Some days Mother Nature presents you with unexpected gifts.
This was one of those days. An early autumn snow and bitterly cold temperatures
hit the Canadian Rockies, bringing great photographic conditions.
There was just enough snow to dust the tall evergreen trees
and to define the ridges and valleys of the high peaks. The swirling clouds
added the final dramatic touch.
With all the elements there, it was just a question of finding
a good composition. The oblique angle of the near mountain became the main
graphic element, punctuated by the pointed peak behind it, and balanced by the
rounded mountain on the right side of the image. The vertical trees in the
foreground added a touch of life and scale to the scene.
This image worked better as a black-and-white rather than
color. Black-and-white allows the subtle tonalities to show, and provides a
timeless look. It is reminiscent in some ways of images made by Ansel Adams and
other masters of black-and-white. Not that I am in their league by any means,
but it is a nice look to emulate when possible.
Stripping away the color allows you to see texture and
detail more clearly. While color is great in many circumstances, when you remove
color, a completely different image greets you. Your mind no longer has to
process the color information and you can concentrate more fully on the shapes,
tonal variations, sizes, and all the other elements that combine to make up the
image.
TECHNICAL DATA
Shutter Speed 1/500 sec.
Aperture f/14. ISO 400. Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS, set at
98mm. Camera: Canon 5D Mark III. Handheld.
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