Henry Heerschap  

Along the Samish River by Henry Heerschap

January 2025 - Along the Samish River

January 2025 - Henry Heerschap

Original

About the Image(s)

Last month, my wife and I made our way to the Samish Flats, area an hour or so north of Seattle. The Flats are the northern edge of the Skagit Valley, an area rich in agriculture, birds of prey, tulips (in April), and other photographic delights. We were up there to photograph eagles
and short eared owls who were staying well out of reach so we wandered over to a bridge that crosses the Samish River. We've been going here off and on for nearly 20 years and have watched this particular beached boat slowly succumbing to the elements. We had some great clouds, so I grabbed my IR camera and made some exposures, of which this was one of
my favorites.
Sony A7R IV, full spectrum conversion with 720 nm clip filter. Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM II lens. ISO 160, 24mm, f/11, 1/30 second.
Shot handheld. Processing done in Lightroom Classic using B&W 11 profile. Basic exposure and cropping also done in LrC. Used Photoshop to remove power lines (the new removal tool is amazing). Used Generative Fill to remove bit of bridge in foreground and shed in background. Used Detail Extractor and Tonal Contrast, along with lens vignette in Color Efex

7 comments posted

Jack Florence Jr   Jack Florence Jr
I'm a fellow lover of skies like this, Henry. The clouds give a whimsical mood to the entire image, they set the stage. For me the boat seems to share the place with the valley behind it. I don't know if you could have positioned just a tad lower, and maybe made the boat more center stage. But it works fine, and I love the overall feel of it.   Posted: 01/01/2025 23:33:43
Henry Heerschap   Henry Heerschap
Thanks, Jack. I see your point. I was on a bridge but could probably have gotten down a bit lower. Good thought for next time.   Posted: 01/02/2025 01:10:07
Gary Potts   Gary Potts
Hi Henry,
Great scene with a lot of potential. The two major elements of the boat plus the sky make this rich for the use of IR. I have attached my 'adjusted' version. In my opinion, the image needs contrast and full adjustment of the Levels and Curves. I used Silver Efex from your original and then added a graduated neutral density filter from Color Efex. Tweaked the Levels and cropped it as almost square. See if you like the finished product from my post processing.   Posted: 01/02/2025 11:58:01
Comment Image
Charles Walker   Charles Walker
Henry, you worked a lot to render the final image. Removing distractions allowed the boat to become the dominate and highly interesting subject of this lovely image.   Posted: 01/05/2025 00:34:09
Arik Gorban   Arik Gorban
What a wonderful find. The scene is beautiful and so is the picture. I would probably go between your version and Gary's.   Posted: 01/05/2025 21:27:23
Melanie Hurwitz   Melanie Hurwitz
Hi Henry, You found a great subject to put in front of that wonderful sky. The great vista behind the boat is compelling. I would only darken the boat, but leave the rest as you have processed. I wonder if you took a horizontal version too?   Posted: 01/06/2025 15:33:45
Emil Davidzuk   Emil Davidzuk
Henry

Wonderful shot. I am thinking you came home with a keeper even though it will not fly.

I offer my thoughts on slight revision to your submittal to emphasis the old boat. I placed a linear gradient on a slight diagonal such that the 50% line (center line) was aligned with the top of the boat and reduced the exposure. I selected subject which picked the boat and its shadow and increased exposure just a smidge. and I brushed the grass in the foreground and increased the exposure a little.

Regards

Emil   Posted: 01/16/2025 16:01:26
Comment Image

 

Please log in to post a comment