Mollepata

Photographer's Note

Continuing with my theme from the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu...

This was taken early in the morning of Day 2. On the previous photo I showed you where we camped for the night, the campsite is directly behind us.

Day 2 was for sure the most grueling of days, we had to hike approx 19km. Salkantay is the mountain you see in the middle bg in this photo, we had to hike up and around it, then back down.

The hike started in these meadows, the middle part of the day was rocky mountains and by the end of the day we were hiking through a tropical jungle-type of landscape...amazing varying landscapes in one day!

I had to use HDR here as the light was tremendously bright in the sky and the meadow was dark, so dark that it was almost black in my original photos. This is where HDR really shines, as it brought out colors in the meadow and up at the top right portion of the frame.

Hope you like it
Cheers

Romano46, ikeharel, timecapturer, tyro, papagolf21, jjcordier, gildasjan, delpeoples, EstudioChispa, Cricri, adores, kato, kato has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Romano46 (18472) 2013-06-09 6:49

Ciao Craig
quanto più sono remoti i posti che tu visiti e quanto più appaiono selvaggi e ricchi di fascino.
Dopo l'Islanda e l'Isola di Pasqua ci proponi un Perù meravigliosop nel quale il verde, le montagne e la neve dominano il paesaggio assolutamente incontaminato.
Un bel soggetto ed una buona tecnica hanno portato alla presentazione di questa bella foto per la quale non posso che spendere parole di elogio.
Bravissimo!
Ciao e buona domenica
Romano

HimalAnda (10671) 2013-06-09 7:59

Hello Craig,

I was thinking that you perfectly managed to choose the exposure, and then I have read your comment. You are right, the HDR is a good choice for such a landscape with a great difference of light between the foreground and the background. And you managed to do a light HDR treatment, I mean that I didn't notice that such a treatment was use till I have read your note.
So, congratulations for this nice picture.

Stéphane

timecapturer (49288) 2013-06-09 8:12

Hi Craig
awesome scenery and a real sense of being far from the maddening crowd. Your PP here is immaculate and the result just magnificent. Stunning place and stunning image. Well done, I love it!

Enjoy your Sunday - Brian.

npecanhuk (79319) 2013-06-09 8:22

Hi Craig!
Wonderful natural spot!
Very beautiful picture!
Special regards to the exposure, soft colors, chosen pov and simple but effective composition!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

tyro (29026) 2013-06-09 11:22

Hi Craig,

How wonderful it must be still to be young and fit and able to hike for 19 kilometres over terrain like this! And carrying a heavy camera, lenses and tripod too!

I can tell that the lighting must have been very harsh here but your expert use of HDR techniques has certainly paid off and given a wonderful rendering of this fantastic landscape. The huge snow-clad mountain stands proudly and threatening in the distance and the light on the slopes on the right is utterly delightful.

Fabulous light and colours, perfect HDR and other processing, strong composition and exquisite details and sharpness.

Fabulous!

Kind Regards,

John.

mesutilgim (115374) 2013-06-09 12:58

Hello Craig,
It must be a real lifeexperience to be part of a trek in this amazing landscape.
Very nice capture.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

papagolf21 (145016) 2013-06-09 14:50

Bonsoir, Craig,
Merci de nous faire voyager d'une aussi belle façon.
Le paysage sauvage est d'une grande beauté.
La réalisation ravit le regard.
Très bonne soirée.
Amitiés.
Philippe

carlo62 (81023) 2013-06-09 15:38

Ciao Craig
una vallata selvaggia, un gioco di luci ed ombre interessante, il bianco delle cime innevate che si confonde con le nuvole, tutti segnali che compongono una bellissima fotografia.
Saluti
Carlo

adidas5nb (5743) 2013-06-09 19:38

stunner of a place.enjoyed your note.
regards
dwaipayan

jjcordier (79299) 2013-06-09 22:15

Craig
Le paysage est impressionnant et le trek certainement inoubliable. Ton traitement HDR a été très efficace pour équilibrer l'exposition des différentes zones (sur mon écran, les zones claires apparaissent peut-être un peu trop lumineuses?)
Amicalement
JJ

gildasjan (43826) 2013-06-09 23:05

Bonjour Craig
Les petits méandres de ce cours d'eau guident bien notre regard vers le fond de cette superbe vallée.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
Gildas

emka (139064) 2013-06-09 23:19

Hi Craig, Fantastic memories from Inca Trail. I am envious :). here it doesn't seem difficult (but of course, it is high) but this snowy mountain ahead - it is other thing. Was it very tiring? what about the luggage? And the rain forest there is also beautiful. I am sure it was unforgettable experience.

