Foggy Day in Yosemite

CWSkopec

It's been a while since I've posted anything (mainly because I'm horribly behind on actually processing anything) but here's a few from a foggy morning at Tunnel View back in December.

All of these were processed in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, which is still pretty foreign to me, so any C&C are much appreciated!

1| The Grand Vista:

This one was the most work, it is 6 vertical frames, 2 images (one over exposed/one underexposed) per frame combined with LR/Enfuse, then processed in Nik and finally stitched to a panorama in Photoshop. Lots of processing, but it could be printed HUGE if I ever get around to printing any of my own work. :wink

Once I had captured the "Grand Vista" I tried searching with my telephoto lens for smaller scenes within it:

2| Bridalveil Pours into the Clouds


3| Then it was time to start focusing on the fog drifting through the trees. The patterns were quickly changing and I shot way too many frames of this. I'm still not sure I've identified/processed the best of them. This one is only 1 frame, but I liked the panorama style crop on it.


4|


5| I added a little warmth to this one (because I just learned how in Silver Efex) so I know it stands out a little from the series, but a little experimenting never hurt anyone!


Thanks for looking!

dlplumer

Really liking #2, Chris, but they are all cool shots.

R.Jay

No 1 is the winner for me - very good use of B&W.

Cheers, Richard.

CWSkopec

dlplumer wrote: »

Really liking #2, Chris, but they are all cool shots.

Thank you, Dan! It was really fascinating to watch how the clouds of fog interacted with the various elements of Yosemite Valley that have become so iconic. I'm sure plenty of other folks have shot Yosemite in the fog, but I enjoyed seeing the Valley in a new way (to me)!

R.Jay wrote: »

No 1 is the winner for me - very good use of B&W.

Cheers, Richard.

Thank you, Richard! I've never felt extremely confident in my B&W conversion competence, but I felt the scene here dictated that I convert these image. Plus, I'm really enjoying playing with Silver Efex 2.

kdog

Pretty awesome stuff, Chris. You really ought to print that pano LARGE. I'll bet it would be spectacular.

WernerG

I really like the tree patterns. Very nicely done.

FlyNavy

Wow! Excellent work.

shniks

These are really good. The use of B&W was a great idea. Nicely done.



Cheers,

anwmn1

Chris- these are all really good! 1, 3, and 4 are my favorites! Love shooting in conditions like this!!

CWSkopec

kdog wrote: »

Pretty awesome stuff, Chris. You really ought to print that pano LARGE. I'll bet it would be spectacular.

Thank you, Joel! I imagine the bigger I print that pano, the better it might look... I just don't know if I have a wall that's big enough to hang it huge. Time to start knocking down interior walls!

WernerG wrote: »

I really like the tree patterns. Very nicely done.

Thank you, Werner! It was awesome watching the fog move and create different patterns through the trees. I took way to many frames of just the fog through the trees, but it was hard to stop!

FlyNavy wrote: »

Wow! Excellent work.

Thank you, John!

shniks wrote: »

These are really good. The use of B&W was a great idea. Nicely done.

Thank you, Nikhil! For a long time I was guilty of trying to use B&W to save otherwise uninteresting images, but I've "kind of" come around. I honestly envisioned these as B&W while I was out there and I think it paid off. (plus, "kind of" is in quotes because I still try to do it from time to time! )

Cheers,

anwmn1 wrote: »

Chris- these are all really good! 1, 3, and 4 are my favorites! Love shooting in conditions like this!!

Thank you, Aaron! It was definitely well worth getting out of the house long before dawn so I could get to the valley early enough to see this. As soon as I came into the valley on 140, I hit a dense wall of fog. I have to shame in saying I was giddy with excitement as I raced up to Tunnel View!

Alpha_Plus

Amazing shots! Love the processing work. Great job Chris

David_S85

I'm liking either of the last two fog vs. trees shots. More partial to #4.

The first shot posted is a great shot and timed perfectly with the layered fog. The only thing it may have against it is that same view has been done to death in every weather condition possible. Very nice conversions on all of these.

CWSkopec

Alpha_Plus wrote: »

Amazing shots! Love the processing work. Great job Chris

Thank you, Karl! It's all new to me, but the YouTube tutorials have really gone a long ways towards making me feel more comfortable in converting with Silver Efex!

David_S85 wrote: »

I'm liking either of the last two fog vs. trees shots. More partial to #4.

The first shot posted is a great shot and timed perfectly with the layered fog. The only thing it may have against it is that same view has been done to death in every weather condition possible. Very nice conversions on all of these.

Thank you, David. And truth be told, I was fascinated to see the scene in #1 with my own eyes, but I had that same exact thought that it has been done before. With as many photographers that pass through Tunnel View on a daily basis, I knew the fog wasn't going to be unique to me. Which is what really pushed me to look for the smaller scenes after I had captured my version of the foggy vista.