pastoral ecuador Photo

Photographer’s Note

a little break from people photos: pastoral ecuador as seen from the slopes of the volcanoe tungurahua on the last day of 2007.

what you see in the foreground are volcanic pastures (as in grass and trees that grow on soil rich in volcanic ashes and lava). the fertility of that soil seemed amazing. in some places, lush grass would reach height of 3 meters...

anyway, i took this shot because of the white "model" in the bottom left corner and the sunlit "switzerland like" looks of countryside only a few kilometers from the ecuator.

the view as seen from almost the same POV just facing the other way (an hour or so later) is featured in a photo by avene.

avene, pboehringer, dlevy23, giorgimer, danyy, gunbud, plimrn, fulvio52, cfreire, Charo, scobert, belido has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Delfin (1501) 2008-01-18 6:20

Hi Kristaps!
Lovely light.
So pleasant to see "pastoral near-equator place" on a grey January day...
It took me some time to understand what the model was. My sick imagination, first, drew a person heavily loaded with a huge sack :)
A Cow, though, makes much sense in a pastoral scene :)
Cheers,
Olga

avene (11224) 2008-01-18 6:48

I like a lot the slightl yellow cast from the late afternoon sun, I find it adds the feeling of calm to the scene and goes well with the story about fertile soil where pencils would bloom. superb composition, the layers of mountains and trees topped with the clouds in the distance create a great feeling of depth. and the "model", of course ;) nice and well-placed accent.
best,
K.

nirvana73 (8878) 2008-01-18 7:02

Hello Kristaps
i said wooov when i saw first this shot
great amtosphere
beautiful colours and sharpness
i like the cloudsi light and shadows
thaks for sharing
best regards
Ozhan

note:i have done tone maping in Clouds shot
take care...Ozhan

pboehringer (770) 2008-01-18 7:30

Kristaps,
here again I come with my polarizing filter preach and this time you can't object with the green hue, because the image itself is all green with exception of the lonely cow. Nice mood that you captured here with the low clouds creaching along the mountains in the background. Good placement of the cow respecting the 1/3 rule.
Peter

kwekwekan (292) 2008-01-18 7:39

Superb photography & such thoughtful composition. The only thing that could make the photo better is giving more definition to the cow ... maybe if you could have waited until it came closer to you, or it was perpendicular to you

dlevy23 (2018) 2008-01-18 8:24

Hi Kristaps, really good photo. I like your high POV and how you can see all the way down on the fields pass the clouds. It is nice that you included that lonely cow on the frame. It adds life to the photo.
Well done.
Have a good weekend.

Daniel

chrisnet (20378) 2008-01-18 11:45

Hello Kristaps,
Beautiful mountains landscape under a nice light, the cow is well placed in the left foreground, very well done.
Regards

giorgimer (21640) 2008-01-18 15:24

Hi Chris, WOW!

Another great shot! Beautiful nature and surprising view of the low clouds.

TFS!

Gio

bucanas (2209) 2008-01-18 16:58

Hi Kristaps Klavins,
Beautiful color,very sharp.Nice place,congratulation.
Best regards,
Ralf

crckt (7102) 2008-01-18 18:00

Hi Kristaps,
An amazing landscape shot. The lovely green slopes contrasts very nicely with the clouds soaring above. That cow is also a nice addition, it would be ideal if it was completely visible.
Well done,
Shaeri
Have a great weekend!

gunbud (28261) 2008-01-18 19:57

Hi Kristaps,
Very dramatic mountain scene captured with clear colors and fine details. The lone cow is a very nice element to this fine image.
Regards, Tom

jhm (83742) 2008-01-19 1:11

Hello Kristaps,

I find this better than your last picture.
We see here a wonderful panorama view about a part of this wonderful country.
The low cloud above the mountains make this picture very nice, indeed maybe little bit pastorale.
Very well composition, and nice presentation.
Thanks for sharing.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

plimrn (19856) 2008-01-19 19:50

Hi Kristaps,
The golden light, the long shadows and the delicate detail of the clouds make this composition a winner. It does look like Sweitzerland, especailly with the white cow grazing placidly.
HLJ, Pat

hatti52 (12654) 2008-01-20 1:37

Hi Kristaps,
great shot
wonderful depth and colours
really amazing landscape and you took it perfectly
regards

