Waiting for the Light Photo

Photographer’s Note

Location: Beartooth Butte (elevation 10,500 ft) reflected in Beartooth Lake (elevation 8,904 ft) at sunrise.

About the Photo: The drive was hundreds of miles, the night was spent in my van, the morning was freezing cold, but the light... the light was divine.

Focal Length: 13mm
Other Filters: Cokin Circular Polarizer

Muse, sleon, Floydian, sebcz, adalfons, jwmunro, plimrn, bach37, chicken, cbrman, luisafonso, Photo65Net, napdsp, Matthew-Watt has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

dkeus31 (26212) 2006-12-08 6:00

Hello Ryan,
Nice composed view with the good reflexion in the water and the foreground details.
Nice light
Regards
Didier

Muse (31011) 2006-12-08 6:14

Hello Ryan,
Une très belle photo et de superbes reflets dans cette eau limpide.
De très jolies couleurs et une belle lumière.
Excellent pov
Best regards
Denise

mickyg (815) 2006-12-08 6:50

Worth the effort though Ryan .. excellent light indeed and you used it well .. great exposure of the mountain and superb reflections to match .. nice work

qpochet (1378) 2006-12-08 7:05

Hi Ryan,

Excellent shot. The mirror effect is wonderful, very good sharpness and nice colours. I also like the view angle, giving priority to the water on the foreground.
Nice job!
Quentin.

sleon (9352) 2006-12-08 7:23

HI Ryan
What gorgeous colours and wonderful clarity of detail - definitely worth a night in the van just to see this! The effect of the grad filter is subtle and natural and the simple composition is effective.
Regards, Susanna

Floydian (30970) 2006-12-08 7:55

I am glad you are back to your landscapes my friend, that's a part of your photography i really admire. You have such a patient for shooting in perfect light conditions that i really have deep respect for that. Bearing the cold, sleeping in your van is a great example on how to make these kind of pictures. A lot of us can learn a lot from such a dedication.
This simple composition is an other example of that. Water, mountain and water, that's all, but what an impact showing this. The light is stunning, in the water and on the mountain. Even detail in the foreground and those trees are very well exposed with still detail in them.
That wonderful blue sky on top really brings this picture to a higher level.
Superb work my friend...high class photography..!!!
Have a nice weekend, Henk

bibs69 (3243) 2006-12-08 7:58

Hello Ryan,

Great !! The vertical composition is excellent with this perfect mirror. Very clear image and wonderful light on the mountain.

Best regards, Laurent.

Cricri (43132) 2006-12-08 8:19

Salut Ryan,
je viens de regarder ta galerie, tu as des paysages de toutes beautés, celle çi en est encore une, un format bien choisi pour mettre en valeur ce double paysage, superbe couleurs et lumiéres, compliments
amitiés
cricri

sebcz (2345) 2006-12-08 8:47

Hi Ryan!
Perfect composition and wonderful reflexion, polarizer did what it should have. TFS,
Seb

haya (825) 2006-12-08 9:10 [Comment]

Show Comment

blue-velvet30 (6524) 2006-12-08 9:20

Hi Ryan :)
excellent composition, fantastic colors and light, perfect POV. Well done!
regards
Dorota

Cormac (26449) 2006-12-08 11:20

Wow! This is jaw droppingly good! The light hitting the top of the mountain is great of course, but what I really like is the smooth gradation of light to dark, especially in the bottom of the frame, which is beautiful in my opinion. Excellent!

adalfons (281) 2006-12-08 12:52

Perfect!

cheers

jwmunro (6587) 2006-12-08 15:25

Hello Ryan -

This is one beautiful image! First light hitting the top of the butte is just perfect and your rendering with the grad is spot on. I do like the large expanse of the lake leading into the butte and the clarity of the water and the reflection add such depth to this image. Is that fog rising on the far bank? If so, a nice touch. There is not much more that I can say other than, WOW!

This image needs to printed large, matted and framed, and placed in a prominent position so others can say "WOW."

Thank you for sharing

John

kensimage (8541) 2006-12-08 18:49

WAITING for the light? This IS the light! You caught the perfect time. You sacrificed comfortable warmth selflessly, purely for the benefit of we TE viewers. We expect no less, but we appreciate it anyway.

Not sure why you're jealous of Paris when you have this...

Regards, Ken.

Polonaise (5636) 2006-12-08 20:35

Ryan...
It's so beautiful, someone must have paid you to create such jewels.
I don't believe that you've done this just for the sake of the beauty of your country.
No way !
NOOOOOOOBODY does that !
And i mean...NOOOOOOBODY !
All the best, dear buddy.
Stay the sucker. That's the part of you we love most.

Have a most efficient weekend - do nothin'

george

chicken (1781) 2006-12-08 20:36

Ah, Beartooth pass was one of the most impressive places I visited during my US tour some years ago. I'll post a picture tomorrow (nothing of comparable beauty to your image though). In this picture I like the warm glowing mountain above the cold, still lake. Great work and certainly worth a night in the van.

plimrn (19682) 2006-12-08 22:47

Hi Ryan,
I agree the light is divine; well worth a cold night in the van, in August yet!! The reflection has perfect fidelity, detail and color. Good choice to frame the extra lake at the bottom; following the rule of thirds works well here.
Regards, Pat

bach37 (178) 2006-12-09 7:02

Hi Ryan.
The landscapes are back!:), That's the part of your photography I most admire, you succeed shooting landscapes!
I love that reflection of the mountain...
Thank you, keep shooting!
Best regards,
Márcio Costa

cbrman (18911) 2006-12-09 14:53

Hello Ryan !

