Lori Azevedo
January 2025 - Yosemite Winter
About the Image(s)
This photo was actually taken last year. There is a wonderful spot along the east side Merced River where many photographers stop to take photos. The backdrop is El Capitan. The surprise of the photo is when a great blue heron lifted off from the river to fly through my shot.
I edited the photo in Photoshop. I retained the rock in the lower right of the foreground to anchor the photo and aid with perspective. Lucky me I live 2 hours from Yosemite so I'm up there every couple of months.
If was hard to find a balance of midtones with shadows. The final edit kept getting too dark. I look forward to feedback.
3 comments posted
Lori, I am jealous where you live, and the luck of the heron flying through was great. I like the rocks in the foreground combined with the reflection in the water give a great leading line. Love the composition - my eyes travel around the image to find so many interesting things to see. Maybe I would like El Capitan darker, but I think that's me. My only question is that there seems to be a blurry area in the middle, behind the heron, I'm not sure what it is. Posted: 01/11/2025 20:27:48
The area behind the heron is mostly fog that float around the Merced River that time of the day. Posted: 01/14/2025 21:03:51
Lori, I absolutely love this image!! The heron was the icing on the cake! The image conveys the majesty of Yosemite. You are lucky to live nearby. The only point I would make is the rock in the lower right hand corner. For me, it draws too much attention to itself, pulling the eye away from the overall beauty. Here's the photo without the rock and a slightly bluish tint to emphasize the very cold sensation that the image conveys. Posted: 01/16/2025 10:20:30