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We finally had some decent cloud cover in the afternoon, so I went to Mt. Diablo and climbed halfway up, to the 2,000 foot level to this place that I have been to many times before. (I only had to climb the last 1,000 feet..) I hoped that someday the light would be right to illuminate the center hill and trees against a darker background, and finally it all came together. This was my 6th attempt to get this shot. So that is 6,000 feet of climbing!
I have always enjoyed coming up here but the pictures I took never really conveyed how it feels to be up here away from everything. The winter rainy season has made everything green, and this will all be golden brown in a couple of months as the dry season appears to be starting now.
I live 5 miles away off the right side of this image.
The clouds really were dark like this in the original RAW image, but let me know whether or not you like them. I was just excited to actually get dark brooding clouds mixed with light. Are they too heavy?
1/8th second exposure @F16 with ND grad 0.9
| Title: | Path to Light |
| Username: | 
PatrickSmith |
| Uploaded: | 26 Mar 2007 - 2:50 PM |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 5D |
| Lens: | Canon 17-40L @19 |
| Recording media: | RAW ISO 50 |
| Tags: | Diablo, General, Landscape / travel, San francisco, Spring |
| Votes: | 208 |
Comments
Beautiful light Patrick. Worth every one of those 6,000 feet.
Howard
Fantastic! Great portrait composition. Love the light on the greens and the moody sky.
Only six thousand feet? Ooohhh... 
Worth it, though. Great shot. I'll bet that would look great in IR, too.
That track is intruguing.. want to walk a long it and see where it takes me...
Jeanie
Definately well worth all the effort Patrick, this is awesome, that light is incredible!!!
Rgds
Paul
Splendid light and the view is worth every step
Excellent workmanship!
Jennnnn
Quite an acheivement! But what a view, absolutely stunning....well worth all your perseverance. The clouds look a little ominous overhead, but the greens are stunning. Good shot.
It's.....it's....
OK...serious head on...the light on the tree to the right is fantastic...and that's where you should have been - unless there'd been a better foreground...one mole hill and a bit of rough grass to me isn't a great foreground, in fact it becomes the start of a better image when you crop it just below the crown of the rounded hill in the foreground.
I'm not overley keen on the unatural looking upper cloud but we'll leave that for another day.
I could just said - great - but the guilt would have haunted me forever, Patricko.
Tis a nice view and I do agree a bit with Kiethh, it does look better with most if not all of the sky cropped off
steve
What does Keith know?......LOL
I like it and that's all that matters isn't it? 
Ade
Thanks for looking!
Yes Conrad it was a bit of a walk!
Karen, Keith and Steve, it is a good critique. Yes the sky was very dark because some high clouds moved or the top of those clouds. But anything less than a 0.9 blew out the highlights. This is exactly the way the sky looked in the raw file. It was very dark.
And yes, I was down at that tree for quite a while, but the angle of the hills made it difficult to do much with it. I do have other shots that I made from there that I may post later as a comparison.
LOL - Keith.....thanks...
Good point Ade...he's just a rookie! ( running for cover....)
Patrick
What a wonderful view..and the depth of vision is superb..wonderful sky.
Di
Well, well, well, I would never have thought this was one of yours, Patrick, but it's really appealing all the same. The light touching the humps of the hills is a special element.
Keith Who? Roger??
Richards? Daltrey???
Good shot!
Jouko
PS I´m not mad yet, but sad I am.....
Thanks Di.
LOL Ian, I thought I'd mix it up a bit with this one. I rarely get clouds suitable for 'painting with light' sorts of shots. And I have lots of other shots from here that I may upload later, we will see.
Patrick
This is a great shot. For the most part this type of shot fails to transfer from being there, to image. You have managed to do this.
I like the clouds also. It is what was there..
Edgar
Patrick, this is a fantastic shot. The first thought that came to mind was,"it feels like I am their." This is a great one.
Lisa
A really lovely composition Patrick. This shot really captures the grandeur of the area. It must be nice to live there- even if you do have to climb!!
Ron
I love the middle distance Patrick, with all them shades of green, incredible depth!
Rg Tony
In my opinion, well worth the climb Patrick. I like the light/shade, colours and contours in this. The sky does not look too dark to me.
Nigel
Thanks for looking. The path in front drops off at about 30 degrees of slope and is difficult to walk up or down!
I know what you mean Edgar. That is why I had to come back so many times and I may go back a few more times.
That is what I was hoping for Lisa.
It is a great place to live Ron. The only problem is that the weather is 'too good' and I don't get many dramatic clouds like in the UK.
I like it too Tony.
