Frozen Rannoch Moor, nr Glencoe

[janet Smith]

This was taken on my recent trip during an exceptionally cold spell it had been approx -15C the night before and was amazingly cold down at the loch side. I walked down to this spot but couldn't stay too long it was so cold, this was just as the sun started to go down....

5D 50mm f1.4 merge of 2 shots using Photomerge in CS2

 

[Barry Johnston]

Hello Jan,
This is a really beautiful composition with a lovely soft feel to it. I can feel the cold coming through as well and I don't blame you for running inside.... fortunately, it doesn't reach -15 here in Melbourne....

Thanks,
Barry.

 

[janet Smith]

Hi Barry

Thanks for your kind comments, I'm glad you like it, I find it very difficult to evaluate my own work, not sure why.....

I've loads more similar to this but they're all so white, (duh-obviously!) unfortunately the sky was also lacking in colour, it started to snow again not long after these were taken. When I was there, surrounded by this frozen waste it looked absolutely amazing, but I don't feel that it's coming across, isn't it annoying when you don't think you've captured what you saw!

Anyone got an ideas of how I could improve matters......

 

[Georg R. Baumann]

Anyone got an ideas of how I could improve matters......

First, let me say that I really like the quality of light in the picture and of course the surreal frozen structures "walking" from the right to the left over the ice gives it a special interest.

I am the wrong person giving advise on improvements, and I am just thinking out loud, I would have wished the frozen structures to have even more of an impact. I probably would have ended up taken a great deal of angels to find that special shot. I also would have tried exposure bracketing on that scene and see what comes out.

As a result, when I come back from shooting, I often look like a warthog, covered in mud. LOL I made a point of having waterproof gear on me, and often lay flat on the ground in search of composition.

I really like that shot Jan!

 

[janet Smith]

I probably would have ended up taken a great deal of angels to find that special shot. I also would have tried exposure bracketing on that scene and see what comes out.

As a result, when I come back from shooting, I often look like a warthog, covered in mud. LOL I made a point of having waterproof gear on me, and often lay flat on the ground in search of composition

Hi Georg

Thank you, I did everything that you suggested, Rannoch Moor is a massive area of wetland/peat bog which was frozen following torrential rain, the bog is very deep! Yes I did try to walk around and ended up putting my foot through the ice, freezing water over the top of my boots, soaked frozen foot!! and yes I did lay in the snow/ice got covered/frozen etc etc (mad!) Had to go back to the car, I had on so many layers of thermals, topped with waterproofs, hikers and gaiters, that I looked like a yeti but who cares!!

Anyway, I'll carry on wading through the photos trying to find the best ones, I took them with apertures from some handheld at f1.4 through to tripod mounted at f20 (and everything inbetween) with varying degrees of exposure compensation applied. I think I tried everything I could at the scene, it was more ways of enhancing the texture I was looking for.

I'll continue working on them, will post more if I get any better or get stuck! Thanks for your input.

 

[ron_hiner]

Jan -- I love the shot too!

The one thing I would try to do in this situation (after just plain old survival in the cold) -- is to try to reduce the exposure of the mountains and the sky.

There are at least three ways I can think of to do that..

- carry with you a split ND filter -- a 4x8" variety and just hold in front of the lens
- shoot a bracketed series and merge the images in photoshop -- there are at three ways to do this!
- do psuedo brackeing -- shoot one frame in raw, then make serveral conversions at different exposusers in your raw conversion program, merge them in photoshop.

The shot is great all by itself... so I'd be inclined not to mess with anything.

I don't know photomerge... does it do this sort of thing? Or is it for making panos?


Ron

 

[janet Smith]

Hi Ron

Thank you, funny that others seem to like it but I'm not too pleased with it, must be because I was there and I know how magical it really looked! Anyway thank you very much for your kind comments.

I had a square ND gradient just about permanently on the lens, the winter sun is so harsh especially on the snow. Yes photomerge is for making panos, I may try using a merge of two or three different exposures as you suggest, I've just started working with them, I'm hoping I'll be able to improve on this, thanks for the suggestions.

I'll probably spend hours and hours working on them and then decide to go with the original, such is life!!

 

[ron_hiner]

Jan -- I'm feeling what you are feeling! Of all the different kinds of pictures I take, I am most critical of my own landscapes. In my case, the never seem to capture the feeling of the place.

I try to think of them as portraits.... with a human subject, the focal point of most of my successful portraits is the eye -- get the eyes right, and everything else will be just fine.

I wish I had the landscape equivalent of the eye... I don't. Perhaps that's why I'm so critical of my own. The best I can hope for at the moment is technical proficiency.

Ron

 

[Alan Rew]

Hello Janet,

I like the composition, and the light. I also like the way that the frozen strands of grass, when bent over, make little 'mountain' shapes that echo the mountain in the background. The bitter cold you experienced was worth the effort!

This location is called 'Lochan na h-Achlaise' but don't ask me how to pronounce it

I visited this location in February 2005, on a landscape photography workshop with Light and Land, led by David Ward (whose blog is worth reading BTW), and although the weather wasn't ideal (grey & wet instead of white and dry) the Glen Coe area offers varied and interesting opportunities.

Please post more of your images.

Alan

 

[janet Smith]

Hello Janet,

I like the composition, and the light. I also like the way that the frozen strands of grass, when bent over, make little 'mountain' shapes that echo the mountain in the background. The bitter cold you experienced was worth the effort!

This location is called 'Lochan na h-Achlaise' but don't ask me how to pronounce it

Hi Alan

Than you for your comments, yes it was definately worth enduring the freezing conditions, we were also in Glen Etive in about -8 at dusk, I got shots of Buachille Etive Mhor covered in snow, tinged with pink, there are more from the area on my website if you'd like to look, I created several very large panoramas, but the size restrictions on my website means that I am not able to show them adequately. As to pronouncing the name of the loch, like you it's one I'm never sure of but I think its pronouned 'Lochan n'achlish'

I'll take a look at David Wards site, thank you, here are a few more....

Pap of Glencoe over Loch Leven from near Kinlochleven.

Glencoe Lochan

Glen Etive

I came back with loads of work, still going through them, I have some taken at dawn across Loch Leven the light was very difficult though, the sun was intense behind the mountains creating a halo effect around them, I must try to find time in the next week or two to finish processing them.

 

[Alan Rew]

Thanks for the extra images, Janet - you had some lovely light on your trip. I'll look at your web site.

I'll take a look at David Wards site

Do look at his linked Picasa Web Album as well - David is a very talented landscape photographer who is not very well known outside the UK, having been somewhat reluctant to invest effort in marketing himself.

Some of his minimalist compositions remind me of Michael Kenna's work, but in colour instead of B&W.

Regards,

Alan

 

[janet Smith]

you had some lovely light on your trip.

Hi Alan

We were very lucky to have such wonderful weather, we had snow, ice, incredible frosts, bright sunshine, torrential rain, gales one night, more or less everything that could happen happened! We've several more trips planned to Scotland over the coming months, taking in the Gairloch, Poolewe, Applecross, Isle of Skye, Isle of Harris and possibly Glencoe again later in the year, so fingers crossed for more good light! I had a look at David's site he has some lovely work.....