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Enlightenment

© Varina C. Patel

Enlightenment

Uploaded: September 16, 2007 16:57:20

Description

0.8sec at f14
Glacier National Park was an incredible success for us. We were able to capture some of the most impressive light shows I've ever seen. This is one of them. A few minutes earlier, the rays of the sun began to stream through this little gap in the clouds. At first, the rays were contained to a small area far away on the mountainside. The valley was veiled in mist and lacked the contrast that would make a truly beautiful image. But as the sun dropped towards the horizon, more beams of light escaped from behind the clouds - and the mist filtered and reflected the light to create this ethereal scene.


I used a GND filter to bring down the sky in this image. Shooting into the sun can be disastrous, but with careful processing I was able to recreate the scene in all it's glory.

Exif: Exposure Time: 0.8, Flash: 16, ISO: 100, Camera Model: Canon EOS 20D

Comments

Cathy Laurenzi September 16, 2007

Incredible photo! #739771

Deborah Lewinson level-addict September 16, 2007

Stunningimage, Varina!!! #4799886

Susana Ms Heide September 16, 2007

Varina, the lighting and exposure are truly MAGNIFICIENT!!! #4799903

Rolando Rosito September 16, 2007

Stunning image here, what a show of light as you said. #4799928

Linda M. Mishler September 16, 2007

Varina~ This is an absolutely gorgeous photo! I love the capture of the sunbeams on this and the variance of color is awesome!
Linda =) #4799985

Chuck Bruton level-classic September 16, 2007

It's an "Oh,WOW!" shot, beautiful. #4800034

Lindley Johnson level-classic September 16, 2007

This is stunning, Varina! Glorious light and color with terrific composition - wonderful work! #4800317

Susan M. Campbell September 16, 2007

The lighting is so wonderful...what a gorgeous scene!! #4800707

Tim G. Stout September 17, 2007

Very well done! Absolutely Stunning! #4803269

Karolyn J. Seeley September 20, 2007

wowzer.....great lighting, well captured shot! #4815872

Dennis Walton October 23, 2007

An uplifting photo. Well done! http://www.fdwphotos.com #4966621

Mick Burkey October 23, 2007

As others have said ... Stunning! Great timing on this beautiful image, Varina. I will certainly check out your other shots. Thanks! #4967425

Kay E. Mahoney level-classic November 26, 2007

Congratulations on your finalist. #5131642

Linda M. Mishler November 26, 2007

Again...stunningly gorgeous!! Congrats!! #5131683

Dennis Walton November 27, 2007

I am glad this one made it into the finals. Beautifully done. #5138404

randy dannheim November 27, 2007

Varina, congrats on your second place win - this beautiful. #5139579

Darryl Wilkinson November 27, 2007

Fascinating, indeed! Congratulations on your win, Varina!! #5139853

Lisa J. Boulden level-classic November 27, 2007

Gorgeous WINNER!!!
Congrats!!
--lisa #5140076

Evy Johansen level-classic November 27, 2007

So beautiful! Big congratulations on your win, Varina! #5140142

Varina C. Patel November 28, 2007

I am honored to have been chosen as a winner in this contest. Thanks to all of you for your congratulations and encouragement. I appreciate it enormously. #5142813

Milan Banik November 28, 2007

awesome shot .congratulations #5143029

Tarun Bose November 28, 2007

Big big congrats Varina for your second prize winner. Well done. #5143124

Lynn Haack November 28, 2007

Excellent title for an excellent WINNER! CONGRATS....Lynn #5143862

Amanda Chapman December 01, 2007

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL ♥ #5155524

Sharon Day December 02, 2007

Gorgeous photography, Varina!!! Your scenics are nothing short of amazing! You and Jay do beautiful work! Congratulations on your win! #5158773

Bill Houghton December 04, 2007

This is beautiful work Varina. Congratulations on your win. Bill

Check out my website at:

Bill Houghton Photography
#5169118

Susan Cliett December 05, 2007

Varina, This photo is beautiful, a work of art!! Congratulations! #5171749

Marti de Alva December 05, 2007

Congratulations Varina! This looks like Logan Pass -- always dramatic, never the same. You captured this one beautifully ~ definitely a prize winner!

This image is dramatic proof of the benefits of using a GND filter. I bought one, but have yet to incorporate it into my shooting workflow. Do you make any in-camera adjustments when using it?. How does using a GND filter effect your metering? #5171752

Varina C. Patel December 05, 2007

Thanks for your very kind words, Marti. You are correct - it is Logan Pass. It is not necessary to make in-camera adjustments when shooting with a GND filter. I simply place the filter over the lens and meter the scene as usual. It takes some experience to know which filter to use and when, but it's not difficult once you get the hang of it. I used a .6 soft filter for this shot. It brings down the light by 2 stops at the darkest point, and the density fades slowly. A hard filter would create a harsh line between dark and light areas. You can choose a higher or lower density according to your lighting conditions - and you can overlap filters if necessary.

I hope this helps!

Varina Patel #5171790

Donna La Mattino Pagakis December 05, 2007

Outstanding scenic, great winning image. The lighting is so beautiful. Congratulations on your win and PhotoFlash feature! #5171903

Marti de Alva December 05, 2007

Thank you for your response Varina. I only have one -- and am not even sure I have all I need for using it. (I bought it used somewhere.) But you've inspired me to figure it out.

By the way, I looked at both the images in your gallery here, as well as your website. It would be hard to miss the impact of your experiences at the moments when you are clicking the shutter. Your compositions, feel for the dramatic light, and your skill at rendering that experience are awesome!

Here is a film scan, worked in PS to maximize detail in highlights & shadows. I like it, but look forward to seeing how much more gradations of tone can be found.... #5171912

Brad Mangas December 05, 2007

Varina, this is an absolute Beautiful imagae! One I would be proud to hang on my wall. Congratulations on your Win, very deserving. #5172245

Autum Rhoades December 05, 2007

Beautiful, Varina! This is one of our favorite places to visit. I used to live near there. GREAT work on this! #5172295

Ariel Lepor December 06, 2007

Very beautiful scene. Congratulations! #5177092

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