Glacier Shootout IRs

Scott_Quier · December 15, 2007

It's taken me a long while to get around to finish the processing and posting of these images. Much of that time was taken trying to figure out how to make colorized versions of IR photos. I decided, after much lack of success with what I was finding and what I was getting that good, contrasty B&W works for me, especially after seeing the IR shot that April recently posted (see here).

BTW - I just want to thank and curse April for her kind generosity. She loaned me her IR modified XTi for an entire day. Now I'm hooked and trying to find the $$$ to get one of my own. Aaarrrgggghhhh - I think I love/hate her!:lust

So, this thread is *dedicated* to April - thanks...

A group of us (8 or 10 of us) spent, I think it was, the third day driving up and down a back road to East Glacier. The following are some of the shots I got that day:
1.

2. This is a corridor between the main part of lodge in East Glacier and, I think, some of the guest rooms. I didn't explore very far..

3. We stopped along the road I referred to above for something like 1/2 hour. This is an image of a large group of aspens.

4. One of my favorite shots (but the best is yet to come...)

5. The huge vistas just begged for a pano

6. This, I think, is my favorite image from that day...

Thanks for looking. C&C is quite welcome...

Again, thanks April for putting yet one more demand on my meager budget!!

schmoo · December 15, 2007

Hi Scott, glad to see you getting to these photos last! We all know you as the wedding photog but you're showing us that you do simply amazing things with landscapes as well. I barely realize that these are IR except for the fact that there is so much more drama to them. So subtle and completely effective. You did a really great job here!

I added this thread to the comprehensive list of 2007 shootout threads, and feel free to drop a couple of these in the "Best of" thread if you want to contribute to the book.

Scott_Quier · December 15, 2007

schmoo wrote:

Hi Scott, glad to see you getting to these photos last! We all know you as the wedding photog but you're showing us that you do simply amazing things with landscapes as well. I barely realize that these are IR except for the fact that there is so much more drama to them. So subtle and completely effective. You did a really great job here!

I added this thread to the comprehensive list of 2007 shootout threads, and feel free to drop a couple of these in the "Best of" thread if you want to contribute to the book.

Glad you liked them. Though it's quite easy to impress me, I was very impressed with the results as well.

As for the best of thread, I put three links there in this post. Feel free to use any, all, or none of these in the gallery and the book (really looking forward to that!!)

aktse · December 16, 2007

I think my splurge buy has been justified! I was questioning my purchase and when I bought the IR body, the thought of selling it was always in the near back of my mind. Now, you have it pry it out of my grubby little hands.

Awesome! Truly stunning! Each frame is just so beautiful and filled with some much drama at the same time.

I know that I shot with you during the day and have photos to prove it, but I can’t even tell where #6 was taken? Was I even there? I can understand why it is your favorite. I keep discovering new details every single time that I look at it. And I can envision #2 as a wedding shot and can imagine it filled with happy people. I can’t believe the intensity that you achieve in some of these and the images just seem to glow and pop before right before your eyes. And the clarity! You did much better than I did during the day. Actually, I think you did better than most of us! And this was the first time that you ever shot with IR! Wow! I think I now know why you never went back to your camera body that day…

Well done!

MooreDriven · December 16, 2007

Very nice photo's Scott. I've been lurking around the Glacier posts quite a bit. I'm really envious of the trip and photo's everyone has shared.

Dale

Scott_Quier · December 16, 2007

aktse wrote:

I think my splurge buy has been justified! I was questioning my purchase and when I bought the IR body, the thought of selling it was always in the near back of my mind. Now, you have it pry it out of my grubby little hands.

If you do decide to sell it (yeah, right), let me know!! I'm going to be traveling to Alaska next summer and it is my hope that I will, by that time, have found the $$ to purchase a MaxMax.com converted camera. Time will tell.

aktse wrote:

Awesome! Truly stunning! Each frame is just so beautiful and filled with some much drama at the same time.

