sunrise over Yellowstone river Photo

Photographer’s Note

the total count of things lost, broken and forgotten during the short trip to Yellowstone is impressive even for us - cable release (one), ND gradient filter (two, if counting the one the left at home. the other fell into a hot spring and has probably dissolved by now), cir-pol filter (one). but I still say the trip was worth it.

about the photo: this sunrise over Yellowstone river at around 6AM was our reward for religiously getting up every day at 4AM in hope of capturing the morning light, although usually it was snowing, raining and no light visible until noon. but on the last day, when driving into the park while it was still pitch black, at precisely 5:03 I realised that those are not Christmas lights shining above, those are stars! which meant that the sky was clear and we could hope for a beautiful morning. and it was.

I wanted to capture the fog and mist rising from the river on this chilly morning, so I used a fairly long exposure and needed the cable release for the tripod-mounted camera. I honestly don't know what happened with that darned thing after this, but the fact remains - 10 minutes later the cable release was nowhere to be found. I bet it decided to stay and join bisons in their morning swim. cannot say I blame it.

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RAW, ISO 100, 27mm focal lenth, pattern metering.

bostankorkulugu, Wandering_Dan, fulvio52, zmey, lousat, Philippe, Waylim, crhieatt, dareco, gunbud, belido, Giorgio, bobocortis, Floydian, Angshu, wishlist, JorgeCK, pticaruh, Merline has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jemaflor (39457) 2008-09-09 4:30

Hi Kristine,
Very nice this light and these colours, well captured, good result with fog and the silhouettes of these trees.

brandstaetter (14198) 2008-09-09 4:42

Hi Kristine,
wow, a stunning one...see you also like to get up early :)
the trees seem like beings, gathered together to watch sunrise..
Compliments Christian

Greg1949 (8509) 2008-09-09 5:14

Kristine, you have the eye, this is beautiful and I am sure not easy to capture. The colors are so muted and the focus so crisp that it really defies description, great job.

Greg

bostankorkulugu (33670) 2008-09-09 5:41

such a magical scene, spell-binding indeed kristine... worth waking up that early i think... the trees look like knights dressed in black, riding their black horses to me... am i strange? >:P...

cheers

korkut

wolf38 (12871) 2008-09-09 6:04

Hello Kristine. A wonderful photo. Composition, light, colors etc. are in the best way. Very tendencyful and aesthetically. Best regards, Wolfgang.

Wandering_Dan (3249) 2008-09-09 8:32

Hi, Kristine -

A lovely photo, great mood, and well worth the number of days it took to get it. It looks a little tilted, though.

Actually, that's mist, not fog, rising from the water. Either way, it's not east to capture. Nice job!

Best,
Dan

zmey (7260) 2008-09-09 8:49

in short: morning shots do not get any creamier than THIS! :) perfect light and i love the mood, especially since i know what it actually felt like there :))

hugs,
k.

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-09-09 8:53

Absolutely wonderful, Kristine. You are getting pretty scary... he, he!
Perfect timing, perfect exposure, perfect hues. In my books this qualifies as a TOP sunrise, my compliments.
Wish we could have done Yellostone too in our last trip, as I planned, but we had to skip it as it was gonna take us too much out of our way. Oh, well... 4800 km in 3 weeks are OK, I don't complain.
Have a great day, thanks for sharing.
See ya later,
Fulvio.

kyrneucciu (1344) 2008-09-09 11:39

Hi Kristine, the Chinese subtlety of the shades between the various plans gives a magic effect has this scene cheer. JO

lousat (15498) 2008-09-09 15:16

Hi Kristine,i'm fall in love of this pic,there is an incredible atmosphere,the light is fantastic as the colors of sunrise,my best best compliments,top+++++,have a nice day,Luciano

gneufeld (15175) 2008-09-09 18:43

HI Kristine,
Ah, a very nice image showing the cold of the morning with fog and mist over a very chilly river. Good light and an appealing image. TFS. Gerald

Philippe (11775) 2008-09-10 8:14

Hi, Kristine. The early bird catches the worm, some even catch cable releases ;o). You've captured very nice tones here, pastel colours that contrast with the dark silhouettes in the centre of the image. The mirror-like river has also given some nice reflections. Very nice morning mood.
Have a nice day,
Philippe

Waylim (10873) 2008-09-10 9:24

Kristine,
I love how the fog or steam from the warm springs water that feed into the river? I like how it hovering over the water which is soft and pastel like, like cloud, giving that very special misty atmosphere. Wonderful reflection, and the heavy dark cloud. All that early morning is rewarded with such beauty. Thanks you so much for the effort to bring us this shot. I love it.
Thanks
Way

crhieatt (5145) 2008-09-10 12:46

Kristine,
A great mix of low light, high light, sheen and fog. Excellent shot - even better looking with its white surround, Im sure.

I hope that wasn't one of those $$$$ Nikon electronic cable releases!!

