Red light, yellow light: Cleman Mountain (really just a hill compared to the neighboring volcanoes :sm02:) is about 20 miles NW of Yakima. In autumn and winter there is often a...

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Cleman Mountain (really just a hill compared to the neighboring volcanoes

) is about 20 miles NW of Yakima. In autumn and winter there is often a spectacular display as it catches the first rays of sunrise from the southeast. Yakima is located at 46.6 degrees latitude, so the low angle of sun from late autumn to early spring is markedly different from summer's harsh glare.

These fleeting moments of color are all the more special when there is just a sliver of light against a dark sky, as #1 shows below.

#1 - October 2016 with Canon T3i, Canon EF-S 18-135 mm lens.
#2 - December 2015 same gear. Cleman Mountain is in the far distance on the left.

Shot in raw, edited in PS Elements and Nik Color Efex. Your impressions and suggestions are welcomed.

(Download)

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Linda From Maine wrote:

Cleman Mountain (really just a hill compared to th... (show quote)

Peace and quiet with a bit of an edge. I like them. In the first the dark clouds add a somber feel and in the second the snow and ice.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

dsmeltz wrote:

Peace and quiet with a bit of an edge. I like them. In the first the dark clouds add a somber feel and in the second the snow and ice.

Appreciate your taking a look. Quality and color of light will be mentioned often in this forum, I'm sure

blackest Loc: Ireland

Linda From Maine wrote:

Cleman Mountain (really just a hill compared to th... (show quote)

Spectacular, you really have an eye for light.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

blackest wrote:

Spectacular, you really have an eye for light.

Thanks so much! You probably wouldn't be surprised - given our conversations in other topics this morning - that I learned to see the light when taking a year-long black and white photography class. It also helps if you enjoy getting up before dawn

blackest Loc: Ireland

Linda From Maine wrote:

Thanks so much! You probably wouldn't be surprised - given our conversations in other topics this morning - that I learned to see the light when taking a year-long black and white photography class. It also helps if you enjoy getting up before dawn

You might not be surprised that i used nocturne to switch from color to black & white. Those 2 photos look superb both ways.
I've attached the free program to this post, it's like a little lightswitch for the mac runs from the menu bar and makes it so easy to see the tonal qualities (even works for video).

Nocturne.zip
Attached file:
(Download)

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

blackest wrote:

You might not be surprised that i used nocturne to switch from color to black & white. Those 2 photos look superb both ways.
I've attached the free program to this post, it's like a little lightswitch for the mac runs from the menu bar and makes it so easy to see the tonal qualities (even works for video).

Sounds like a very instructive tool to have at hand. Thanks again!

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Very nice, Linda.
Are the fields in the foreground irrigated, in photograph #1?

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

RichardTaylor wrote:

Very nice, Linda.
Are the fields in the foreground irrigated, in photograph #1?

Thanks, Richard! Yes, they are. If you squint you can see the apparatus with large wheels back near the line of homes on the left. I don't recall a specific crop there, though

Might be grazing land for cattle.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Linda, I love the colour on that hill. It's beautiful. I don't know what you cropped out to make the pano format, but what you left in is certainly frame worthy. The second leaves me cold! Really! That's a lot of white stuff there. It's very pretty and it's technically wonderful. But I'm a desert rat. We do warm.

Oh. My bias is showing! Oops.

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

I like both these shots Linda, and the way you’ve processed them. Highly suitable and a great way to kick-off in this new section.
All credit to RG for getting stuck in - he’s certainly amongst the best in genre from our other mutual section. I look forward to rekindling my interest in land and seascapes.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

AzPicLady wrote:

Linda, I love the colour on that hill. It's beautiful. I don't know what you cropped out to make the pano format, but what you left in is certainly frame worthy. The second leaves me cold! Really! That's a lot of white stuff there. It's very pretty and it's technically wonderful. But I'm a desert rat. We do warm.

Oh. My bias is showing! Oops.

Thanks so much, Kathy. A bit of foreground was cropped + some sky. I'm usually resistant to cutting back my "big skies" but in this case I agreed with the UHH'ers sitting on my shoulder. I understand your feelings about #2; that was a challenging bitter-cold and icy winter. I do enjoy four seasons but in moderation

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

magnetoman wrote:

I like both these shots Linda, and the way you’ve processed them. Highly suitable and a great way to kick-off in this new section.
All credit to RG for getting stuck in - he’s certainly amongst the best in genre from our other mutual section. I look forward to rekindling my interest in land and seascapes.

Thanks very much, Dave! Yes, credit to R.G. and the other two moderators, rgrenaderphoto and blackest. Without volunteers, there are no specialty forums!

debbie wrazen Loc: Western New York

blackest wrote:

Spectacular, you really have an eye for light.

Agree. I love the vantage point from which you shot no.#2- lots of foreground to lead the eye toward the background.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

debbie wrazen wrote:

Agree. I love the vantage point from which you shot no.#2- lots of foreground to lead the eye toward the background.

Thanks very much for your feedback, Debbie!