Patrick
I like the composition Patrick, the light on the mid ground is exceptional. Personally I think the top bit of cloud detracts a little but only because the colour looks unnatural.
Dave
Thanks for looking.
Thanks Dave. The high clouds moved over the lower ones and it was very dark in spots. I might have another go at processing the sky, though it looks like this in the raw file. But maybe I can soften it up a bit.
Anybody else think a softer sky will help?
Patrick
yes.
Scroll the shot up and lose the 'bruised' cloud and see what you think.
This is why I live in California. When I go up in the hills and mountains, look down and say "That's where I live.", it's a great feeling. I live in a valley and I take a walk up just about everyday and look down at my town sitting against a mountain range. It's especially beautiful when the hills turn green like this during the rainy season. The lighting in this image is spectacular due to the storm clouds. I agree that moving a bit further could have eliminated the mound, but I know that any repositioning may have changed something else in the shot and the light was probably changing fast, so a crop off the bottom would be best. I'm not sure about the dark clouds at the top. Maybe a crop would improve it. I think the attention should be on the beautiful hills, but my eye seems to keep going to the dark storm clouds.
Lovely light and lead via the path way.Excellent composition.
Tom.
works well for me, and you,ve caught some wonderful lighting,nice work
all the best
clint
I think you have said it in your last line. For me its about the beautifully soft, spring light on the hills and the sky, even though it was there, seems out of place somehow.
Dave
The different tones of the clouds are effective Patrick...if they were there,why change them?
Superb light & stunning scenery,those greens are very good,nice & clear,very much worth all that climbing!
janet
doesnt quite do it for me Patrick, I prefer your seascapes for the reason of being a surfer, I would have liked to have seen the path all the way down and the mole hill does distract,
The sky is brooding and great plus the colours are verdant. Still much better a landscape than I ever catch
Great job. I wanted to ask how it comes your pictures are always so perfect...but you gave the explaination already...
Hedgehog
Thanks for looking! Perhaps I'll upload my landscape version with less sky next time. We'll see since I have lots of more dramatic stuff I might upload.
Dennis (chamberlain), I know what you mean. And I have other ones that are different. Most EPZ'ers dont' realize that we only get a couple of months when things are this green and there are alss decent clouds in the sky. The pressure is on to get all the green grass shots with good light that I can!
Yes Kris and Dave, maybe the landscape version or a square crop of this might be the solution.
True Janet, I can experiment a lot here so I'll return at least a couple more times before it dries out and the clouds go away until November.
LOL Paul, you are genetically programmed for the drama of the sea so I 'see' your point! I do have a few good seascapes up my sleeve that you may like more.
Patrick
A stunning scene Patrick, love the composition, light and rich green colours. There must be some really spectacular views of the surrounding area to be had from here
Beautiful emerald scene Patrick, works well in portrait, well done on the effort to get this high, great image, Adrian
Looks like a great view Patrick. It must be nice to have this on your doorstep. I have to agree that although the sky is naturally dark at the top, it unbalances the shot slightly. However, I like the way the path meanders through the shot. Not your best work but certainly worth keeping (especially after a long trek up the mountain)
Steve!
HI Patrick,
I think the sky gives it some Drama,Diablo Mt,but i can't take my eyes off those hills as the light falls on them and i've just got to follow it and the perspective and lead in is amazing.I think it's a perfect contrast,spectacular view and atmosphere.Take care.Ann
Magnificent light! Everything is sharp as a tack, another jaw-dropping shot.
I agree with Mr H about cropping a bit off the fg, were you trying to keep to the rule of thirds with the horizon? Other than that there's some beautiful light and colour in there - and CLOUD!
Mark.
fantastic clouds and light, looks like rain, did you get wet on the way down, love the way the grass looks like velvet...jojo
beautiful light illuminating the path through the green of the hills
I do like this Patrick, the subtle lead in with the pathway and the clouds look very fitting with the light and just broody enough
Sean
What Mr H said, I'm afraid.
And no I haven't been out with the camera, lol.
;o)
Wow what a view you had from up there, it's fantastic image
Glynnis
Thanks for looking!
Edmund (GlosTomcat), there are lots of great views, but the terrain is very steep and it is difficult to get unobstructed views.
LOL Steve, You've hurled! But I have other versions of this that will make you 'unhurl!' Actually I may make a square crop out of this.
Yes Mark, I was going for the top third to be sky. Usually I dont' care about the rule of thirds, as I usually go 60/40 or eve 50/50 on a lot of my shots if I get decent sky. Here, the camera was pointed downwared at about a 30 degree angle. It is steeper than it looks.
