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4 A.M. Rising

Posted by
john4jack (Corvallis, Oregon, United States) on 22 June 2010 in Landscape & Rural and Portfolio.

We got up at 4 a.m. in the hope of catching a fabulous sunrise looking up the Gorge. No sunrise, but not bad. (This was a 5 shot bracket processed in HDR. Somehow my camera got accidentally set to jpg, but it seemed to work out fine.)

NIKON D700 1/60 second F/8.0 ISO 200 130 mm (35mm equiv.)

Michael Rawluk from Williams Lake, BC, Canada

Seems a little fuzzy but a very nice landscape.

22 Jun 2010 5:18am

@Michael Rawluk: You're right. I went back and gave it a bit of increase in structure and sharpening, but I think that the fact that the shots were jpgs might have affected the HDR engine. You might go back and take a look. It's better but still not worth a print.

Marie LC from Dauphiné, France

That it is beautiful! !

22 Jun 2010 5:22am

Magda from Vancouver, Canada

Wow! Spectacular light! And what a view! Magnificent

22 Jun 2010 5:59am

Dulcie from Danville, CA, United States

Yeah, well anything would look a little fuzzy at 4:00 a.m. in the morning...
you are a dedicated photographer, Jack.
I LOVE this scene I've been there, seen that, was born not too far away. Fabulous soft rendition.

22 Jun 2010 6:01am

@Dulcie: I went back and sharpened it up a bit.

Manola from Bassens, France

Grand ...wonderful colors in this region;-)))

22 Jun 2010 6:07am

Paco Díaz from Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Very beautiful view, I like very mucht his landscape!

22 Jun 2010 6:43am

ghasedak from mashhad, Iran

I love this color. Very nice

22 Jun 2010 7:03am

Linerberry from Christchurch, New Zealand

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would have this on my wall and drift into it every time I wished to relax and disappear into another world....stunning!!!

22 Jun 2010 7:10am

Fonts from Barcelona, Spain

You are a young photographer who is excited for a good photo! This is very good! Maybe you could not sleep and is a good way to use time wisely! Despite the problems the effect of photography is something like a dream! A big hug and I wish that tomorrow you can sleep later ... or you plan to repeat the experience! Muchos besos, Adela

22 Jun 2010 7:12am

Anina Botes from Auckland, New Zealand

What a beautiful view! Getting up early was worth it :) I like the warm tones.

22 Jun 2010 7:44am

tataray from france, France

Des couleurs impressionnantes ...
au delà du réel .. Non ?
Magique.

22 Jun 2010 7:52am

Sylvie from La Ménitré, France

Toujours aussi beau !

22 Jun 2010 8:31am

MK from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

not bad at all, in fact its an amazing shot

22 Jun 2010 8:39am

mo.langel from Courtelary, Switzerland

Très belles teintes, superbe paysage, il me fait penser au film "Le Seigneur des anneaux"

22 Jun 2010 9:28am

Ronnie 2¢ from Atlantic Shores, United Kingdom

I always wondered what 4am might look like . . but I can see y'need to be in the right place, too ! Superb.

22 Jun 2010 10:05am

Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada

I am in awe...such beauty makes me shake a little, but in a good way :)

22 Jun 2010 11:03am

Judy from Brooksville, Florida, United States

A golden morning - and a beautiful job, Jack.
I'm curious as to how working the 5 images improved the individual shots.

22 Jun 2010 11:47am

@Judy: There was a huge differential between the sky and the land. I tried double processing it, and it looked terrible. I don't think that there was a one single shot (and I took tons) that I could have made look decent. (I did go back and sharpen up the original HDR image a bit.)

DowsherVision from PARIS, France

Great landscape !!!

22 Jun 2010 12:18pm

MARIANA from Waterloo, Canada

Great atmospheric image / landscape !

22 Jun 2010 12:49pm

Monique from Koh Samui, Thailand

This view was worth getting up that early ... impressive landscape and lovely golden colors in the sky!

22 Jun 2010 12:57pm

Tracy from La Selva Beach, United States

I love the beautiful golden light and the way the sun just peeks through the clouds- a beautiful grand vista!

22 Jun 2010 1:33pm

bluechameleon from Vancouver, Canada

...you have to be an early bird to get this shot!
Wonderful!

22 Jun 2010 1:35pm

@bluechameleon: A down side of approaching the Solstice.

Sof from Neuchâtel, Switzerland

très belle vue avec des couleurs peu communes

22 Jun 2010 1:48pm

Mhelene from Paris, France

A great work and a superb composition !

22 Jun 2010 1:51pm

B.Held from Santa Fe, United States

Fantastic photo of an impressive landscape!

22 Jun 2010 1:53pm

❀ Yvonne Simons ❀ from Tilburg, Netherlands

A bit too early for me, but it gives you the best photos!

22 Jun 2010 1:53pm

@❀ Yvonne Simons ❀: If it hadn't been a workshop, you wouldn't have found me up there at that hour :))

Bettina from Los Angeles, United States

Wow, gorgeous! The sun breaking through these dramatic clouds is wonderful. Your 4am dedication is amazing. :)

22 Jun 2010 2:27pm

@Bettina: I wasn't about to be the only person in the workshop who slept in.

