 19, 1999.

Good use of the Grad. In retrospect it's obvious that one would use a grad on a picture like this, but I didn't notice it at all. Really a nice job on the exposure too, you got it perfect.

-- Kevin Geraghty (kgeraght@spiretech.com), August 30, 1999.