WArm regrads

Malgo

Royaldevon (64246) 2013-06-10 0:36

Hello Craig,

Although I have rarely used HDR, I can see how well it works in such strongly variant light.
There is just a sense of awe at that view! The winding stream guides well, through the low levels to a 'v' shape, strongly positioned, which gives the waiting, snow-capped mountain a predatory feel! It is so very wild! WoW! What a sense of adventure!

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

Graal (103038) 2013-06-10 2:45

Hi Craig,
interesting landscape here. I like the valley with river. Amazing wild nature. Well done photo.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

dkmurphys (77034) 2013-06-10 3:42

Hi Craig,
So similar to our mountains...Lovely shot, I like the prize at the end of the valley path: the snowy peak. Well composed, a truly spectacular experience you had there!

Daniel

delpeoples (60326) 2013-06-10 7:41

Gidday Craig

Jeez I thought you'd gotten your placenames mixed up cos this looks like Iceland! What wonderful unspoilt landscape. the blues and greens contrast beautifully, I like how the river guides the eye through the frame and the clouds are just magnificent. The snow on the mountain tops is so sharp, they're the icing on the cake.

Thanks for sharing, have a lovely week
Lisa

rogerl (1632) 2013-06-10 15:13

Craig, I love the framing here, with the stream running diagonally through the frame towards the peak at rear. Like others, I thought that the lighting was close to amazing until I discovered in your note that this was HDR. I'm curious as to how you had time on the trek to set up and take an HDR shot. How much help does your camera give you? Surely at least you had to set up a tripod for this. Nicely done.

Roger

mjw364 (1466) 2013-06-11 4:19

Hey Craig

Now this reminds me of my favourite photgraphic stomping ground - North Wales! This looks so much like the Llanberis pass in Snowdonia! I hear there is a Welsh community over in Patagonia (?) in South America - I can see the attraction though this is obviously further north.

As always - sharp, clear, and well composed with great areas of light and shade on the peaks.

TFS

Mike

Cricri (176) 2013-06-11 5:52

Hi Craig
Il y a une force dans ces paysage sauvage qui font rêver...
grand contraste des couleurs, belle réalisation
Belle journée
cricri

jemaflor (125641) 2013-06-11 9:57

Hi Craig,
Beautiful wilderness valley with the good result with the stream to give depth, I like the contraste between meadows and snowy peak in the Bg.

i9l2y1m8a8t3 (4814) 2013-06-11 18:44

Hi Craig!

Excellent handling on your PP! Love the atmosphere in here and the way you've exposed the valley. Grandiose, majestic and simply breathtaking! The snow capped mountain on the left hand side seems to be a prize after you've traversed this valley. beautiful and well captured! Def stunning!

best regards,
Matt

Waylim (25436) 2013-06-14 10:24

Hi Craig,

I did Lares Valley Trek and off course the Machu Picchu Inca trail many years ago, I was still using film camera at the time, so I only post a few images from here. Peru is really a beautiful country, I'll do it again if I have time.

This is a great shot of the wonderful nature up on the Andies. Brings back lot of memories for me.

Way

adores (46979) 2013-06-16 16:51

Hi Craig!
Seems you have done a good job with the HDR here! The landscape is amazing - hiking here must be a great experience and probably not that easy. I like the pov, the sun light on the top right side and the valley leading our eyes to the white mountain.

kato (11630) 2013-06-23 5:35

Hi Craig,

This is very beautiful landscape with valley, river and mountain, so it's impressive to see Mt. Salkantay covered the snow, the valley with meadow and winding small river which flows through a valley. The whole is harmonized and balanced well by a good arrangement and excellent color combination. So, it's completely successful for your HDR work, I think. I had a new appreciation such untouched and beautiful nature is remaining in the world.

Kind regards,
mikio

No_One (4) 2013-07-05 5:09

Hi Craig,
A nice contrast to your photo posted next to this from here, this landscape looks a lot more gentle and forgiving with the calm steam cutting through the hills, but the snow capped peak in the distance as a reminder as to where you are headed. Beautiful set of pictures.
Cheers
Noel

nikkitta (17070) 2013-08-10 12:27

Hola Craig
So it was HDR, well done to add some kind of contrast and color at the dark parts
Here the sky is magnificent and helps with the contrast
Great place to began a trek following a stream with the view of the mountain at the back
A good postcard of a place not seen in TE

Have a great week end
Maria