Since the digital camera is somewhat erratic and unpredictable in its exposure, I will take several images if possible and then find something I like to share. Usually this isn't a problem. Since I'm a tough self-critic, I rarely find images where the composition and lighting are "good enough". If I can find one or two from a trip, I'm happy. Alas! Memorial Day in Yosemite was wonderful. We've had almost double the snowpack (after years of drought), and the water was roaring off the cliffs, so that even the temporary waterfalls were spendid. I didn't get the pictures I thought I was going to take, but came back with these. This is the Staircase Falls, near Glacier point. It's a decent establishing shot. If I didn't have the others, I'd remove the flare, crop it, and perhaps post it in black and white. The light dancing on the water is nice, and the framing is interesting, but all those trees create a barrier between the viewer and the water.

We decided to find the base of that falls, so started hiking up through the rocks.... This is from underneath, and is one of about a dozen roughly similar (rock lip with water and light) shots. By the time we got up there, the light was falling behind, so capturing it was tricky. I had to tweak the sky to get the filaments of mist to show up better. It has that feeling of exuberance I remember, but the composition seems off.

It was very wet right under the falls! This one could be cropped on top and bottom to give almost a feeling of waves and foam being caught by the wind. It isn't as dramatic as the others, but I like the quiet tones.

Last one I'll show of this batch.... This one is warmer in feeling, and I'm more emotionally attached to it... but that doesn't make it a better picture technically. I like the sense of the sun melting and pouring over the edge (like ice cream? or liquid fire?), but what would a viewer see in it? Opinions? Comments? Hints? Thanks! Carolly the Befuddled

You killed the first one a bit, but wow on the other three. I would pick #3 because it has such drama. The effect is fantastic. Then #2 becaause the sun did not wash the sky out as much as #4. Brilliant work on the POVs

i like # 2 the best .. something about it draws me in .. love the light on it.. thought it was water at first nice shots!

I do belive it is water Kimmie. I like number 2 and 3 the most. Agree with Doug, impressive POVs for sure. Have a wonderful weekend #:O)

... number 2 and 3 ... This are very powerful shots! Have a great day!!!

Yeah, 2 or 3. Although, on the other hand, I do find that big water spray plume very interesting, so I would vote for 2.

Numbers 2 and 3 for me too, I especially like the POV on these ... Noeline

like #2 the best with the mist & tiny tree... would crop in proportion to rid the righthand scrubbie & then #3 too, your idea of a long crop sounds good there :]

Thank you all for the feedback! I'd already tried darkening the sky on #4 so that the mist would be revealed, but it wasn't tweaking subtly enough. :sigh: I'm not a real purist unless I'm doing documentary work. I've moved stray grassblades before shooting and lens flares afterwards... but twiddling ought not to show. Shooting into the sun was easier with my old manual cameras because I could lower the f-stop a few steps. However, I'm lucky to have this camera (it was a gift), and it's just a matter of hoping that it sees something of what I'm seeing. So it looks like #2 (with a bit of cropping to fix the balance and remove the distracting tree on the right) will be a keeper. Then play with #3 as a long lean image, and see if I can evoke some motion. Note to kimariehere: the rock was VERY wet with a thin film of water over most of it, but the ripples of the granite give it form. It is the same as #4, but about 30 feet to the right and down a little. I used to be a climber, but the footing wasn't the best (understatement). With this much water, it should be a incredible year. :) Thanks again for the critical eyes! Carolly

#4 has potential too & as you did say you were attached to it... with a little more tweaking of the sky to bring out the halo of blue that is there would make it better imo but it is missing the mist in the whites which you won't be able to retrieve... something you can think about next time you shoot such a scene & you're using auto... is have the cam exposed for the sky, then do another for the ground... layer them in the editing program you're using so you have the correct exposure for both :]

Cyn, that's an eminently sensible idea, BUT... How am I supposed to get my camera exactly to the same place where it was for the first shot? Without a tripod, that is.

trial & error & a bit of fudging ;] at least with digital you're not very limited on the number of takes

Erlik, If you are just matching sky to a clean horizon, compositing two shots taken from the same rock or patch of meadow shouldn't be tricky. If you are trying to overlay a complex shape such as a person, it would be harder. Thank goodness our sun doesn't move very fast! To bring out the mist in #2, I made a duplicate layer and cut just the sky. I raised the contrast, but that also saturates an image, so I softened that. Changing the blend modes tells PhotoShop to calculate and weight pixels in various ways... multiply gave the best result. Layers can also be faded and/or made less opaque, so it is possible to be very subtle if you are trying to coax a bit more detail. This is easier than taking 2 exposures, but can't fix major flaws or places where there is no detail at all. :sigh: When you remember the deep blue sky of the mountains, looking at images where it is washed out to whiteness is disappointing. I'd read that Ansel Adams used to bake his prints in a microwave to bring out more detail; playing with layers gives a spot more control. The cliff edge was lighted, but every once in a while the wind would catch the water and lift it like a veil, so I took almost a dozen shots. The camera delays a split second after I click the shutter, so there is luck and anticipation involved. As cynlee suggests, with a few extra takes, the odds are better that something will align just right. cynlee, Thank you for the comments and encouragement. I'll go back to these 3 and get at least 1 of them into the Gallery. It might still be possible to finesse something from #4, and the experience of playing with it will be good... but #2 is a special moment. We didn't get up the mist trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls which is perhaps a good thing: my images from the base of the lower Yosemite Falls are all water-beaded... so much spray at the bridge that it was almost like showering! Sometimes it is best to look for the intimate picture rather than the grand view, but feeling the rock vibrate under the water is an experience. :) Carolly

"When you remember the deep blue sky of the mountains, looking at images where it is washed out to whiteness is disappointing. I'd read that Ansel Adams used to bake his prints in a microwave to bring out more detail; playing with layers gives a spot more control." Fortunately, we are in a digital era. :-) Take a look at the link. The results are imporessive. http://www.xe847.com/

Hmm... that is an interesting plug-in. The eye does so much filtering of information... disgarding what is irrelevant to survival. There are times, though, when I want the bounced coloring of reflected light. I like the fact that the controls can be over-ridden. Carolly

I like number 2 the best, moody and misty, love that

from a completely non-technical viewpoint, i'd say i like #3 the best...it just pleases my eye the most and its the most interesting to view....