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-01-20 4:09

Hi Kristaps,
your excellent management of light plays a key-role in this one, as it's basically an all-green picture. That means you got to be pretty skillful at properly enhancing all those different nuances of green, or else it'd probably turn out to be a pretty but rather monochromatic mountain palet.
Far from that! And I love the difference in contrast between the sharp FG and the subdued, almost dreamy BG.
Good job, buddy.
Cheers,
F.

cfreire (11677) 2008-01-21 11:08

Hi Kristaps,
You captured a fantastic mood with splendid colors and contrasts. Excellent control of lights and the great diversity of green tones added a beautiful effect in this picture. I loved the low clouds. Good work, friend. Regards, Consuelo

danyy (69903) 2008-01-21 14:54

Bonjur Kristaps,
une photo qui nous fait découvrir ce relief très accidenté dans lequel il n'est pas toujours aisé d'évoluer.
Une palette étendue de verts et cette touche nuageuse toute esthétique et naturelle.
Regards.
Daniel.

Charo (32126) 2008-01-23 0:43

Hola Kristaps,
Preciosa foto con esos tonos verdes brillantes y la niebla escalando la montaña. Excelente atmósfera y resolución.
Cordialmente
Charo

Bluejeans (33391) 2008-01-23 5:28

Ola Kristaps,
Que maravilhosa paisagem de verde , gostei deste relevo coberto por um manto verde , este primeiro plano ficou muito bonito com a vaca aqui a pastar , bom contraste de cores , parabens!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

capthaddock (28640) 2008-01-24 17:48

Beautiful landscape, somehow it looks both cold and tropical at the same time, I like the low light, though the contrast has burned the cow into a fine delicious piece of well done steak :-).

marietom (32280) 2008-01-26 1:26

Hello Kristaps,

Jolie atmosphère, dans cette image très verte et très reposante !
Marie

scobert (5333) 2008-01-26 15:01

Hello again Kristaps,
The server deleted my critique before I had a chance to update it. I hate it when this happens. I will try again. When I look at this amazing scenery I can't help and think what was going through your mind. The swirlling clouds, the rich variety of vegetation, and the shimmering tropical sun filtering through the clouds must have been awesome to witness. This is marvelous work and again your sharpness makes me feel like I am at this area right now. It will take me awhile to catch up with all of the fantastic photos that you and Kristine have posted from your Ecuadorian trip. Great work!
Stan

Angshu (34219) 2008-01-27 20:44

Hello Kristaps
A lovely view from your hogh POV. Yes, the cow makes a lot of difference & it appears quite small which shows us the scale of the landscape you show. The play of sunlight on the far slopes is delightful to watch as are the clouds that hug the tops. A very good idea to provide a link to Kristine's pic. as it shows the volcano from the slopes of which you took the shot. Well done!
Regards
Angshu

belido (17129) 2008-02-01 4:13

Hi Kristaps,

just wonderful. I'm taking about the view and of course your capture too. The moment was perfect for this clarity and light. The bull is the great inclusion to break that beautiful field. Great work!
Regards,
Carlos

bazal (7898) 2008-02-15 5:06

Hi, Kristaps.
Perfect choice of crop, here to allow us to enjoy fully the green textures of the grassy slopes and the coming fog. Nice to have the "white model" to get an idea about the scale of the scene!
Thanks for sharing.

Greg1949 (8539) 2008-05-22 4:01

Kristaps, having my attention divirted to this from the post of the mountain I could not let it pass, this is also a great capture and has a feeling of height looking down through the cloudy mid ground to the far side of the vally and the lit field. I am sure the lines all make this work but I like it for the view in the overall and not just the components.

Greg