High and Dry
This weekend was marked by heavy cloud cover in our area which made for some great daytime shooting. What made it better, for me anyway, was the high winds that set in on Sunday afternoon. After spending the morning shooting streams in the mountains I decided to close out the day with some long exposure shooting by the lake.
I’ve had a shot like this in mind since I bought my filter kit several months ago but the right circumstances of weather and opportunity had not presented themselves. The winds were producing some really fast moving clouds but none of the chop on the water that usually goes with them. I decided to concentrate my shots around this tower that sits adjacent to South Holston Dam.
The tower’s harsh concrete facade is a stark contrast to the natural elements that surround it. The motion of the water and clouds add yet another layer of contrast against a very stationary and stoic object.
The out of camera image had much more detail in the clouds beneath the connecting bridge but I felt it was too distracting and decided to let it wash out during processing. As most of you will know, this is a very different kind of image from what I normally produce but it is a format that I would like to explore further. I would very much like to hear any feedback or suggestions that you wish to share!
Gear: Canon 60D
Settings: 18mm, ISO100, f/16, 20 seconds
Processing: Adobe Lightroom 3
Wonderful Mono Curt. It works perfectly. Great POV also… Looks like you were hovering when you shot it
Adam Allegro recently posted..Winter Wonderland at Blue Hour
Great processing Curt! There are many elements to this image which my eye kept returning to – firstly, the ‘cloud burst’ behind the concrete tower, secondly, the swirl of the water around the tower base, and thirdly the balance of the two leading lines aiming at the tower (the branch in the water and the gantry to the tower).
Mark Summerfield recently posted..Gunston Hall, Home of George Mason, Mason Neck, Virginia
Love the motion in the water Curt! Great shot!
Adam Olson recently posted..Painted Arch
Super piece!
Eden recently posted..You Know You Need Photoshop Intervention When…
Really liking this shot Curt. The long exposure and B&W processing work so well together.
Steven Perlmutter recently posted..Famous Shack
Wonderfully composed and processed Curt. Nice exposure.
Len Saltiel recently posted..Mosaic Reflections
This works very well in b&w. Great job with the processing.
Marc Collins recently posted..Dancing Girls
A neatly balanced composition – that small branch is the perfect counter balance to the beam that links to the tower. The flared clouds are a great fill to the sky. I really like this, Curt
LensScaper recently posted..The Chamonix Aiguilles
Digging the processing here.
Really digging this image, Curt. Reminds me of one I’ve yet to process. I always find these scenes with minimal man-made objects amongst nature to be very interesting. Your processing on this is outstanding, man. You should do more of these. Nice work!
Jimi Jones recently posted..Sunrise Services
Great shot Curt. Perfect for B&W and love the POV.
Edith Levy recently posted..The Western Wall
Great image, love the tones and especially like the branch in the water pointing at the tower and mirroring the concrete above.
Chris Maskell recently posted..Plan to Succeed (and you will)
Excellent shot Curt…Love the water swirling around the base of this structure!
Andy Gimino recently posted..Why Did I Shoot That? 7/16/2011
Really like your processing on this one Curt, almost has an abstract/surreal look to it.
Dave DiCello recently posted..Stormy skyline
Wow, very, very nice picture!