Moderator: Greg Downing

All times are UTC-05:00

  
« Previous topic | Next topic »  
Reply to topic  
 First unread post  | 27 posts | 
by alibenn on Wed Nov 28, 2012 10:49 pm
User avatar
alibenn
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8044
Joined: 9 Aug 2004
Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland
Member #:00341
Congratulations! This is the Image of the Week selection for the Landscapes Gallery, week ending 30th November, 2012!
Image
Hi all,

From my office in Yunnan looking across at our 5500m mountain out back, Iceland suddenly feels a long time ago. I travelled on my own, occasionally meeting up with others, but mostly relishing time by myself to reflect, learn, experiment and generally have a good old time. I slept in the back of the 4x4 for 5 weeks, allowing me to "be" where I wanted to "be" in the dead of night - my favorite time for making images.

I was very fortunate with plenty of aurora while I was there, and this was another shot I had visualized even before I had left China.

I decided on Black and White as I find myself getting a little tired of classic color shots of the northern lights. Rarely do the images accurately capture the colors of emotions of the event. Also, this is a busy composition, and by stripping the garish palette away, I feel I have been able to present a more elegant and coherent composition.

I have also added a free 13 page Sample of my eBook - Seeing the Unseen - How to Photograph Landscapes at Night.

D800E 14-24/2.8
Alister Benn
Artist, Educator & Guide
Available Light Images Ltd.
Photography & Processing Workshops in Scotland, Spain, China & Tibet


Last edited by alibenn on Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 

by SantaFeJoe on Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:02 pm
User avatar
SantaFeJoe
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8622
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Location: Somewhere Out In The Wilds
A very surreal scene! I love the B&W treatment! A dreamy shot! I would love to see the color version, as well.

SFJ
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by John Labrenz on Thu Nov 29, 2012 12:38 am
User avatar
John Labrenz
Moderator
Posts: 17071
Joined: 13 Nov 2008
Location: Canada
Member #:01304
I think that this may be the first B&W aurora image I have seen!
By pushing the boundaries to find new ways to present, you have produced a magical scene here Alister.
I love how the water is balanced by the aurora....love it!
 

by SteveShuey on Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:54 am
SteveShuey
Lifetime Member
Posts: 397
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Member #:01479
This is simply amazing. Well, actually I guess not so simple. Great idea to put in BW. Gives it an otherworldly feel. Stunning shot!
Steve Shuey
"Do or do not, there is no try" Yoda
 

by akclimber on Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:59 am
User avatar
akclimber
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2383
Joined: 2 Dec 2003
Location: Juneau, Alaska
Um, I absolutely love this photo! Terrific comp, balance of elements and tones as well as a great use of B&W for a different kind of aurora-scape. I've played around with B&W aurora treatments but have had no real success. I'm very impressed and very inspired.

Cheers!
Joe McCabe
Juneau, Alaska
------------------
 

by Luzestelar on Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:23 am
User avatar
Luzestelar
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1351
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Location: Asturias. Spain
You have here another master class image, love it the B&W processed. Un abrazo amigo
Jose Fernandez
Web: http://josefernandezgarcia.com
 

by Kyle McDougall on Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:20 am
User avatar
Kyle McDougall
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1732
Joined: 28 Mar 2011
Location: Muskoka, Ontario
Just an absolutely stunning image Alister! The B/W treatment works so incredibly well and is a very nice change. There are so many great elements in the composition that come together in harmony, well done!
Kyle McDougall - Canadian Landscape Photographer
Website: http://www.kylemcdougallphoto.com/
Photography Blog: http://www.kylemcdougallphoto.com/blog
 

by night86mare on Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:53 am
night86mare
Forum Contributor
Posts: 4281
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
Location: Singapore
Absolutely magical. I feel in love with this the moment I saw the thumbnail on Flickr. :lol:
WK
Gallery | FB | 500px

"We photograph to drive things out of our minds."
 

by Kari Post on Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:44 am
User avatar
Kari Post
Forum Contributor
Posts: 7947
Joined: 13 Dec 2005
Location: New Hampshire
Member #:00959
I like the darkness of this. It adds some mystery and totally works with this image. The brighter areas are balanced well throughout the composition and help this flow and prevent it from being too dark. Well done Alister!
Kari Post, former NSN Editor 2009-2013
Check out my Website and Instagram
 

by Mark Walrod on Thu Nov 29, 2012 12:42 pm
Mark Walrod
Forum Contributor
Posts: 195
Joined: 1 Jan 2007
Location: Phoenix, AZ
A stunning image! With all the recent images from Iceland, I'd say it's now at the top of my list.

