Lemaire Channel

[Norm Dulak]

D7000 w/Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens @ 11mm, hand held
ISO Equivalent 400; f/11, 1/800 sec., MM -0.33
Standard CS6 adjustments; Nik Nature filter collection

Whether seen under a cloudy or bright clear sky, Antarctica's Lemaire Channel is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Here, I used my ultra wide angle lens and did not crop the image, to retain what I thought were interesting water and sky elements.

All comments and suggestions are welcome.

Norm

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Norm, the overcast conditions here make this my favorite of this series of yours. I would like to see the skies a touch darker and has an alternate version to this version a crop from the top for a pano-look really works well for this image - just above the cloud by the third peak from the right.

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks, Andrew, for your suggestions.

[Don Railton]

Hello Norm

I agree with Andrew, the cloud needs a little more oomph IMHO if you plan to keep this much of them in the image. There are two dust spots above the second peak in from the right also if you do decide to do that. I do like andrews Pano crop suggestion however. I also prefer a little more of a colour palette stimulation than this is providing and for that reason I prefer your previous post over this. I do like this however and would make the peak on the right a little lighter as it does not have the same detail as the peak on the left for instance. Not sure why they should be different in overcast conditions... I see a small amount of noise in the sky and water (espec LRHS) and a slight vinyette in the upper corners which you may be able to cure in the conversion if you choose. thanks for showing and i am still envious of your trip..

DON

[Norm Dulak]

Good comments, Don. Thanks.

[Diane Miller]

Spectacular! I love the wide-angle framing and soft color palette. Visual lines in the water are moving the eye into the channel and the clouds are adding to the effect, especially the one on the right. A crop from the top could also be an alternative image. The softness of the clouds suggests cold, even without the context.

Must have been a wonderful trip! Look forward to seeing more!

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks, Diane. Your comments are greatly appreciated. And please go there sometime. You will find the experience exhilarating and unforgettable. The landscapes, ice and wildlife are all truly amazing.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Lovely scene Norm! I can see this making a VERY nice moody monochrome indeed.
I just feel the sky is a tad light overall - it can stand a touch of darkening for mood and effect...

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks, Morkel. For you and the others who wanted to see a more dramatic sky, I offer this repost.

[Diane Miller]

I wonder if there is another approach to the sky besides the tone mapped look? There was already a hint of that in the OP and for me going further with it competes with the mountains, ice and water. I don't know if it would work, but I'd try just processing the sky with something like contrast and slightly lowered exposure, and not Clarity (if it was used). Maybe a gradient from the top with more emphasis on the contrast and darkening there. Not sure what the formula would be, but worth exploring, I think.

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks, Diane. I used Nik Tonal Contrast with some highlights enhancement. Your other suggestions may also be worth exploring.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Diane makes a good point - the repost sky does look a bit too much like an auto-HDR feel...

[Norm Dulak]

Hi Morkel.

I don't know what auto-HDR looks like, but I prefer my OP. I think Diane's pointing to the soft clouds in her first comments was good. But I find that there is often a request for dramatic skies in this forum, so I took a shot at it. Sorry if I missed the mark! :cheers: