Photographer's Note
This is a photo of the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone’s Middle Geyser Basin. It’s absolutely unbelievable and very unique. I have never seen anything like it. It’s 250x380 feet and is 160 feet deep. In the center of the pool the water is 87° C (188° F)—too hot to support life. In the cooler water along the edges of the pool, however, colonies of thermophilic (heat-loving) cyano-bacteria and algae thrive. Yellow, orange, and red pigments are produced by the bacteria as a natural sunscreen. As a result, the pool displays a spectrum of colors from the bright blue of the center to the orange, red, and brown algal mats along the edges.
The best view of this spring is from the air where you can fully see all of the colors and how large it actually is.
In the background of the image you can see one of the many hillsides that burned in the 1988 forest fire that devastated much of Yellowstone.
Emiel_Skyfreak, Michiel, MikiM, gabrielpat, vilius, Dragonheart, raman, fijiphil has marked this note useful
Critiques | Translate
AthaPan
(0) 2006-09-27 13:56
Hi Brian
Excellent pov and nice scenery you captured here,
the composition is fine and the sharpness well balanced.
Cheers
sakis
leo61
(0) 2006-09-27 14:02
Hi Brian!
Great shot,looks like taken in a foreign galaxy.Good composition with this nice colored foreground and the staem and hills in the background.Verry nice orange color and nice details.
Regards,Leo
vilius
(642) 2006-09-27 14:20
Unusual orange color and fractal geometry pattern makes it a science fiction scene. Good sharpness, rich colors and separation of dark hills by a strip of steaming water. Blue sky perfectly complements bright orange color. Nice shot! Cheers - Vilius
gibbsy
(1438) 2006-09-27 15:05
Having just posted an image with similar colours and on the same page as yours I was really drawn to it. Quite beautiful.
Emiel_Skyfreak
(3002) 2006-09-27 15:37
Great shot, excellent colours. Great details inside the spring aswell. Good composition, the steam is very nice too.
Good informative note..however I thought there were few bacteria that can easily survive 87° C (and even pH 1 or 0) , but maybe just not in this place..it's indeed to hot to support most life.
TFS your photo and information about the scene.
Michiel
(91) 2006-09-27 16:21
I want to visit Yellowstone...badly....this picture helps :)
Only thing i could mention is maybe level the horizon, or is it the wide angle distortion?
Danzi
(2461) 2006-09-28 1:53
Fantastic shot Brian!
Your shot is really powerful! The strong contrast between the blue sky orange geyser and dark burned hill. You've created an extremaly mysterious atmosphere!
I enjoy it a lot and thanks for sharing!
*Denis
MikiM
(1924) 2006-09-28 3:30
Hi Brian,
Amazing shot from this breath-taking place. Good compo with perfect DOF. I like this colors very much with the transparency of the water.
Very well done!
Miklós
gabrielpat
(7163) 2006-09-28 16:03
hi brian,
interesting shot that remember me my trip to usa in 1979!I loved this park ,i saw it in winter,it was beautifull,full of snow!
very sorry for the destruction,i did not know,i hope trees will grow again,but it will take many years.good shot and note.TFS.
Dragonheart
(8434) 2006-09-29 15:36
Hello Brian,
Excellent capture, I too have never seen anything like this before. The colour of the pool is unbelivable, very good POV and composition. Good sharpness.
Well done
Thanks for sharing
Best regards
Vivek
nmess
(2301) 2007-02-20 23:44
Hey Brian.. another interesting perspective of the spring. I posted a similar one here shortly after joining. I it is interesting how the colors change as the waters cool while they exit the springk, as well as change with the seasons. The horizon is a little tilted here, but otherwise a nice image.
fijiphil
(1355) 2007-07-28 8:50
Hello Brian. Tough to take a bad shot of this place and yours is very good. It seems to have a slight tilt to the right though, I would have corrected that personally. TFS.
Photo Information
-
Copyright: Brian Schwartz (umbrellaphotos)
(1901)
- Genre: Places
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2006-09-01
- Categories: Nature
- Camera: Nikon D200, 12-24mm F4 ED AF-S Zoom Nikkor, B+W Circular Polarizing Filter
- More Photo Info: view
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Travelogue: A Big Circle
- Date Submitted: 2006-09-27 13:28