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Cotopaxi is cheating!


Cotopaxi is cheating!
Photo Information
Copyright: Kristine Malinovska (avene) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1183 W: 68 N: 1430] (5384)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-01-05
Categories: Nature
Camera: Nikon D 200, Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 DC EX HSM
Exposure: f/11, 1/500 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-01-18 4:47
Viewed: 923
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 46
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
hard to believe that the Cotopaxi volcano is more than 5800m (about 19,300 feet) high and was happily throwing snow and hale at us just a week before this particular photo was taken. I'm sure it was trying to impress that it has one of the few equatorial glaciers in the world - you can see the snow cap that starts at the height of 5,000 metres. but in this photo we had obviously caught the mountain off guard and it was hastily wrapping in clouds.

Cotopaxi has an almost symmetrical cone that rises from a highland plain of about 3,800 metres with a width at its base of about 23 kilometres. Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, and there have been more than 50 eruptions since 1738. the 1877 eruption melted snow and ice on the summit, which produced mudflows that traveled 60 miles (100 km) from the volcano. the most recent eruption of Cotopaxi ended in 1904, but there was an increase in steam emissions, melting snow, and small earthquakes in 1975-1976. we were told that Cotopaxi is getting active again, and the clouds trapped in the valeys certainly look like steam rising from the side of the mountain. that's cheating!

loosely translated from the Quechua, Cotopaxi means "Smooth Neck of the Moon".

similar photo by zmey is included among the featured photos taken in Ecuador on www.travellerspoint.com

pastadog, Paophi, zmey, Buin, scobert, vero07, dlevy23, Floydian, jorgi, flashpoint, fulvio52, JorgeCK, pasternak, jvsb, sonkai, Wandering_Dan has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Floydian: frustrating cloudsavene 4 01-18 10:51
To scobert: thanksavene 1 01-18 09:28
To AandK: shy cotopaxizmey 1 01-18 08:20
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Kristine - Very pretty compo, in two distinct sides, the mighty cloud makes the volcano look relatively small... I had no luck with Cotopaxi (and also with Tungurahua) during my visit there, always hidden by clouds and fog, so thanks for sharing this one really! Daniel

  • Great 
  • zmey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1136 W: 75 N: 1099] (4289)
  • [2008-01-18 6:40]

well, our effort on the last "day with wheels" in ecuador paid off nicely. cotopaxi was kind, lol. for a fraction of a moment :) oh well, we got to go back in july/august.

nice composition. i like it. you have left more space for the "fake smoke" whereas mine is more centered on the mountain.

TFS
kristaps

  • Great 
  • Buin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 3418 W: 0 N: 6808] (23784)
  • [2008-01-18 7:13]

Hallo Kristine!
A very impressive picture of this grand mountain! I like the fascinating buildup of this photo! These threatening clouds are nearly breathtaking. You show us a really gorgeous scenery!
Greetings from Germany - and have a nice weekend!
Frank

Hello Kristine,
This is a fantastic shot! The storm clouds on the right and the clouds moving over the volcano are incredible! You are a first-rate photographer and I need to visit your photo gallery more often. Your note writing is excellent also and I believe notes to be as important as our images themselves. The perspective you have here is most unusual and fascinating to view. Great work!
Stan

Hi Kristine,
Nice landscape with this wonderful cloud and beautiful blue sky also.
Thanks for your useful information and TFS.
Regards.

  • Great 
  • AandK Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 200 W: 43 N: 369] (1605)
  • [2008-01-18 8:09]
  • [+]

How jealous I am... I never got the chance to see Cotopaxi from that close without clouds. This year I got the chance to see some snow through the thick clouds but just for a minute or two. From Quito I saw it clear, but standing right infront of it is way more impressive!
TFS
Andreas

Hi Kristine, what a great photo. Such an amazing cloud, it is so big and it seems to be coming from the side of the volcano.
Nice composition and colors.
Good job

Daniel

Hi Kristine,
what a great cloud kissing the volcano :)
excellent light and sharpness,
cheers Christian

Hello Kristine,
fantastic shot, it seems to me that is the cloud is attacking the mountain.
Great composition and sharpness.
Bravo.
Best wishes
Romana

  • Great 
  • jorgi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 724 W: 122 N: 490] (2231)
  • [2008-01-19 1:01]

Hi Kristine,

this vulcano definitely does not look 5800 high. It is literally swallowed by these enormous clouds. Great dynamics in capture with excellent natural colours.