LOL Ian... Now would I ever suggest for you get off of your lazy something and go take a few shots? Me?
Patrick
You have managed to capture some beautiful light on those green clad mountains Patrick.
A great shot.
John
Super folds in the landscape and great light Patrick. Very well captured.
The mid ground light is exquisite Patrick, and as has been said, losing the bottom to the foot of the hill in the mid ground and losing some of the heavy sky making a square crop may well be the best solution.
Having said that, you finally have clouds, so you damn well made sure we saw them!!!
Martin
Hey Patrick, what a great shot. I like the way the foreground leads you in to all the luscious greens and curving mounds, very sensuous, sort of makes you want to skip along the whole thing, but I guess after 6,000ft upwards that won't be high on the agenda! I think if you were to stand near the tree on the right, perhaps you would lose that perspective along the path.
On the down side, I do think the cloud at the very top is un-natural looking and distracting, but overall I like the shot.
You're lukcy to live so close, cheers, Mac
I saw this go on when I was at work..very pleased and not at all surprised to see over 100 clicks before I got to it !!!
I love everything about this picture ..the controversial (spelling !!) clouds , the wonderful light the astounding view and the obvious love you have for your art !!!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... so take this as another big
Click !
Sara
you captured a well lit scene here Pat and yes the clouds are fine, look a bit strange though with the gap in the middle of the sky.
i expect the lush green will start to turn brown when i get there in 3 weeks...oh well, will have to get my macro stuff out again i suppose.
The word I am going to use is POTENTIAL ... thats what this shot has Patrick. There's some excellent light being banded around but the composition is letting this one down.
A longer focal length would certainly have helped to isolate some of thos fabulous details and light within the landscape .. in addition moving forward woild have placed you in a better position to make the most of the light ... it's simply 'lacking' impact in its present state.
The clouds at the top are a touch too over cooked too for me ... looks like a bit of enthusiastic burning rather than over filtration ... may have been better with a slightly heavier filter to get the same effect with better control?
Sorry.
Dan
perfection
Keith
p.s.
previous Chap shows potential in his spelling as well-too many errors to make a decent remark.
Patrick amazing view perfectly captured as it gives the feel of being in a plane looking down on this outstanding view!
stay well
tonymarq
Tony has a good point here, i feel like i could be on one of those hang gliders about to run off the hillside and catch some thermals, in fact having come back to this i like it a whole lot more than i did the first time i saw it.
that is one amazing view and a stunning composition to, top work Patrick
chris
Patrick
Without turning your post into a debate I would like to comment RE: Ringyneck's post.
The errors in my post have nothing to do with my lack of spelling ability and perhaps more to do with the fact it was 12.30 and I'd been working from 7.00am solid.
In addition I think it slightly flippant to infer that a misspelled word/s should cause a remark to be worthless and this is something that I feel we should not be promoting on the boards.
I often spot both typo's and spelling errors however that doesn't affect the validity of the posters comment and usually I am able to read between the lines - even with very poor grammar.
As long as the poster conveys their opinion that is all that counts.
Love the detail and definition the superb light brings out in the middle. The drama in the sky adds a nice finishing touch!
gill
Thanks for all of your comments!
LOL Martin, yes I made sure you saw them. I guess a aquare crop will work on this one. I do have a landscape version that works well too.
Yes Mac, lots of people agree. It was very unusual.
Thanks Sara, I like it too.
Terry, yes the layers were very unusual for around here and yes, the dry season is coming soon. So the pressure is on to get those green grass and light shots. There should still be some green in 3 weeks, though the clouds will by shiveling up by then. But you can still expect a couple more rain events before it all goes away until November. And yes, there are lots of updrafts here and the birds hang motionless in the air for long periods of time.
Dan, about the shot itself; the clouds are as they were in the RAW file and I left them alone when I processed it but they were extremely dark and contrasty to my eye. I actually have a landscape version that might work better, as there is less sky. And I'll be reprocessing this one to reduce the contrast in the clouds. Good idea about the longer focal length issue. I actually changed lenses a few times to isolate elements with the 24-105, but I need more practise at that as I'm not quite happy with them. And it took too long to change lenses and the light I saw disappeared too many times.
And I agree with your second comment. See right below.
Keith (ringyneck), thanks for the complement, but I've also made lots of typos in my own comments as well. I often discover them after the one hour limit and then I can't correct them. I have slight dyslexia and am constantly reversing letters. I proofread every comment but they still slip by. (I've corrected 3 just while typing this comment so far) But I still think I make good comments. Also, I want people to feel free to tell me how to improve my shots. So don't attack anybody here. Check out Dan's work and you'll see that he knows a thing or two about photography!
