Tenaya Lake #4

[Donald]

The biggest challenge of all.

One of my favourite images is that by Ansel Adams called Tenaya Lake. Indeed, I bought a special edition print when I was in the AA gallery in Yosemite. It's away getting framed at the moment./

I knew I wanted to see that view and I wanted to make an image. And, as I've written before, I wanted to make my image, not copy Adams' picture. An obvious thing to do is choose a different location. As you can see in mine below, I am to the left of where he stood and don't include Mt Conness in the image. But even in style. His picture is so seared into my brain that when I stood and looked at the scene all I could see was his image.

So here it is, for better or worse. You will also see that I chose to go for a long exposure. As always, your comments are welcome.

[bje07]

Nice long exposure, sweet rendering.

[madcrow]

Another fabulous image.

[Mike Buckley]

The long exposure gives me the feeling that the curves in the land are pushing clockwise upward into the clouds. A very pleasing effect!

[Sam W]

Nice sharp image with balanced features. My personal preference would have been to have more contrast between the mountains and the sky. Perhaps that could be done by darkening the blue. I think Ansel took advantage of the optimal time of day and season to let the sun work its magic by creating prominent dark shadows. That's hard to do while on a short vacation. I think you did a good job and I can sense the enjoyment you had crafting the photo.

[Donald]

Nice sharp image with balanced features. My personal preference would have been to have more contrast between the mountains and the sky. Perhaps that could be done by darkening the blue. I think Ansel took advantage of the optimal time of day and season to let the sun work its magic by creating prominent dark shadows. That's hard to do while on a short vacation. I think you did a good job and I can sense the enjoyment you had crafting the photo.

Interesting what you write, Sam. I was on that location for 6 hours and have a number of frames in which the shadow is identical to that in Adams' picture. From that I conclude, with a reasonable degree of confidence, that he captured his photograph at about 5:20pm on a mid-September afternoon.

However, I preferred an image without the same shadow.

[Ziggy]

Great image Donald.

[Dave Humphries]

What I see captured here are the differences of relative 'time' on the elements that make up the image.

clouds; moving fast
water/waves; somewhat slower
(although thinking about it, I may factually have these two reversed)
trees; stationery as far as we can tell, but we know they grow slowly
mountains; probably unchanged since 1946

I wonder if this crossed your mind?
Perhaps why you chose to 'long expose' it.

Cheers, Dave

[Sam W]

Interesting what you write, Sam. I was on that location for 6 hours and have a number of frames in which the shadow is identical to that in Adams' picture. From that I conclude, with a reasonable degree of confidence, that he captured his photograph at about 5:20pm on a mid-September afternoon.

However, I preferred an image without the same shadow.

Given that you could have but chose not to duplicate Ansel's lighting conditions, you might still consider having more contrast between the mountains and the sky. That was my simple suggestion. I understood from the start that you were not trying to duplicate Tenaya.

[Donald]

Perhaps why you chose to 'long expose' it.

Thank you, That was indeed my small attempt to portray the elements as you suggest ... Or in a way that is in accordance with your interpretation.

Given that you could have but chose not to duplicate Ansel's lighting conditions, you might still consider having more contrast between the mountains and the sky. That was my simple suggestion.

Sam - I accept your comments on this. Please don't think I don't.

[Dave Humphries]

If I managed to 'get it' without you needing to explain it, it is very successfully executed.

[Shadowman]

Nicely composed, it is so hard not to do an exact copy even if you have never seen the original. The only thing for sure is that the time of day will never be the same, the original would most likely have eroded somewhat, and who can say if we can process exactly as Adams.

[Donald]

...., the original would most likely have eroded somewhat, and who can say if we can process exactly as Adams.

The negative is still in excellent condition. Adams' archive is held by the University of Arizona and the only person allowed to print from his negatives is his last assistant, Alan Ross. It is a print made by him from the original negative, following Adams' dodge and burn instructions, that I bought.

I also bought a print of 'Tenaya Creek, Dogwood and Rain', probably my favourite Adams image.

[Stagecoach]

My favourite style of landscape Donald, not too many competing areas. Superb.

[Mike Buckley]

'Tenaya Creek, Dogwood and Rain', probably my favourite Adams image.

Even more so now than Clearing Winter Storm, which you once called the "greatest picture I have ever seen"?

[LePetomane]

Wow!!! Thanks for sharing.

[rpcrowe]

The problem with Yosemite Images is that they seem always to be compared with Ansel's imagery.

I like a fresh view on that imagery like you are doing...

If you save your RAW imagery, you will be able to return to those images and play with them over and over again. Wonderful therapy for a cold rainy evening...

[Donald]

Even more so now than Clearing Winter Storm, which you once called the "greatest picture I have ever seen"?

You have a good memory!

I have so many 'favourite'; images of his. 'Clearing Winter Storm' is the greatest picture I've ever seen. But for its technical standard and compositional qualities 'Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain' is right up there. It's the sort of scene that 99.99% of us would walk past without a second glance, but yet Adams saw the picturesque qualities in the scene and and arranged them in an image in such a way as the viewer (well, me anyway)is provided wuth hours of viewing pleasure, seeing more and different detail each time you look at it.

[Mike Buckley]

You have a good memory!

To the contrary, I regularly document that I have a terrible memory. Worse yet, my wife regularly documents that fact for me. It's so true that I'm surprised that I remembered that you had made that comment about an Ansel Adams photo and that I had placed a post-it note about it in his book we were discussing at the time. So, I merely looked through the book until I found the note.

Moral of the story: Be careful of what you say around here because someone may affectionately record it for posterity.

[marlunn]

Superb image Donald, as Mike says I am struck by the feeling of the land curving up to the cloud, I also feel the clouds are curving down to the land creating a satisfying harmony