Kind regards,
Jeri

Awesome, great capture.

Greg

Hello Kristine,
A famous mountain presented in a very good framing. It's not easy to make a picture without clouds. I stood a half day at 4800 meter, less than 15 min a blue sky with some sunshine. Clouds were moving very fast, a kind of flow we see here in your image. Here the two opposute clouds moving away from each other is a remarkable detail. Looks like the clouds are coming out of the vulcano...amazing.
I have a view from Quito on the Cotopaxi, will post that one the coming weeks...
Have a nice weekend, Henk

  • Great 
  • vincz Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2998 W: 85 N: 5049] (17514)
  • [2008-01-20 2:27]

Beautiful catch of this volcano with the so fantastic cloud. I love the rendering on the big cloud. Excellent picture.

Hi Kristine,
no doubt whatsoever, you made the best possible use of this dramatic scenery. Perfect build-up : low POV, the mighty volcano being exactly where it should be, blue skies in mid & top left-half and those awesome cloud formations in mid & top right-half, stretching all the way up towards the onlooker to create outstanding depth of field.
Top-notch!
Cheers,
Fulvio.

very impressive picture.. Great composition and sharpness....

Hi Kristine,
Wonderful landscape scene. The colors of the sky, the clouds, the sun rays brighting the snow cone are beautiful.
Congratulations
joRge

Very well framed, Kristine, the volcano looks quite small under this huge cloud... The shadows are a bit dark but maybe this is my monitor...

Cheers
Alexander

  • Great 
  • jvsb Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 99 W: 2 N: 226] (893)
  • [2008-01-26 4:30]

Hi Kristine,
Great capture of this elusive volcano. The dialogue with Floydian is very helpful in that it reminds us of the difficult circumstances involving landscape photography abroad.The framing of the volcano and the water vapor is well balanced, but maybe a wider take from a pov almost beneath the clouds would give an even more impressive picture. I wasn’t there, so I can’t be sure. I wouldn’t mind brightening just a bit the FG in post-processing too.
TFS,
Victor

Hi Kristine.
Uhmmm...I watch and I re-watch this shot,and besides to admire the Cotopaxi volcano covered with snow and clouds I asked myself;the enormous and dark clould at right..,is it falling down?I think there's nothing more to turn into fog...:)This is an impressive atmospheric show.TFS.
Un saludo.

Hi, Kristine -

Cotopaxi not only cheats, it plays rough. The day we went to the mountain, the summit was covered in clouds worse than this. We were heading back to Quito and I turned around to look in the rear view window - not a cloud in sight! Arrghhhh!

So you got a great shot here. The clouds on the right add menace but don't hide the mountain at all. And you do have a touch of the summit visible. Plus the use of minimalist elements works well. You caught the mountain off guard, all right!

Best,
Dan

  •      
  • arturo Gold Star Critiquer [C: 345 W: 57 N: 17] (31)
  • [2008-06-02 7:08]

Hi Kristine,

a grippin spectacle...and a lovely catch;-)...I like it a lot...cheers, arturo

  • Great 
  • plimrn Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3676 W: 230 N: 4915] (15580)
  • [2008-06-16 19:46]

Hi Kristine,
I can't believe I missed this stunning photo. I don't believe I've ever seen such stunning cloud detail in such a voluptuos cloud, The snowy top peeking out from its lenticular cap and the strong contrat between the white clouds and that perfect blue of the sky. To my favs,
HLJ, Pat

  • Great 
  • jmdias Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1435 W: 181 N: 1858] (7638)
  • [2008-06-26 17:50]

kristine

beautiful the way this huge cloud facing the huge volcano. The minimalist image is fantastic with the empty field in the lower area.

nice work

hugs

jorge

  • Great 
  • Angshu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4922 W: 169 N: 7559] (24684)
  • [2008-07-09 1:15]

Hello Kristine
Going a bit back in your album for this picture of the famous volcano. Framing is fine off-centre. Clouds are always a bane in high altitude mountains as I learnt first hand in my latest trip. The clouds always hugs the cold surface & more where there's snow. The one on the right looks like a plume gushing out of the crater. But still we see some snow & some blue sky, which makes it rewarding to the photographer. A fine work Kristine & I enjoy seeing your posts from Ecuador.
Regards
Angshuman

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