Passing Shadows | Lee Big Stopper | Fremont, CA

[Austin Greene]

Almost every weekend, I drive from the Bay Area to Sacramento to see the girlfriend, and then back on Sunday so I can make it to work Monday morning. It isn't the most convenient arrangement, but it gives me time to think, and an occasional photo opportunity.

I've stopped and shot this same frame twice before, but the clouds just never worked out. Until yesterday! The wind even kicked in to provide some nice blur to the longer areas of grass.

"Passing Shadows"
30 seconds, ISO50, f/16 at 17mm on the Canon 6D

Passing Shadows by TogaLive, on Flickr

 

[Msteelio91]

Nice shot, I like the splitting paths in the grass

 

[Braineack]

the moving clouds dont work for me here.

 

[Matt Glick]

I dig this and the moving clouds.

 

[Austin Greene]

Thanks for the input guys I'm totally down with a mixed review on the clouds! I do wish I could have gotten longer than 30 seconds out of the exposure, but I forgot my intervalometer at home and couldn't shoot in bulb :/

 

[FanBoy]

The clouds work; it's a very dream-like image.

 

[Braineack]

they have too much shape, if this was 30sec I'd wanna see like 2min.

 

[tirediron]

they have too much shape, if this was 30sec I'd wanna see like 2min.

Agree; I think you were on the way to something good, but I don't think 30 seconds was enough.

 

[bribrius]

i think i would prefer less blur. The path on the right goes to the dark clouds on the right seemingly. Path on the left goes to white clouds on the left. (kind of distinct but assuming the color difference is real). Making the clouds blur somehow detracts from that for me. And the different paths and cloud color/formations seem the most interesting part of the image.

 

[dpmaintenance]

I think its a great shot, art is alive,

 

[C. Brian Kerr]

I think your on to something great. I would keep stopping and shooting this at different times. You could marry two images one with clouds still and the rest long exposure. Just a thought

 

[Austin Greene]

Thanks for all the feedback folks I'll likely stop here again if there are some decent clouds, and hopefully next time I'll have my intervalometer in my bag to do a longer exposure than 30 seconds. This was the only time I've ever forgotten it, haha!

Beautiful places like this really don't even need a second reason to be shot

 

[RDenhardt]

I like the clouds, some more blur would definitely help as others stated. I also think this would be a great image with the sun behind the far hills(not sure if that is possible given where it rises or falls). Great shot non the less

 

[Austin Greene]

I like the clouds, some more blur would definitely help as others stated. I also think this would be a great image with the sun behind the far hills(not sure if that is possible given where it rises or falls). Great shot non the less

Wish it were. Perhaps at sunrise, but we rarely have too much cloud cover around then. We'll see!

 

[Gary A.]

I like it. Initially, I found the clouds awkward ... sorta like a portrait where you barely clip the top of the head ... was this intentional ... or was it simply bad photography. The more I look the more I saw ... there is nothing left to chance in the photo, the awkward and ethereal clouds contrast greatly against the unmoving ground and hills, in between you have the flowing and transitional grasses which in turn are reflecting fleeting shadows of the clouds on the solid ground.

Additional blur would have been more pleasing for the casual viewer ... but the awkward clouds are a cause which draws in ones attention and contemplation.

If you want more blur, great, while you're at it add a lone tree. a rusty car ... hell, toss in a cat.

For me, the photo stands alone, different, awkward and Well Done.