How does it feel? Photo

Photographer’s Note

How does it feel...like a rolling stone? It does remind me of Bob Dylan's song and lyrics when I look back to this moment atop the Mount Kinabalu, a world Heritage site that I posted earlier. No matter how bad was the gutsy wind or freezing rain spilling onto camera or lens, I managed to take a few shots just to record what we saw up on the Low's peak, highest point at 4095.2m ASL. Here is our mate Hoe retreating after a few minutes stay, unable to stand the cold rain and wind, and probably the altitude and thin air making its impact on him. Below in blue is Evelyn, yellow is Jong with mountain guide on the way up for the peak. Time to reach this peak 7.30am. Last year, 2 of us reached here at 5.30am, so it is 2 hour slack. This leg of the summit climb is the toughest to negotiate - altitude, thin air, weather, coldness, stamina, body fatigue. You must not suffer from illness and to be fit, well trained. Temperature almost reaching freezing point. Hands and feet wet from the rain, and imagine bring up camera equipment and tripod up here, 5 hours' climb from my earlier posted Laban Rata base camp, showing the scale of the mountain rocks, to reach this spot (no, tripod was not used even once). Blowing rain prevented any further shooting.

Facing the camera is the St John's peak, clouded by heavy fog. Definitely no sunrise scene this time. The loose rocks at the top can be commonly seen, from weathering effect and wear and tear over time. I feel it is important just to share the summit photo, be it poor weather or what not. I hope you find it useful. (not very sharp, probably hand trembling in the cold) Critique is welcome.

gunbud, lucasgalodoido, zeca, Partha_c, dareco, snunney, tehanu_f, avene, noborders, zmey, mafegan, jlbrthnn, belido, jhm, ls7902, danos, pablominto, ahmetgedikli, Truja, bakes888, stego, pboehringer, LamCam, robob, Charo, fanni has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

skippy007 (7053) 2008-04-28 17:54

Hello Bill,
I envy you such beautiful site & adventures, this has made feel so cold that I'm going to make myself a cup of tea & turn the heater up on second thought maybe I don't envy you as much as I first thought.:-),
Under the extreme condition an excellent pic. The yellow & blue jackets add colour to an otherwise grey foggy mountain.
Thanks
Regards
Santo

gunbud (27879) 2008-04-28 18:04

Hi Bill,
The brightly clad hikers stand out very well in the misty fog. Great details to this rocky mountain top that is mysteriously covered in foggy mist.
Regards, Tom

LUISCOSTA (142) 2008-04-28 19:01

olá Bill!

excelente e enorme composição onde se consegue ter ideia da dimensão devido ao ser humano presente...fantastico!!!

lucasgalodoido (16603) 2008-04-28 19:19

Olá Bill,
uma aventura e tanto essa, e gostei do seu POV, parece que estamos no local também, uma bonita foto.
Parabéns e Abraço!

lopshang (628) 2008-04-28 19:26

Hi Bill

Very remarkable and fantastic shot. Love the overall fog over the environment. Very good composition and POV. All i say is that you have perfectly timed shot.

Regards,

Lopshang.

zeca (20026) 2008-04-28 21:10

Wow! What a nice place, Bill! Beautiful details and very nice hidden background. The misty atmosphére is really something unic.
Regards,
Zeca

dvlazar (6478) 2008-04-28 21:11

Good atmospheric shot of Kinabalu mountain - looks like it was a cloudy morning for you - not a great time for sunrise, bad luck. THe figure almost looks dissapointed by that in the photo.
Well captured,
Dave

Partha_c (1985) 2008-04-28 22:03

It feels great Bill. I feel envious too especially in hot and humid Kolkata where we are all praying for the mercury to drop. The mist, the dots of tourists and the man in the f/g added depth to the shot. Well done. Regards.
Partha

dareco (17104) 2008-04-29 0:28

FANTASTIC! This is breathtaking!!! A wonderful view and a great mood!!! TFS

snunney (34884) 2008-04-29 1:00

Hello Bill,
A very good composition with a superb atmosphere. I like the sight of the peak emerging from the mist whilst the person in the foreground helps add depth to the scene and brings a touch of contrasting colour along with the other smaller figures. Clarity is excellent; enabling us to appreciate the textures in the foreground rocks to great effect.

tehanu_f (6874) 2008-04-29 1:03

Beautiful shot, Bill. I like the compo and the colours. The fog and the peak add excitement to the scene. Congrats.
Fusun

albertz (2310) 2008-04-29 1:20 [Comment]