PD from Overland Park, Kansas, United States

The clouds are very nice. What workshop was it? i was also at a workshop last week in N. California

22 Jun 2010 2:51pm

@PD: It was a Rod Barbee Waterfalls Workshop that spent time in the Columbia Gorge and then in Silver Falls State Park.

Viewfinder from Bradenton, FL, United States

Wow, this is an "accidental" jpg shot? Better by a gazillion than my best efforts.

22 Jun 2010 3:08pm

Richard from Montferland, Netherlands

What a fantastic landscape Jack!! And the morning light is the most beautiful of the day!!

22 Jun 2010 3:18pm

Don from spokane, United States

The end result is a beautiful gorge image. I like the colorcast and general appearance of the resulting shot.

22 Jun 2010 3:40pm

Olivier from Manage, Belgium

it's an dream...

22 Jun 2010 4:12pm

oncho from granada, Spain

Fantastic atmopheric

22 Jun 2010 4:22pm

Denny Jump Photo from Easton, PA, United States

Well despite the conversations regarding fuzziness, I still think this is phenomenal because the piece still makes me feel as if I were right there with you. The clouds and the sun's shining through are just exquisite. I totally agree with Don from Spokane.

22 Jun 2010 4:32pm

Diane Schuller from Hythe, Canada

That's very nice Jack. Well worth getting up. As you know I'm not a fan of HDR but this is really nice.

22 Jun 2010 4:49pm

@Diane Schuller: I don't think that it has an HDR "look."

Xerophytes from London, United Kingdom

What do you use to process HDR? Is your shot in RAW then converted to different exposure level?

I think you could have played the processing more. Something is off with the picture I can't pinpoint, maybe the feeling of blur or soft?

Or perhaps it was intentional to make me feel I woke up in the morning and my eyes are still a bit blurry?

22 Jun 2010 4:56pm

@Xerophytes: This was processed in CS5. Unfortunately my camera was accidentally set to take jpgs (not good for HDR). I see this as an "impressionistic" image.

Paul from summerside, Canada

I think this is just perfect

22 Jun 2010 5:33pm

Leena from Joensuu, Finland

So really, really wonderful atmosphere and beauty in this view!
You are so talented !

22 Jun 2010 6:41pm

kerfendal from Paris, France

absolutly fantastic landscape and colours ! congrat john

22 Jun 2010 7:28pm

Gary Hart from California, United States

Beautiful scene, Jack. One of these days I'll need to make it to the Columbia River Gorge.

22 Jun 2010 7:43pm

@Gary Hart: Thanks, Gary. I had all sorts of problems with this photograph. Some of them were due to my camera accidentally being set to take jpgs rather than RAW. Part of my goal was to say that if you don't get the conditions you had hoped, you have two basic options; one is to pack it in; the other is the figure out a way to get something half-way satisfactory. I wouldn't print this and put it up on my wall, but it does convey something of a sense of the Gorge on that morning. To some degree, I cop out by calling it an "impressionistic" photograph of the Gorge.

kiwisa from North Shore, New Zealand

Fantastic and well worth the early rise. I love the layers that you have captured and the beautiful colour in the sky.

22 Jun 2010 8:20pm

Jaap from Friesland, Netherlands

great scene, nice effect.

22 Jun 2010 8:41pm

marc battault from clermont ferrand, France

this valley bathed by the beautiful amber light is fantastic, Jack
five stars!
friendships!

22 Jun 2010 8:47pm

LauraS from Chico, United States

Wow, Jack. That's all I can get out... WOW!

22 Jun 2010 9:08pm

STEED from SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE, France

As perfect as Velvet...

22 Jun 2010 9:41pm

Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States

that view was definitely worth getting up for........even tho you sharpened, still not as crisp as yours usually are.....really wonder if it's the jpg vs. raw thing.....would be interesting to test that out!!!!

22 Jun 2010 10:56pm

@Susan: I was in a Monet mood.

B. Thomas from Arlington, Texas, United States

4AM?! What we all will do for our photography!

22 Jun 2010 11:49pm

Steve Rice from Olympia, United States

Awesome! I love that light on the water.

23 Jun 2010 12:27am

Steven from Chicagoland, United States

Stunning composition with the landscape, terrain and clouds that almost take on a three-dimensional effect.

23 Jun 2010 1:21am

DarkElf from Perth, Australia

fabulous morning mood! the view is superb and i like the soft morning light!

23 Jun 2010 2:25am

Satvik from Columbus, United States

Awesome capture, looks like the sky is on fire :) nice processing

24 Jun 2010 2:15am

Dutch from Chicagoland, United States

Absolutely positively beautiful.

25 Jun 2010 2:21am

Skyriani from Nelson, New Zealand

dreamlike, absolutely beautiful

25 Jun 2010 11:28am

JJ from Jersey City, United States

May not have quite been the sunrise you hoped for but well worth getting up that early to capture this amazing view with such amazing colors

25 Jun 2010 1:30pm

StarCosmosBleu from Bedford.Qc, Canada

Beautiful landscape and morning..i recall seeing paintings by an artist named Church which are very similar to your capture..end of 18 century era....

28 Jun 2010 2:29pm

Meysam from Montreal, Canada

This is marvelous.

3 Jul 2010 11:11pm

Marie from FRESNES, France

magnifique lumière et atmosphère de rêve.

10 Jul 2010 6:35pm