Mount Rainier from Reflection Lake

[Ron Tnompson]

Hello, I have been lurking here on BPN for about two years learning from all of you. This is my first post with a picture and is also my first attempt at landscapes photography. I learned alot on this trip. One thing panos are not as easy as they seem.:confused: This is a five shot vertical Pano
Canon 40D
28-135
Shot at 28 mm
f22
1/15sec
ISO 100
Shot from tripod at a little before 7:00 AM
Thanks for looking Ron Thompson

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ron,
Welcome to the forum! One of my favorite mountains! Too bad you didn't get any clouds......but that would have made the stitch a bit harder too! I do think that the whites up top may be a bit bright....but unless you used a split.....would only darken the shadows......great tool to get if you are considering expanding into landscapes. I do think you centered the comp a bit more.....including some of the FG shore or just offsetting rainier would help. Nice that it is in your backyard.....so try to time a visit earlier in the morning and do either an HDR or use a split or 2......will take this up a notch or 2.
Looking forward to more!

[Ron Tnompson]

Thanks for the advise Roman. Yes it would have been nice to have some clouds and maybe get there around sunrise but that was about 0430 that morning. Will try to use a split filter, that was one of my many lessens I learned. I will try and not center my subject in the next ones. I think I will try next Wednesday for Pinnacle saddle.

[Dave Mills]

Hi Ron, Welcome to the forum. I've been to this location a number of times. I think you handled it well but the reflection is a bit close to the edge. Not quite sure why you shot this using multiple images when it can be easily framed.
As stated try and get there early and I would suggest you try looking for a foreground on the shoreline in front of you as another comp variation. In the spring there are some very pretty wildflowers that grow along the edge that I was lucky enough to time it right and capture. I had to wait until the light hit them...

[Ron Tnompson]

Thanks Dave for the kind advice. Had to do a pano because of the lack of real wide angle lens for a crop camera. Another lesson learned. The wildflowers are late this year there was still snow around the lake. May try again in a few weeks.
Thanks Ron Thompson

[Nick Palmieri]

Hi Ron, Beautiful mountain. Agree with above comments. If you don't have a ND filter I would recommended bracketing then HDR or pseudo-HDR. In my opinion the shadows (in the shoreline trees) are dark. HDR or pseudo-HDR would even things out nicely. In a scene like this I would have likely done 15 images (5 x 3) adding +/-1, or +/- 2 EV. I also think using a longer focal length (50mm+), and not a wide angle, for vertical pano's, works a little better. You certainly did a great job stitching these since as sometimes a wide angle lens would distort a pano. TFS!

[Ron Tnompson]

Thanks for the great information Nick. I will have to try that on Thursday. I am going back to Rainier but this time to climb up to Pinnacle peak. Then I will look down on reflection lake when looking to Rainier
Ron Thompson