Mark
 

by Wade Thorson on Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:58 pm
User avatar
Wade Thorson
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1536
Joined: 8 Apr 2010
Location: Flagstaff, Arizona
Brilliant, and nice conversion. I too, would like to see the color version ( I like eye candy as much as the next guy). Just a thought, you might consider a selective coloring of the auroa, it would emphasize that they're not just clouds. I like how there is detail seen throughout.
"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
                 -Shakespeare Troilus and Cressida


Alpine Imaging | Wade Thorson Photography
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:13 pm
User avatar
E.J. Peiker
Senior Technical Editor
Posts: 86761
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Location: Arizona
Member #:00002
This is so cool. It's the foreground - or the land based part of this image that makes it great.
 

by Glenn NK on Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:41 am
User avatar
Glenn NK
Lifetime Member
Posts: 1879
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Member #:01120
A whole new take on Aurora Borealis - very otherworldly. Foreboding actually.

A bold concept that works very well - completely out of the box.

Glenn
Economics:  the study of achieving infinite growth with finite resources.
 

by joergbonner on Fri Nov 30, 2012 5:12 am
User avatar
joergbonner
Forum Contributor
Posts: 390
Joined: 16 May 2011
Location: Vienna, Austria
exceptional image, alister! sweet comp and light! i've seen hundreds of images of kirkjufell and the waterfall (all of which basically looking the same - mine too ;) ), but this is one of a few including the aurora borealis. you chose to take it even one step further and went the b&w route - a very good choice!!

cheers,
joerg
Joerg Bonner

N E W   W E B S I T E
www.joergbonner.net
 

by alibenn on Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:07 am
User avatar
alibenn
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8044
Joined: 9 Aug 2004
Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland
Member #:00341
joergbonner wrote:exceptional image, alister! sweet comp and light! i've seen hundreds of images of kirkjufell and the waterfall (all of which basically looking the same - mine too ;) ), but this is one of a few including the aurora borealis. you chose to take it even one step further and went the b&w route - a very good choice!!

cheers,
joerg
Thanks mate, means a lot coming from you. best wishes.
Alister Benn
Artist, Educator & Guide
Available Light Images Ltd.
Photography & Processing Workshops in Scotland, Spain, China & Tibet
 

by kahkityoong on Fri Nov 30, 2012 7:29 am
kahkityoong
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1781
Joined: 29 Oct 2007
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Space age. I've seen heaps from here some with very good aurora too. Kudos for doing the not so obvious and dispensing with what would seem to be the most appealing factor - colour.
Website : www.magichourtravelscapes.com
Blog : www.magichourunplugged.com
 

by jfarmer on Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:10 am
User avatar
jfarmer
Forum Contributor
Posts: 982
Joined: 2 Jan 2007
Location: southern CA
Really outstanding. This image draws me in!
Jon
 

by tchuanye on Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:46 am
tchuanye
Forum Contributor
Posts: 207
Joined: 22 Jan 2009
Location: Singapore
Really surreal feel in this pic! Excellent composition!
My Photo Website: [url]http://tchuanye.smugmug.com/Photography/Portfolio[/url]
 

by steve mackay on Fri Nov 30, 2012 3:22 pm
steve mackay
Forum Contributor
Posts: 4725
Joined: 20 Sep 2008
Location: kent, England
An absolutely wonderful image alister!, as someone who has not even witnessed the aurora before, I would love to see the colour version too......but you've probably heard that boring stuff somewhere before? :)
Your composition and just shear amount of interesting and balanced things going on here are superb, same for your ideal punchy B/W conversion........WOW!
[url=http://www2.clikpic.com/mackay123/index.html][color=#000000]Steve Mackay Photography[/color][/url]
 

by Luzestelar on Sun Dec 02, 2012 4:12 am
User avatar
Luzestelar
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1351
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Location: Asturias. Spain
Congratulations Alister, this image is very very good. Un abrazo
Jose Fernandez
Web: http://josefernandezgarcia.com
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by:  
27 posts | 
  

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group