Morning light

Here's a photo I took on the crawford path a month ago.

Moody.

I like the touch of color in the foliage.

G.

Very nice.

When I first reviewed this photo a few days ago I was wondering to myself if the image might be helped by a bit more color, or perhaps of bit more fog for the sun to shine through. But the more I have looked at this photo, the more I believe it is just right. It is a quiet photo that does not shout at you, but presents the beauty of a quiet morning. I like the way the sun lit rocks balance the bright sky areas. Everything is right with the world in this photo.

Like Mark, when I first looked at this photo a couple days ago, it did not strike me as anything out of the ordinary. Upon a second viewing, however, I came away with a duality of feeling about the photo. The key in the photo that leaps out at me is the dark area dead center. The leading line of the reflected light off the rocks coupled with the leading line of the branches in the sunlight take you right smack to the center dark area. By darkening the photo or even turning down the brightness on your monitor, what you now have created is uneasiness, apprehension, a thickening tension about what is about to come out of that dark center spot. If you lighten up on the photo, the branches of the tree in the center become more defined and you create a softer feeling that Mark describes.

JohnL

JohnL said:

By darkening the photo or even turning down the brightness on your monitor, what you now have created is uneasiness, apprehension, a thickening tension about what is about to come out of that dark center spot. If you lighten up on the photo, the branches of the tree in the center become more defined and you create a softer feeling that Mark describes.

Click to expand...

JohnL brings up a good point. I suspect that very few of us have calibrated our monitors and the color temps (should be ~6500K), gammas (net gamma should be 2.2), brightness, and contrast vary considerably. Thus we are likely viewing different images.

One can get formal calibration gear which uses a small camera-like device to measure the output of your screen and calibrate it (ICC profiles and all that stuff). One can also use some network facilities do a cheap and easy approximate calibration.

One simple procedure:
1. If your monitor has the appropriate adjustments, set the color temp to 6500K.
2. For the rest of the procedure, the room should be dark enough to prevent reflected light from altering the images. The monitor should be on for at least 15 min to stabilize.
3. Go to http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html#gammachart. This chart will enable you to check the gamma of your system (graphics software, graphics card, and monitor combined). If you have some method of adjusting the gamma, adjust it until the gamma reads out at 2.2. (You might also want to read this page--there is lots of good info on the issue.)
4. Go to http://www.pcbypaul.com/software/monica.html and look at the grey scale just above the colored squares on the screenshot. Adjust your monitor contrast (which actually adjusts the black level) so that you can see the entire greyscale with the black block truly black. Adjust the monitor brightness (which actually adjusts the max intensity) to your preference.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 several times as they may interact.

Notes:
* I use Linux so I can't tell you how to adjust the gamma on MS OSes or Macs. ("Xgamma" will do it under X-windows in Linux/Unix.)
* For casual viewing with too much room light, I temporarily increase the gamma and wait until the room can be darkened for critical viewing.

Happy screwing up your monitors...

Doug

I also like the way the lines lead me into the dark area, which I see as the mysterious "what will I see next?" This has a nice early morning feel. Nice image!

DP, great info as usual. I'll hit those links tonight.

Wow, thanks for all the comments!

After taking off my eyeglasses I realized that the title was "Morning Light" not "Mooning Light" - so I had to take a look.

I also really like the light reflecting off the rocks that's what makes it for me.
Thanks for posting!

I like the spotlighting effect of the light through the trees. It gives it a very nice, artistic, surreal effect.

As the contrasts are normally very high in scenes like this, you have to pick what you want the shot to look like. The dark, mysterious exposure here really enhances the depth of the shot and the mood of the viewer. I do quite like the decisions you made here, and therefore like the result!