I'll try Tony.
I hope so John!
Patrick
thats was a long scroll.. pheww !!
Beautiful lush utopian Dream beautifully composed and pure paradise
Nikki
wow, i can almost feel standing on that mountain top with you..but that would be almost impossible considering I cant hike that far up anymore..the sunlight hitting the small patches of the hill tops, and the soft green colors are a glow...wonderful work again Patrick..I like how you spend so much time explaining your work...a lesson I should be doing...
alex
This view has totally blown me away! all thanks to this lovely image you have graced us with. What more can I say?
Wow, now that is part of God's country, excellent shot, love the rich greens and the rolling terrain! Spot on! Click!!!
Greg
Great light Patrick, well worth the wait and the climb
Malcolm
Patrick
Just as an aside I discussed this with Keith via PM and it was amicably resolved. I don't think Keith meant any offence with regards to typo's but obviously some people do take such comments personally.
Just to make this clear I am a BIG fan of Patricks work. I welcome Patricks constructive crit on any of my own posts and feel I genuinely benefit from strong critique from any member.
I look forward to seeing the landscape version of this one too! Sorry for intruding on your photo Patrick ... though I'm sure you don't mind
Dan
PS - Sorry about the clouds. You get more dramatic weather than I do over here in the Uk
Thanks for your comments! I'm way behind in commentinng but I'll catch up soon.
Yes Nikki, it can be a paradise sometimes. Often a dry and hot one but still quite nice.
Too bad you can't go up here Alex. Though you may not like the ankle breaking rocks hidden in the grass, or how when the grass dries up, you get millions of stickers in your socks.
Yes Greg, but this green will only last about another month. I've got to get out and get lots of 'green grass' shots.
Dan, I was wondering what happened. I'm glad you sorted it out with Keith (ringyneck). I don't think anybody thought you were doing anything more than analyzing the shot.
I wish we did get more dramatic weather. For example, it is crystal clear right now and the sky is almost black when you look straight up. Not good for photography!
Patrick
Not to mention 'going down'. lol
That will hurt my knees even more. Think I stick to the south slope of the Etna.! lol
Jan
I'd say those legs of yours are in great shape Patrick!!
I really like this shot and the dark clouds don't bother me at all.
Laura
Patrick, I was amused to see your comment that we favour the same settings, alas the similarity ends there, your pics are wonderful, whereas mine are!! well I do try, lol, thanks for the comment, Adrian
Patrick,
No, clouds are not too dark and brooding. I'm viewing on my calibrated monitor and I love the range of tones. Even in the darkest clouds, the detail is clear. I like this shot a lot -- worth the 6,000 ft of climbing. -=Walter
Looks like a good spot for hang gliding. The light is perfect. Your efforts paid off.
Paul
Thanks for your comments!
Yes Jan, these hillsides are steep and there are lots of crumbly rocks hidden inteh grass. Not good for knees!
They are Laura. I am in better shape thanks to photography.
Yours are fine Adrian. I'm just slightly insane about getting a shot of a place right in the water or up a huge hill.
Thanks Walter. This makes me want to try a B&W conversion. And actually the square cropped version looks good.
Paul, at the top (behind the camera abuot 2000 feet up the slope) they do lots of hang gliding.
Patrick
Beautiful image patrick, lighting is fantastic as are the lush green tones.
Superb Patrick.Lush green FG and good cloud layers.
Brian.
What an amazing image, beautiful lighting and colour....and those amazing clouds....
Colleen
Very well composed using the path to lead into the image.
Ted
OK, so I am behind on the whole commenting thing these days.....Catching up and ran across this one......Way Cool!
You are getting better and better at lighting up your side of the world, another words~in british terms, the (keithh lit hill look), this is wonderful!
Cheers and have a great Monday.....
Suze
Superb!
Depth, composition, colours and lighting...it's all there.
Well done!
Garth
Thanks for looking. I did a square crop and it looks good.
Patrick
I too thought a Square crop would work. Yet again you've captured one of those special moments where the lighting is magical.
It's a pleasure letting your eyes take the "walk" along the ridge, so thanks for letting us see this shot.
Superb...!
Tony...
Missed this before Patrick, the lighting out of this world, tremendous image.
Bill
Nice capture. The Mt. Diablo hillsides always look great with cloud coverage. I was just there, yesterday. The tarantulas are out looking for mates. Nice light on this.
I love it. Has a real 3D look of light in front of you and dark ahead. Good light off to the left on a farther hill, too. It has a surreal look...a sight that you see every once in while and say to yourself "If someone painted that we'd say, 'that never happens in real life'."
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