Ce reflet est superbe ! J'aime beaucoup la composition. L'avant plan est parfait ! Cette eau est transparente et la vision du fond n'est interrompue que par le reflet de cette montagne aux couleurs fantastiques !
Bravo !

A+

Dominique

vinser (6) 2006-12-10 18:35

Hi Ryan,
Very wonderful shot,colours are splendid and reflection is perfect!!
Best regards
Serge

luisafonso (858) 2006-12-11 4:06

This is the perfect photo my friend. I am glad you return here often as your results are always amazing. That tiny layer of mist above the water is surely one of the main reasons to get up this early. Perfect use of ND here. Like you say, the reflection has to be slightly darker than the reflected subjected and here is the perfect example of that. The composition, simple, is great. Love it!

izmirli (3187) 2006-12-12 1:01

merhaba dear ryan
beautiful light and colours.very good mountains and reflection.well done.
best regards.
gürkan akçakır.

Rodrigues (993) 2006-12-12 11:20

You are a real photographer...suffering hell for a photography.

The morning light is awesome and I just love you sense of light. The colours are so soft and the reflection is just perfect (I'm still look for such reflection). I'm not sure about the foreground, I'd like a bit more light to it, but you option of revealing those patterns is very good (and can't control the light). Anyway I'm still learning with you...tks.

leiju (1683) 2006-12-12 12:57

Is there anything to say about this shot? I doubt it.
It is more than perfection in its entirety with a magnificent glance at both the divine light and the most magnificent water PLUS what lies beneath its surface. Truly a masterpiece that ought to hang up high and wide on some of the busiest places on Earth, just to restore the balance.
Truly magnificent, this ought to go into a special category on TE, but there isn't one great enough to contain it :D
All the best and much more! TFS!
Julia

p.s. wish I was there to be able to drive hundreds of miles, sleep in the van and wake up to such beauty... just the kind of Life I am missing right now. Perhaps soon again... who knows :D

Elaine_Blath (6170) 2006-12-13 11:00

Hi Ryan,

beautiful nature scenery, beautiful shot with such a soft light...like all yours nature photos!

take care, Ivana

bigtim (3487) 2006-12-14 14:52

Bonjour Ryan, vraiment magnifique cette reflexion les couleursy sont époustouflantes et le format verticale trés bien choisit!
Very good shot!
tiM

tjanze (5674) 2006-12-15 16:13

Hi Ryan!
Colors of mountain in water are better then original.Reflection...top class.I like thin line of fog on water.Amazing shot with amazing quality. Regards!

Ann75 (0) 2006-12-16 23:00

Hello Ryan,

What a stunning composition with a great POV. I love the light on the mountains and the transparancy of the lake in the foreground. That little touch of mist hanging over the water is a great addition! Excellent colours, quality and great work, Ryan!

Greetings,
Ann

marcnol (386) 2006-12-17 19:20

Hello Ryan
I don't think I can find anything that you could improve in this shot. The reflections and the transparent water in the foreground guide the viewer into the main object. Colours,DOF composition are perfect.
It is very useful to have pictures such as this to learn about all the different aspects that make a great shot!
Thanks for sharing
Marcelo

Stan (2766) 2006-12-19 16:45

Bonjour Ryan,
I like vertical compo and this one is a masterpiece, thanks this amazing light and your know how, everything is perfect. Thank you for this beautiful moment.
Cordially
Serge

vincz (19043) 2006-12-26 18:55

wow... this is wonderful. Light on the mountain, reflection, sharpnes. A magnificent landscape and shot!

Photo65Net (43096) 2006-12-27 3:36

Bonsoir Ryan,
Wow ! Amazing reflection in this picture.
Colors and hues are just perfect, and the lake serenity is incredible.
Great job.
JB.

napdsp (732) 2007-01-02 16:18

Hi Ryan,

I was absent from TrekEarth for a vacation. I am back and greeted with yet another set of beautiful lanscape from you. I guess there is no need to state the obvious how beautiful the reflection and wonderful the composition and exposure are. TFS.

Happy New Year.
Nap

cdmonson (2753) 2007-01-12 20:57

Beautiful shot Ryan. I was trying to get a very similar shot (except in Canada) about a week ago. The fact that the lake was frozen in mine was not the only difference between our shots! You've got the right amount of light, both on the butte and on the lake, and as someone who has tried this numerous times and never come close to this, my hat is off. The colors are soft and not overly saturated, and overall the picture is beautiful.

Clark

quantabeh (5203) 2007-02-18 20:09

beautiful shot. very well exposed, with an excellent composition. Brovo! couldn't have been any better.
B

Matthew-Watt (4465) 2008-02-06 16:28

G'Day Ryan,

Exceptional photo; I doubt that you could have tried any other method to improve this image whatsoever. It is bordering perfection! I like the fluid transition from the darker FG towards the majestic peak centerpiece. The illuminated rock face is such a special element, and I am sure it would only glow like this for a few moments each day providing the weather was favorable. The reflection is flawless as the still water allows for the perfect refraction of the light and re-transmition of colour. Finally, the black bordering frame was the ideal choice to help contrast with the fascinating colours. Well done, I will have to explore your gallery further.

Matt

Photo Information

Copyright: Ryan Thayne (euryan) (8349)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-08-18
Categories: Nature
Camera: Canon EOS 30D, Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 EX DC HSM, Digital RAW 100, Hitech ND Grad 0.3 Soft
Exposure: f/22, 3 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Rocky Mountains, Reflections on the water [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-12-08 5:51
Favorites: 2 [view]