Show Comment +

mafegan (4183) 2008-04-29 2:45

Hi Bill
Thanks for the photo from the summit of Mt Kinabalu - I hope to get there one day.This photo is the first I've ever seen which conveys some feeling as to what to expect. With the blue clad climber in the foreground and everywhere else amongst the fog this is a great composition.
TFS, Marlene

avene (11008) 2008-04-29 4:15

hello Bill,
I definitely like this shot, the gray fog and mist perfectly convey the feeling of cold and discomfort. the people in bright clothes add a nice colour accent, but also give the sense of scale. very nice work, although it makes me shiver from cold just to look at this shot :)

with best regards,
Kristine

noborders (14199) 2008-04-29 12:58

Imposing mountain, great POV, mysterious atmosphere, adventure : what an experience ! Your note is also very "useful" - how courageous you were to carry your tripod all the way up !!! Next time, do try my little Ixus : it works all right ! (just kidding of course !)
Compliments,
Cath.
(PS : what you explained did work : many thanks again !)

Miha2ou7 (4913) 2008-04-29 14:20

Hey Bill,

Malaysia really has some diverse scenery doesn`t it. Although I prefer lush forests this has a certain appeal to it too. Anyway, you`ve captured it perfectly, and the picture conveys a lot of the mood and ambient. Great job.

See you around.

zmey (7250) 2008-04-30 5:11

hello bill

i love foggy scenes, and this one seems exceptionally well captured. i feel, i prefer this shot to what would have come out on a clear day capture. very moody and i almost can feel the drizzle on my neck as i watch your foto. oh, lol... now i see, avene felt the same way looking at it :)) by the way, the black framing adds to the mood here. good job!

warm regads,
kristaps

jlbrthnn (37959) 2008-04-30 5:46

Hello Bill,
This place lost is attracting. It must be a true grisery to go in such a decoration. The fog adds to the mystery and the attraction. Your photograph tells well this strolls. Very good work.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

belido (16493) 2008-04-30 6:47

Hi Bill,

great mood. The fog brings an attractive atmosphere. It looks a place with beautiful rock formation. Very good image!
Regards,
Carlos

sayanwithsenice (717) 2008-04-30 7:22

HI!!

WOW!! AMAZING PLACE!! I AM LOVING THE MIST AND THE PEOPLE SEEN !! NICE COMPOSITION AND POV!!! I AM REALLY VERY MUCH DELIGHTED BY YOUR IDEAS AND CONCEPT!! KEEP POSTING!!

Have a nice day,
SAYAN

ls7902 (6194) 2008-04-30 11:07

Hello Bill, This one is really good. Lots of atmosphere. You can really feel the cold. Good clear foreground against the fog covered peak. Well done. Happy Labor Day. Regards. Latiff.

danos (32468) 2008-05-01 0:37

hello Bill,
i don't know how he feels but i'm cold.I like to see this beautiful nature with the fog to cover the background Mts and the people with their colorful raincoats to add life in the scene.. Why this fellow don't follow the other ones? Informative and useful your note too.

Have a nice May Day,Danos

jhm (82545) 2008-05-01 2:49

Hello Bill,

I feel here the cold wind and the misty atmosphere high in the mountains.
I think that the photographer also little bit cold feeling on these height.
Very nice picture, good composition, you did very well addition the people there beneath.
Nice photo work. Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,
John.

Bluejeans (32293) 2008-05-01 4:42

Ola Treks,
Mais uma foto bem dramática cheia de nevoeiro , um lugar bem árido sem vegetação apenas com rochas , as pessoas na foto dão uma noção de escala ,parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

crckt (7074) 2008-05-01 8:46

Hi Bill,
This is really fantastic! The atmosphere is great, I feel cold looking at this. Wonderful mood captured to a perfection.
Well done,
Shaeri

samrat_roy1 (683) 2008-05-02 1:23

hi bill
it does feel really stunning! i appreciate your passion of climibing up there is such a harsh weather and presenting the moment to us. its magical. i like the way the picture swoops down on the middle part and then climbs up at the distant end. good perspcetive...
regards

marietom (31944) 2008-05-02 2:57

Hello Bill,

ce n'est sans doute pas la meilleure météo pour aller affronter cette promenade...
Jolie composition, qui fait rêver d'aventure !
Bonne soirée
Marie

pablominto (40712) 2008-05-02 11:15

Hello Bill,
Not so much left of the tropical atmosphere up there!
You probably never see snow on Mt Kinabalu like you do on Kilimanjaro with its 5,895 m, but the image tells about a foggy and cold location...
Well composed image with strong foreground interest, good feeling of depth!
Greetings,
Pablo -

ahmetgedikli (21911) 2008-05-03 22:05

Hi Bill,
Very nice shot. I like this composition, colours and atmospheria.
Have a good sunday.
Ahmet

Truja (4948) 2008-05-04 6:55

Hi Bill,
Excellent POV that places us in the scene. The environment of fog and uncertainty is fantastic, the tenuous colors only broken by the vivacious colors of the clothes: yellow, blue and black.
Impressive presence of the mountains!

