Dawn at Lake Louise HDR

[Rachel Hollander]

I don't do a lot of HDR but I did experiment a bit while in the Canadian Rockies. This is a 3 exposure (-2,0,+2) HDR done in CS5. It was taken the morning after my Fire & Ice image.

Canon 7D
16-35 @ 27mm
f8
ISO 400
Tripod, remote release, CP, slight levels adjustment and sharpened in CS5.

C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

Rachel

[allanrube]

I like the image a lot. The only thing that bothers me is the red boat which takes away from the snowy reflection.

[Morkel Erasmus]

You can really feel the cold here Rachel...
The snow on the mountain seems devoid of real detail though and overexposed...don't suppose you can pull that back seeing as this is a blend with the darker exposure supposed to have that detail?
I also would have liked a tad more FG as it's not really doing the anchoring job I wish it did
I do like the tones and framing with the V leading you to the back.

[Nick Palmieri]

I really love the composition and I think the reflection is very neat. I agree that the whites could use some more detail and also think the trees (especially on the right) could be pulled up a bit more. I also think a bit of a contrast boost would strengthen this image Easy fixes in Photoshop. TFS

[dankearl]

Rachel, I agree with the comments above, except I like the boat (it gives scale to me, and gives the photo a bit of uniqueness), and the FG is enough for me.
The water is really well done and the view is spectacular.

[Don Railton]

Hi Rachel,

I would like to echo the above comments ie I like the image including the boat but the snow is not good and the trees a still a little dark for an HDR. Did you try any shots lower (and maybe back a step) to increase the foreground boulder count and decrease the water space?

DON

[Dave Mills]

Hi Rachel, I like how you framed the image but I would have given it a bit more foreground creating a more solid anchor. IMO the red boat adds some interest while not holding the viewer in place. Agree on a bit more detail in the mountains and snow however if you choose to make that adjustment be careful not to overdo it.
When you get in front of this scene one becomes a bit awestruck...

[Rachel Hollander]

Here's a repost trying to incorporate the suggestions of bringing out more detail in the glacier and lighten the rhs a little. Hope it doesn't look too processed.

Thanks again,
Rachel

[Dave Mills]

Hi Rachel, Looks better to me...

[Rachel Hollander]

Thanks Dave

[Robert Amoruso]

The repost is definitely the right direction Rachel. I too would have like more FG.

[Rachel Hollander]

Thanks Robert. I have some non-HDR with more foreground. I'll post one of those one of these days.

[Arthur Morris]

I like the red boat and the gentle HDR look. Definitely needs more room at the bottom at least for the right hand rock. Thanks for the link.