Yellowstone's Golden Gate

[D. Robert Franz]

The Thomas Moran painting of the "Golden Gates" of Yellowstone was my inspiration for this photo. This location is just south of Mammoth.

Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D
Date/Time: 2009:05:20 20:41:07
Shutter speed: 1/5 sec
Aperture: 11
Exposure mode: Av
Exposure compensation: -1/3
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Multi-segment
ISO: 400
Lens: 24 to 105mm
Focal length: 28mm
2 stop GND

[Morkel Erasmus]

Hi Robert

To me this is a lovely composition and a very pleasing image. I like the way the light fell, and the lines and topography laid down. My eye just begs me to look a bit left and see what was there - maybe a wider focal length would have helped in this regard?

[D. Robert Franz]

Hi Robert

My eye just begs me to look a bit left and see what was there - maybe a wider focal length would have helped in this regard?

Unfortunately just out of the frame on the left is a bridge and road.....

[Gerald_Gilligan]

Robert,
I think that my natural way of viewing has me starting from the left and moving to the right....Your image has me staring a little unconventional and as I kept looking at it... my mind got "Right" and I was able to rationalize and move through the image picking up on the compositional cues and working up to the glow...I like it more and more as I begin to take it in... the water works itself to the left a bit close to the frame for me..., and the explanation above explains that, but the foreground seems a bit light for the time of day...
I wonder if it could be a bit darker...your choice...

Jerry

[Morkel Erasmus]

thanks - that explains it. still a very cool shot!

[Ramesh Adkoli]

Very beautiful image. Robert. My eyes move easiliy through the image. I felt that the FG is bit too bright for the day just as Gerald observed. It could be result of the hilltop on the RHS being darker (Is that an effect of the GND filter). You might want to dodge that part to even tones. TFS.

regards,
ramesh

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Dale,
Sweet light and I like the diagonal comp. Very good observation by Ramesh (yes that is the split ND area)......and I wouldn't mind a bit of a tone down.....only because of the rock color/lightness.....easy fix too. I know people get freaked out about over saturation......but it would be interesting to see how people would react if there was even more of a pop on lit peaks with a contrast boost......would that be too much?
I still think this was nicly done as presented.

[Bruce Murden]

I'm with Ramesh and Roman on this one. I'd like to see golden light on the top of the peaks to really pull me in. I find the brightness of the FG keeping my eye in that part of the image, rather than letting the river and the curve formed by the FG trees pulling me deeper in. Without changing the comp, I would try to darken the FG a bit, and lighten the MG a bit, to pull us deeper into the view.

Nice capture and presentation, with more potential waiting for you to explore!

[Ed Cordes]

Beautiful scene. I love the glow on the mountain. The stream guides my eye through the image. I agree that the bottom could be a bit darker.