Those are both fantastic, but I really like the first one. This is a great example of an image I love, and I love seeing captured very well, but I have absolutely ZERO desire to create something similar!
I'm pretty confident I will never see something like this in Southern California. Like it that way
Both of these are terrific Steve... excellent color, sharp detail, and the compositions are really well seen.
I also like the fact that these are both single exposure images. Excellent work, and a real pleasure to view.
In looking at the EXIF data for both images, I was wondering if these were taken with the 16-35 f/4 VR?
Wow stunning work. Other worldly. I do wonder about turning down the brightness a bit of the lighthouse in the second image. Both amazing and very memorable. I believe I'll remember seeing these for a long time to come.
Steve Perry wrote:
It’s been awhile since I posted in the landscape forum, but I wanted to share these two images I captured last month.
These were taken on a Friday - a Friday I wasn’t really planning to go anywhere. I was messing around on my computer when I saw a recent photo of this particular lighthouse taken only a couple days earlier. Since the weather had been below freezing the entire time, and this was an image I had wanted for awhile now, I decided to drop everything and take the three hour drive and see what would happen.
As it turned out, the ice was still intact. I was amazingly lucky with both shots.
In the first, the cloud you see was VERY transitory. It only looked like that for a few minutes and it happened just as the light became perfect! I couldn’t believe my luck - quite a few photographers had shown up and I had staked out a spot at the far right. No way to move once the light got good, but had I been over just a few feet to the right I wouldn’t have captured the cloud in its entirety. (A foot to the left I’d have been swimming!)
For the night shot, a small group of us went back. I stayed a little later and was lucky enough that all the clouds cleared. The lighthouse illuminated the area perfectly.
Both images are single shots - no photoshop trickery or fancy blends. Comments welcome and appreciated. Thanks!...Show more →
Thanks so much for the kind words everyone! I really appreciate all the comments and feedback
@Jim / wisetioga / loran - Thanks so much for the suggestion. I played with it a little and I’m going to try some adjustments. I was hoping to post the reworked image with this message, but I just haven’t had a chance to mess with it. I’ll get a revised version up soon. Thanks!!!!!!!
@douter - Thanks - This is in St Joseph MI, and yes, the nav light provided the illumination. I was really surprised how bight it was - it’s a flashing light, so through most of the exposure, it’s actually off!
@Chaz - Thanks - No spikes on the tripod (wish I had) but I had YakStraps on the boots!! It was super slick.
@dbehrens - Thanks - That first pic was one of my luckiest ever. It is almost too good to be true - I was actually muttering something along those lines as I was shooting it - just couldn’t believe it. Had that cloud formed a little before or after, I’ll admit I wouldn’t have been above a little PS work to make happen, but no need. One shot was all it took. I wish I would have thought of that F/16 idea when I was down there at night - dang it! Something for next time I guess!
@ chupacabra31 - Most of the time when I decide to photograph something I have to go back over and over - I was REALLY lucky this time!
@Kirkb - Thanks - Actually, the first was my 28mm 1.8G and the second was my 14-24 @17mm.
I have seen shots like this of this lighthouse before, but I believe these are the most beautiful and excellent of any I've seen. Just no words will come to me that convey sufficiently. A jawdropping "wow" on these.
Fred
Most of the time when I decide to photograph something I have to go back over and over - I was REALLY lucky this time!