Storelva Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

This looks like a B/W, but it`s not. The grey weather and the frost produced almost no colors this day!

Storelva (Big River); In dry periods like before Christmas the once big and powerful river is reduced to a small stream.
The reason is visualized by the powerlines in the background. Most of the water is used for production of hydroelectric power and has been so the last 50-100 years. Most people think its a reasonable price to pay for the welfare in has created in the area. And theres no CO2 emissions from it either..

A little about the municipality:

"The town of Sauda, at the head of the Saudafjord, has a population of just under 5,000 and covers an area of 514 km2. Sauda’s main industries are hydroelectric power and manufacturing. The town is the commercial, educational and service centre for the Indre Ryfylke region.
Sauda is a community of contrasts, where heavy industry and modern social amenities coexist with fjordside idylls and wellmanaged farms with fine traditional buildings. The district offers good hunting and fishing in rivers and lakes, as well as magnificent waterfalls and high mountains with many peaks over 1,500 metres above sea level."

jusninasirun, raytheron, Dpbours, johnfreeman, Charo, Waylim has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

angela926 (1882) 2008-01-09 17:57

Hello Jon,
very nice B&W, good composition and pov, very good sharpness and depth of field, good tones and light.
Angela

skippy007 (6977) 2008-01-09 19:05

Hello John.
Very good composition, excellent DPO. Nice shot
Regards
Santo

jusninasirun (10191) 2008-01-09 19:12

Hello Jon,
Beautiful converging perspective of the rocks leading to the mountain. Superb winter scene.
Regards,
Jusni

raytheron (589) 2008-01-09 19:19

Hi Jon! Look I DETEST power pylons! but in your image they are easy to overlook. I love the composition; the gentle S-curve is pleasing to the eye, and then there's the other line of the shore, leading one's eye to the trees. Well done!

Mmm now if we could get them to move those cables underground...!! hehe

Regards

Ray

Valerka (8159) 2008-01-09 23:19

Hi,Jon,
A very interesting note and a good shot, too in almost B/W.
I like the perspective and the POV. I can feel the gloom of the day.
I bet in warmer seasons it's a nicer place to see.
TFS
Valerka:)

Dpbours (220) 2008-01-10 1:44

Hi Jon,

Good note on the B/W, but I already saw it. For a second I was wondering if it were a quad-tone conversion, but I see it's just as grey as it was. And that works well for this compo!
Good note! At first, one may wonder why you choose a composition with those power lines in it. But your note makes it clear. They had to be in it and the way you included them makes that they are not overly visible in your composition. The low point of view emphasizes how the hydro dam reduces the river to a little stream. Well done!

Greetings,
Dennis

johnfreeman (2222) 2008-01-10 2:27

Hi Jon,
You've made a very strong composition here and the almost monochrome really enhances the sense of cold.
What I really like here however is the way you've integrated the power pylons into the landscape. They don't look out of place at all and actually enhance the perspective, like man-made trees reflecting the natural ones on the left. I find this interesting because I have always obsessively sought to avoid man-made objects in my landscape shots but would like to find a way of including them without ruining the composition.
Regards,
John

sadeik (3159) 2008-01-13 11:30

Its a shame about the pylons but what an excellant bit of composition. Youhave used the sweeping effect of the rocks across the river to very good effect and that was what caught my eye. Keep that up and you will get some stunning photographs

Simon

pablominto (40552) 2008-01-16 12:29

Hello Jon,
Interesting mood with the frozen landscape!
I like the intriguing combination of the dry riverbed and what happened to the water in the same frame...
A well balanced composition with good details!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Charo (31665) 2008-01-20 12:48

Hola Jon,
Un bello y frío paisaje. Los tonos grises le da una excelente atmósfera. Estupenda profundidad.
Cordialmente
Charo

gaylen54 (84) 2008-01-21 8:53

Nature also produces the nicest black & whites, as well as colors! :) Although I usually can't stand power lines & poles, these look good. You've composed it well, with the snow-covered stones leading our eyes nicely into the distance. The whole scene appeals to me a lot.
Gayle

Waylim (10741) 2008-01-23 18:29

Jon,

This is such a great photo of a winter scene. I see that it’s not in B&W. You capture all the detail for the scenery. The rocks under the water, the fog in between trees are clear and visible. The sharpness and contract are perfect from the foreground to the distant mountain. I just take another look at the photo and realize even the snow or frost on the rocks are clearly visible. Absolutely love it.

Well done! So are the rest of your posted photos.

danielswalsh (13320) 2008-02-03 17:55

I love this shot John;

I'm a sucker for a snow scene anyways, but this one is nicely done as it has that snowy barrier/damn across the water that leads the eye into the frame. I'd imagine a treacherously slippery journey across those snow covered rocks. The composition is what really makes this shot. I'm not a big fan of the powerlines and towers as they're quite ugly- however it is still a strong element in the shot.
My only suggestion is a 'levels' adjustment as it seems you clipped the highlights (the highlights could be brighter), easy enough to fix in Photoshop.

All the best!
- Dan

foozi (4701) 2008-04-27 22:12

Hello Jon,
an excellent capture of the great landscape. there are many elements of photography that make this shot a well thought and proof of good photographic skills. The persepctives are really great, the pebbles, the cable lines, the path.
the image is clear, the living water with bubbles indeed make the shot lively and challenging to the eyes.
Thanks for sharing and it is very educational too in term of geographical explantion of the picture.
Thanks.

regards,
foozi