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C-Novack β First Touch of Day
Published: 2011-02-05 17:01:08 +0000 UTC; Views: 1254; Favourites: 62; Downloads: 10
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Description
Copyright 2010 C. Novack. All rights reserved. No permission granted to reproduce or use any part of the photo.Took this on one morning while on vacation out in North Carolina. Morning was holy, moly cold in the low 30's with some wind chill. Taken at 7:54 a.m. just as the sun rose over the mountains. My hands were pretty cold after 20 minutes of trying to get a good shot where the wind did not blow the leaf blurry.
Date: Dec 29, 2010
Aperture: 25
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/30
Flash used
Submitted to the Contre-jour III challenge at DPC and it got 5th place.
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Comments: 13
This photo is truly amazing! Aside from the overall composition, the mechanics of the photograph are amazing and work together to create a very unique shot.
First and foremost, you turned a seemingly plain subject (a dead leaf of all things!) into a great focal point of the photograph. The lighting used to highlight the leaf is almost surreal. So much so, that i had to check the genre and photo description to make sure this wasnt an HDR! The small highlights really help to make the leaf jump out of the picture where otherwise it would most likely be a silhouette.
The combination of bold colours coming from the sky and the cleverly placed sun really make the entire piece jump off the page. I love the DOF used too. Although the leaf is primarily the sharpest part of the picture, there is still enough detail in the background to show the full beauty of the sunset and clouds, but still gives a great bokeh effect to really enhance the subject. Having said that i do find the trees to be a little distracting as they darken the photo a little and take away from the amazing colours. So in all fairness, that would be where the half point comes off for impact.
Ideally i would have liked to see the horizon fill the entire background from right to left but i realize that given the angle you were trying to achieve with the sun, this may not have been possible. Obviously the world isnt perfect and sometimes we all have to compensate, and you still did an amazing job regardless.
Overall, the leaf almost seems like it wasnt really there when the photo was taken which adds to the whole impact. Im not sure how much photo editing was done in post but having the ability to create something so surreal and visually stunning without resorting to the "magic" of HDR speaks very highly of your work.
This photo made it to my favourites and definitely inspires me to start thinking more outside of the box compared to my usual shots.
I look forward to seeing more of your work, and it was totally worth freezing your fingers off!
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Thank you very much for the in depth critique. I enjoyed reading your examination of my photo and I am happy you liked it & told me why you liked it. I found it interesting how you expressed that the photo composition would be even stronger if it did not have the trees on the left. You mention that it detracts from the vibrancy of the colors of the shot. The mountains are the darkest part of the composition ; as such the dark trees do take attention away from the magnificent expanse of mountains. 
Since we are exchanging and sharing viewpoints
Thank you again for the in depth critique and glad it inspires you to think about new ways of looking at things to photograph.
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Wow *O* It's so beautiful, you're very talented *-*
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Wonderful shot! And waiting in the freezing cold for art's sake ... that's the spirit!
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BEAUTIFUL, Chrystyne - did it snow while you were out west?
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Wow. I believe... that is truly something... elegant.
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That's really a fabulous shot! I am assuming you used a tripod? If not, kudos to you!
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I know there is a slapping head emoticon just can't find it. In my reply I forgot to thank you for the compliment - Thank you
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Nope, no tripod. Didn't pack it for the trip. I stood there waiting for the wind to settle down for me to try the shot. The wind feel into a short lull only twice - just quick enough to attempt the shot and right when I needed it when the sun broke over the mountains.
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You, my dear, have one steady hand! The lighting is amazing as well.
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