Gullfoss

[dholstein]

Iceland has over 100,000 waterfalls in addition to a volcanic terrain. This is one of the more dramatic falls. It flows into a gorge at the right. I have another shot that is looking down into the gorge flow. No crop - CS3 - optimizing. Taken with a 20D - tripod

[mrsisu]

Love it. I Especially like that the waterfall is not centered and nice diagonals. A dreary day but adds to the mystique. Would love to go to Iceland. Greenland sounds interesting as well but ???

[Photobiologist]

I really like the colors & composition on this one. Great capture!

[rpk717]

Doug, I like this one a lot. The composition works very well. My monitor needs calibration but it looks like a little work with the shadow and highlight tool might brighten the green grass a bit and bring a little detail in some of the darker areas.

Looks like you had a great trip.

[jckegley]

I really dislike cold weather. This photograph makes me want to be there with you. You have mustered a feeling I would not thought possible. A couple more photos like this and I might be talked into giving up my favorite conditions.... heat, humidity, and mosquitos.

You were blessed to be there.

[dholstein]

I am glad you like Gullfoss folks. The Gentleman who led our group of 20 has now started his own travel agency. He has been in Iceland about 15 years and is from Raleigh NC. He emailed me yesterday to let me know. I am going to check on his fees. We went with 3 big hitters as instructors last time and we paid a bundle. I loved to go back at a much more reasonable cost. Its a beautiful country. Robert! I have two screens - one darker than the other. On the bright on I get more detail in the grass.

[wetbelly]

On my screen, detail in the shadows does show up. I think you did a good job of handling a tough situation with a very bright/white sky and water and very dark land. A split ND filter may have helped some too. I like the diagonal created by the waterfall. Good job! :)

[ldow]

Beuuuutiful place! Glorious view. My guess is that your eyes saw more detail than is in this image we see on the monitor.

Try getting more assertive with your photoshop tools to get that 10,000:1 light/shadow resolution our eyes have. There are several techniques you can use with such a high contrast situation - lasso with large pixel shading, developing the image at least twice - once for the sky and again for the land and merging the two via a layer technique, or masqueing with a neutral density option (I don't use this so I'm not familiar with it in digital mode - used it with negative/film). Regardless of which of the contrast control methods you use, you THEN begin the detail work using lasso and level control, along with fine tuning the color.

You have, however, a GREAT scene, and it IS possible to get a GREAT image full of detail - that's what your 'lab' tools are for - to get an image that depicts more clearly what your eye saw AND to take out tiny distracting things such as stray signs, telephone poles, etc. It's been done professionally by ALL category of photographers as long as the medium as existed - not to create a false image, but to clearly bring to the viewer WHAT you saw and WHY you took the image.

Go for it!

[mobiek]

Nice picture of a great fall. Your shot makes me want to go there.