Regards,

Jordi

bakes888 (18207) 2008-05-05 1:38

Hi Bill. The feeling of accomplishment must be heightened by the fact that the weather was so bad! Wonderful atmosphere with the peak hiding in the mists. Well balanced composition. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

stego (22352) 2008-05-07 11:12

Hi Bill,
This doesn't fit the common idea one has of Malaysia: a wintry, grey, rainy and cold morning. A bit surprisingly, considering the light, the harsh landscape partially involved in fog, and having everybody either too distant or with their back on us, the photo is quite appealing and very moody, presenting well the rough beauty of the place. I can almost feel the cold wet wind freezing my bones.
TFS, Regards, José.

pboehringer (770) 2008-05-07 18:36

I just saw and wrote a critique for one of Kristaps images and commenting that we don't need the perfect light and weather conditions to get a great shot and after closing that critique and openning the next image (this one here) I get the same feeling again. It looks pretty sh**** weather and light and yet you did a great shot giving us a perfect feeling of how it feels to be there on the top.
Peter

anca (10) 2008-05-08 12:33

Impressive place

LamCam (3603) 2008-05-08 14:01

Hello Bill,
Congratulations on a superb shot of this spectacular, but very uncomfortable, place !
I am so glad that you were able to take some shots before the rain made it impossible. The mist creeping around the peak is very well shown, and the colours are surprisingly good under these conditions. I think no-one is going to mind a little lack of sharpness under these circumstances!!
I admire your spirit of adventure - keep sharing it with us Bill!
Best wishes....Maggie

testmaniac (12118) 2008-05-09 23:08

Hello Bill, just great adventure photo! Excellent colors,composition,POV and this place make this photo very attractive!

TFS and regards,
Philip

robob (3640) 2008-05-11 8:21

Hello Bill,
Comme tu l’expliques dans ton texte, il faut une excellente condition physique pour effectuer une ascension pareille !
Très impressionnant !
Cette brume dans ces montagnes avec les quelques personnes est spectaculaire !
Très bon cliché !
Bien à toi Bill,
Robert

Charo (31671) 2008-05-12 2:13

Hello Bill,
Magnificent composition. The ambience is excellent, there is breathed the cold that it does. Big POV. Congratulations!!!
Cordialmente
Charo

jmdias (19267) 2008-05-17 8:32

bill

to visit high mountains in the mist is ever a little bit frustrating, despite this you got this interesting image where the shape of the peak is like a huge and misterious area, while the little humans are trying to reach it, in teh foreground the other human is nicely put and give us a sense of distance. Nice pov

hugs

jorge

foozi (4717) 2008-10-18 3:45

Hello Bill,
thanks for telling me about the dust spots.
What a lovely shot you have here.
Really interesting to see the mist and great texture of the rock.
Must be very tiring and challenging to climb this almost peak.
Excellent action packed shot.

Regards,
Foozi

Hellas (5125) 2009-03-10 1:40

Hi Bill!
Taking pride in presenting photos of hiking is well known and always welcome!
Very good exposure getting us into the lovely atmosphere!

Many thanks for sharing. Keep posting!
Best regards,
Athanasios.

fanni (8737) 2009-05-15 4:04

Hello Bill,
I thought to browse your older posts and my attention was drawn to this shot which is very expressive and interesting in many aspects (composition, POV, colours and - again - philosophy!). This gradual disappearing of the surroundings in the clouds creates a special mood: should each of us, at least once in a lifetime, go to the mountains to try ourselves and see if we get any kind of "revelation" to us?
I'm not much into the technical aspects of this shot, I am much more interested in what message it may convey.
Tiny people and "wordless" mountains. People wearing bright colourful clothes surely enliven this foggy view, but they seem to belong to quite a different world - like intruders to a "sancta sanctorum".
Best regards,
Elena
:)