Regards
Colin

dareco (17104) 2008-09-10 14:08

Beautiful image! WOW! This is rather breathtaking! The lighting, colors, reflections...everything is just super!! TFS and have a happy day!

gunbud (27951) 2008-09-10 19:10

Hi Kristine,
Wow what a dreamy image you have presented here with the glass like surface of the river catching a striking yet peaceful reflection from the lovely morning sky as the misty fog softens the whole scene in a moment that is rarely seen.
Thanks for rising so early to catch this magical landscape.
Regards, Tom

baba_flies (8017) 2008-09-11 6:12

Hello Kristine! I like this very moment and sometimes I wish it would stay just a little longer when you are almost alone and see the night slowly disappear but I guess we would never remember them so much as we do now, was it not for all the little efforts and losses :) Wonderful the morning fog over the river with some parts shining softly in the first day light. What treat, what an early day, not much of a beauty sleep but I guess this view works much much better than any night cream, I am pretty sure. Beautiful, just beautiful! Barbara.

belido (16603) 2008-09-11 7:27

Hi Kristine,

now I know what Kristaps is talking about. It's a short time of wonderful light combined with the low fog. Lovely composition, I like it very much!
Regards,
Carlos

Giorgio (8716) 2008-09-11 10:35

- Superb composition for this sunrise with amazing colors and light, almost a bichromic effect, the fog on the river is a undeniable plus, well done!
Greetings.
giorgio

deano (178) 2008-09-11 13:57

Great shot, lovely atmosphere and tones. Well composed and taken. TFS.
Dean.

bobocortis (14142) 2008-09-12 4:18

Hello Kristine.
A great capture of a fascinating moment.
I mainly like the trees reflecting themselves in the water.
Well done.
Kind regards.
Bobo.

pboehringer (770) 2008-09-15 8:55

Kristine,
quite "amusing" to read your note regarding your experiences at Yellowstone. My 28-70mm lens fell on the way to Yellowstone and the zoom wasn't working anymore, it jammed at 50mm. My Photobank with all the Grand Tetons (over 1,000 pictures) fell on the floor and were lost and finally my camera D200 fell on the floor while it didn't have any lens attached to it. Luckely enough only the flash broke and not the mirror or the sensor ... can you imagine?! And yet, I agree with you, the trip was worth it!!
Now, I also got up every morning VERY early despite my three kids. I tried to convince them that this is when they will see the animals. It worked partially. At least that is how they got to see a grizzly at Grand Tetons.
Well, now to your shot. I have the impression that I know exactly were you took this picture. Sounds quite weird, but I have shots of the same group of trees, but without this mood that you got. That is wonderful, exactly the type of thing that you get when being disciplined and getting up at 4am. Absolutely beautiful to see the fog creeping through the colorful atmosphere.
Peter

Floydian (30970) 2008-09-15 10:36

Dear Kristine,

Browse all the way back when you came here, you see the great improvent you made? The colours were wlays deep and intense, just as the creative pov, but i look mostly at the technical side...big big big improvements..!!!

Great view here, great mood and wonderful exposed and presented. That fog lying over the river, the trees, the warm glow of light in the sky, it all works wonderful in this image. Getting up early was a right thing to do.
Second right thing to do was your switch to the RAW format....very wise girl ;-)

From now on you are in my list, means you have to work to stay there ;-)))

Take care, Henk

clio (22813) 2008-09-15 14:06

Bonsoir Kristine,
Few colors but so nuances!
The atmosphere is extraordinary: clouds mix in the water, two worlds contact, only trees are lead and give rhythm to the space.
Fantastic, bravo!
Diane

Crosman (113) 2008-09-17 9:59 [Comment]

Show Comment

dkeus31 (26216) 2008-09-21 11:49

Hi Kristine
very nice light indeed, the reddish colors beeing great, also the light and the refleciotn
regards
didier

Angshu (33737) 2008-09-22 20:37

Hello Kristine
I am at a loss of words really! This is a 'painting' of a photograph. The early morning light, really early I mean is absolutely delightful. The pink in the sky, it's reflection on the water is enhanced by the mist which rises from the water. Positioning of the strip of land with the silhouetted trees is perfect. A lesson for me in landscape photography Kristine. I’m putting this into my favs. to have long looks at it in my effort to learn.
Best Regards
Angshu

wishlist (4133) 2008-09-23 7:27

Hi Kristine,
after all you've been through with all the things lost broken and forgotten this is a great prize for your dedication and your talent. Simply wonderful this misty atmopsheric picture, with the steam or fog covering the water and adding a special bonus point to the compo. Amazing the gradient and shades of the sky with the line of tree so well standing out..the minimalist approach is defenetely the winner card here and you delivered a stunning result. My compliments.
Regards,

Igor

JorgeCK (2596) 2008-09-29 19:42

Lovely shot, love the nice soft colors mix with the darkness of the night and the fog floating over the Yellowstone river is like a beautiful dream.
Bravo Kristina
joRge

pticaruh (276) 2008-10-02 9:10

Hello, Kristine

Fascinating morning shot, it really invokes a dreamy mood. Congrats for your patience!

Asparuh

Merline (6578) 2008-10-03 19:10

Such a harmony, Kristine, such a beauty captured masterfully. Everything is fine tuned, wonders of nature shown with tender eye. Love the blue and pink tonalities, the softness of that misty morning you enhanced with the long exposure, you got your reward for all the dedication ! Superb. I am impressed by the view and by your technical skills.. And you write so well too, I had a good laugh, sorry about your predicament, but:)))

Enjoy your weekend, despite the overwork...!
Kind regards
Michèle