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Mystical

Challenge #32 in the Whim & Chance series. Hosted by upuaut.

Challenge has finished

Submit an image that invokes the word 'mystical' in the viewer's mind's eyes. See sample.

Show full rules

Announced:

Friday, 26th December, 2014 (GMT)

Submissions:

Friday, 2nd January, 2015 – Thursday, 8th January, 2015 (GMT)

Voting:

Friday, 9th January, 2015 – Thursday, 15th January, 2015 (GMT)

Processing rules:

All PP that helps transform your image into a 'mystical' one. Heavy and contrived processing though risks disqualification.
The subject of the image must be suitable with the 'mystical' processing.

Capture date rules:

No restrictions.

Additional rules:

Please vote, and grade the image on its compliance with the theme (subject and post processing)
Image has not been submitted to a previous DP challenge.
Pixel count on the long side of image must be between 1200 & 1600
Please title and add a note to your image. It will help in the minimum to avoid disqualifications if it's on the border of complying with the theme. It will also help convince the viewer of its theme suitability.

Maximum number of entries per user:

Maximum number of entries in challenge:

submission
phase has

ended

59 entries

voting
phase has

ended

1154 votes

Slideshow 1 / 65 Full size Next Challenge Previous

Mystical - Enchanted Valley

by cjf2

1^st place

3.963

low

high

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens:	Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Submitted:	Saturday, 3rd January, 2015 18:05 (GMT)
Taken:	Thursday, 4th December, 2014
Focal length:	35 mm
Shutter speed:	2 sec
Aperture:	F5.6
ISO:	200
Notes:
Views:	6123
Galleries:	View this photo in cjf2's gallery

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Entry comments

All (33)

Most popular (0)

Editors' picks (0)

DPR staff (0)

Oldest first

Michael Piziak

wow, what a photo!

8 months agopermalink

Naveed Akhtar

Its an amazing work done.. well done!

Both capturing and post-processing ..

Thanks for shaing!!

Jan 29, 2015permalink

shoki93

Yosemite IS magical!!

Jan 24, 2015permalink

(unknown member)

Wow.

Jan 18, 2015permalink

tko

Mist_acal . . . wonderful shot.

Jan 18, 2015permalink

cjf2

Thanks everyone. Nice to get such comments about such a well known view. I'm glad I stayed after the sun set. There were 30 or so photographers there earlier and just three of us by this time and I only really stayed due to lack of get up and go for a long drive to my next hotel.

Jan 17, 2015permalink

cwsiggy

Wow is all I can say. Beautiful.

Jan 17, 2015permalink

W4YNE 1

Brilliant! It's like a scene from "Lord Of The Rings".

Jan 16, 2015permalink

Artpt

Brilliant!

Jan 16, 2015permalink

batstone79

Very very very beautiful pic. Perfect in my opinion! Congrats!

Jan 16, 2015permalink

bigdaddave

Beautiful shot, really is. And taken on a Canon with it's supposedly poor image quality
But it's not quite as simple as that is it? Why is there a highlight on the far hills if there's only one moon and it's facing the other way? The shadows aren't where they should be.

Jan 16, 2015*permalink

cjf2

Are you thinking it is a composite? It isn't, though the rules would have allowed that. Can't understand what you mean about the shadows as I've not moved them! The highlight that concerns you is snow so is paler than most of the scene without being directly strongly lit.

Jan 16, 2015permalink

jtan163

Gorgeous shot.

Jan 16, 2015permalink

MG 64

beautiful image - it immediately caught my attention when i first saw it - congrats for this masterpiece!

Jan 16, 2015permalink

Steve Besserman

Mystical, magical, masterful. Such a familiar subject seen in an hauntingly different light.
Gongrats on a well deserved 1st place.

Jan 16, 2015permalink

cjf2

Thanks everyone. It appeared completely black in the valley to the eye at this point but camera sensors do work magic. I hadn't thought how fast the shutter speed was, it was just on Av. It took a lot of work on the shadows to get it looking like this and of course I've forgotten what I did!

Jan 16, 2015permalink

JoePhoto

Are you sure of the exposure parameters ??? (shutter-speed / aperture / ISO)

It seems like less exposure than I am used to on some full-moons I have done.

Jan 16, 2015permalink

cjf2

I've not knowingly altered the data on the file. I can see a later picture was 25 seconds. I'll look at the pictures I took in between and let you know. The Sun had not long set behind the mountains behind me so the sky was still quite light and as I say I had to work to cope with the large contrast range in the picture.

Jan 16, 2015permalink

cjf2

Hi Joe, yes the parameters make sense when compared with the pictures either side. A shot at 16.21 hrs was 1/125th at F8 with sunlight on the clouds and the tops of the hills on the right. This shot is at 17.04 and has a fairly pale sky still which was presumably supplied more light to the scene than you'd think. PP has made it less blue and more contrasty (more mystic!). By 17.18 the sky was darker, the moon was more covered and lighting a pool of light in the middle of the mist (see best photo of week around 4th December).

Jan 16, 2015permalink

JoePhoto

Was it taken from Tunnel View ???

From the parking/view area itself or from the rock-shelf below it ???

I live in Sacramento, can I ask where you live ???

Jan 17, 2015permalink

cjf2

Hi Joe. Yes from the edge of the car park by the wall. I'm from England and was there on holiday.

Jan 17, 2015permalink

papa natas

Some people take great pictures.
Some others go looking for the best image.
But a few, the rare few, master the art to grab light and forms.
This image overshadows many a great image.
This is a tableau, Sir!

Jan 16, 2015permalink

Kendall Helmstetter Gelner

Great image, would not have thought you could get such good light out of even a full moon with such a short exposure at that ISO/aperture... very inspiring.

Especially love how visible the waterfall is.

Jan 16, 2015permalink

AmbleYonder

very inspiring image indeed ,blown away by this ,such a haunting atmosphere you have captured here .one of the most compelling landscapes i have seen in a long while.

Jan 16, 2015permalink

upuaut

Congrats cjf2. Excellent image.

Jan 16, 2015permalink

Peter Del

Fabulous image.
Peter Del

Jan 16, 2015permalink

Steve Throndson

cjf2,
Beautiful photo. As soon as I saw this in the challenge, I knew it would win. I think in black and white it could pass for an Ansel Adams photograph.
No train, though. Usually your shots have trains. :-)
Seriously, wonderful photo. I can always tell when I hear myself mutter 'wish that was my shot'.
Cheers,

Steve.

Jan 16, 2015permalink

cjf2

Thanks Steve. If there is one thing that could improve Yosemite Valley it would be a nice steam railway!

Jan 16, 2015permalink

Teosax

I rarely comment, but this shot is so beautiful i had to say something.
Congrats, i love all of it, the pp not over the top (as too many times one can see on internet), the technique, the framing, the light! PERFECT
I really wish i took this pix!

Jan 16, 2015permalink

uzman1243

This is a recreation of Ansel Adams "CLEARING WINTER STORM, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK" photo that sold for $722,500.
Regardless, nice shot!

Jan 17, 2015permalink

cjf2

Well we're standing in the same place looking the same direction so short of moving one of the mountains it would be hard not to have similarities! His was in full sunlight with more snow and cloud and no mist in the valley so is quite different in many ways. PS you can have mine for a lot less than his!

Jan 17, 2015permalink

Dave Waldrup

Such beauty. It's not so much that I wish I had captured it as I'm glad he shared it. Inspiring to go and do likewise.

Jan 17, 2015permalink

divono2

very beautiful colours and vignetting.

Jan 18, 2015permalink


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