What it Was

[Not a valid template]

This image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens, the Canon EF 1.4X III TC (hand held at 215mm), and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1 2/3 stops: 1/2000 sec. at f/11 in Av mode. The big underexposure was needed to prevent the dark background from overexposing the highlights. I started at -1 and kept going darker until the blinkies disappeared.

Lens/TC/camera body Micro-adjustment: +1. (After I had this particular Mark IV repaired and adjusted the micro-adjustment dropped from +5 to +1 with the TC in place.)

On June 28th, I asked, “What is it?” As you can see by viewing the original capture above, the first three respondents pretty much hit the nail on the head especially Alf Jacob and Don (who got the lens right but forgot the teleconverter):). Note that the focal length was 215mm.

It was in fact braided streams of water from the snow melt coming down a tundra-covered hillside and flowing into a seasonal stream. We enjoyed superb weather and when the wind was not blowing (which was often) it was summer-like. Thanks a stack to Patrick’s wife Robin who had the creative vision to point out the potential in this situation. We were coming down some switchbacks after making images of Svalbard Ptarmigan when she shouted out, “Stop! Look at that.” We all had lots of fun. BTW, as I was flying back to Orlando Patrick and Robin stayed behind and took off on a week-long car trip around Norway; Robin’s ancestors are from Norway.

Of interest is the processing of the image. I used a technique that I use often when creating silhouettes: I create a Levels Adjustment Layer, hold down the ALT key, and move the shadow slider well to the left to make the BLACKs blacker than black. They are in fact technically way underexposed. When all the dark areas light up with the blue underexposure warning I let go of the ALT key and adjust to taste. This usually entails backing off a bit as I did here. The trick is to see the potential for images like this while you are in the field, expose them properly, and then optimize them to realize your vision.

[Not a valid template]

Here is the optimized image for comparison and for your enjoyment.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear used to create the images in today’s post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot–as above–with the 1.4X III TC.
Canon 1.4X III TC. This new Series III TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My two Mark IVs are my workhorse digital camera bodies.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.

Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable. Clicking on the link below will bring you to the Delkin web site. There is lots of great stuff there. If you see a product that we do not carry let us know via e-mail; we will be glad to have it drop-shipped to you and save you a few bucks in the process.

I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0 for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gift with each order over $50.