Thanks. I can take only a little of the credit - for the post processing, and not much there. Even my wife likes the pano enough to want to hang it on a wall in the house! She doesn't really feel B&W, so this is saying something.

aktse wrote:

I know that I shot with you during the day and have photos to prove it, but I can’t even tell where #6 was taken? Was I even there? I can understand why it is your favorite. I keep discovering new details every single time that I look at it. And I can envision #2 as a wedding shot and can imagine it filled with happy people. I can’t believe the intensity that you achieve in some of these and the images just seem to glow and pop before right before your eyes. And the clarity! You did much better than I did during the day. Actually, I think you did better than most of us! And this was the first time that you ever shot with IR! Wow! I think I now know why you never went back to your camera body that day…

Well done!

#6 was taken on our way back down from where the Road to the Sun was blocked. We stopped for something, I hopped out and snapped off a couple. This was the keeper from that group.

A lot of the intensity I achieved in these shots were the direct result of the B&W conversion action I found on-line and use. I've had it for about a year now and really, really like it. I didn't go back to my camera that day for two reasons (1) I wanted to explore IR and this was a cheap way to do it (thank you sooooo much for that opportunity - I don't know how I will ever re-pay you for your generosity) and (2) I was seeing the dynamics of the shots in the LCD pre-view and knew that they would only improve after post.

gus · December 16, 2007

Very nice photos scott

I usually dont like IR at all but i do like these.

leaforte · December 16, 2007

Lovely series!

Scott_Quier · December 16, 2007

Thanks, Gus, leaforte, and Dale.

Gus, I'm glad you like them. I tried very hard to make the look nice.

urbanaries · December 17, 2007

Scott, I am not usually taken by landscape photos but I *really* dig the intense drama of the first one. The swirls in the sky in contrast with the dramatic rock stature is very compelling. I am not sure the foreground adds much to the composition, though. Even still it is a print I would hang in my house. Same goes for the pano. Absolutely breathtaking!!!

I also love the interior shot. Very nice. Even in BW it looks cozy.

(Ya, people who loan each other gear on shootouts are really cool! I guess good karma from WPBC came back to you, huh?

)

Travis · December 17, 2007

Those photos are absolutely stunning! Oh my wishlist of camera of camera gear is growing way quicker than my budget.

aktse · December 21, 2007

Scott_Quier wrote:

#6 was taken on our way back down from where the Road to the Sun was blocked. We stopped for something, I hopped out and snapped off a couple. This was the keeper from that group.

Ahh.. Scott. I finally had a chance to look for my landscapes of the same area. It was bugging me a bit since I knew I was there with you, but couldn't remember being there. I found my photo of the same place; I actually shot from a similar viewpoint and captured most of everything that you took. There is a really good reason why I didn't recognize the landscape that you posted.

My version sucks. :yikes It's not even worth viewing!

It sucks big time. And not matter what I do this in post (fix the sky, fix the color, crop it, turn it in to B&W, etc.), I know that I can't save this and actually, there isn’t a real reason either.

Everything frame that I took from that quick car stop did not even make it to the group that required a second look. The day was grey, ugly, overcast, with the threat of rain hanging over our heads. And thinking about it, I dont' think anyone in the car with you got anything from that stop.

You, on the other hand, got yourself a winner. Well done!

Scott_Quier · December 21, 2007

aktse wrote:

Ahh.. Scott. I finally had a chance to look for my landscapes of the same area. It was bugging me a bit since I knew I was there with you, but couldn't remember being there. I found my photo of the same place; I actually shot from a similar viewpoint and captured most of everything that you took. There is a really good reason why I didn't recognize the landscape that you posted.

Everything frame that I took from that quick car stop did not even make it to the group that required a second look. The day was grey, ugly, overcast, with the threat of rain hanging over our heads. And thinking about it, I dont' think anyone in the car with you got anything from that stop.

You, on the other hand, got yourself a winner. Well done!

See, I knew you were there!!

As for me being the only person to get a winner - well, I was just lucky. Your photo is recoverable (in terms for color/contrast and clouds), but ... I shot mine with a view to getting something in the foreground. Without that, mine would suck major wind. With all the experience I have (not much that is) ... well, like I said, I got lucky.

Glacier Shootout IRs

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