First hike in the Tetons

I went for my first hike in the Tetons yesterday, up to Static Peak. It was a perfect day, cool in the morning when we started and barely any clouds in the sky. Here are some shots from the trip. I really got a taste of the difference in polarization from different directions of the sun, some of the skies are very dark, others not so much. Some of my favorites are having trouble uploading to Flickr so I will post some more later once they are all done uploading. Still can't figure out this new Flickr share page. It says I have included 16 images when it's only 8... EDIT: Figured it out. Just had to delete the line below each picture. EDIT again: If some of the pictures don't show up fully, like they are for me, just click on them.

1.) Death Canyon on the way out.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/morlow/49053109​32/

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IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/morlow/49051860​42/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/morlow/49043999​51/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/morlow/49049946​26/

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It may have seemed like the perfect day but for photography the light couldn't be worse. The high sun creates strong contrasty shadows and makes exposure a nightmare. But good work under the circumstances.

Yeah there are definitely some major sacrifices to hiking peaks. You start early in the morning at the bottom of wherever you are hiking, where there usually aren't spectacular views when you actually have the nice light. By the time you get to the top it is mid-morning to early afternoon, when the light is the harshest. Plus I don't carry a tripod, since it is added weight that I don't want to carry up 5,000 feet. So all said and done I am taking essentially lightly PP'd snapshots. But I'm ok with that since the experiences themselves make up for the lackluster shots.

One more shot.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/morlow/49050742​23/

The light may be harsh but 1 and 2 are excellent. Great composition.

best regards
Josh

Excellent shots Chris! Miss that area and the spectacular scenery. Can't wait to go back next year.

I think these are great. I am envious of your opportunity.

The only clear room for improvement is with number 2 (in my opinion). A CPL would have really made that shot pop. Without it, you could try raising the black levels a bit and boost the contrast.

Nice work

JH

That is some awesome scenry. Thanks for sharing even if the light is not perfect.

Nice views Chris. It's definitely worth the hike.

[QUOTE=Morlow;10745763​]Yeah there are definitely some major sacrifices to hiking peaks. You start early in the morning at the bottom of wherever you are hiking, where there usually aren't spectacular views when you actually have the nice light. By the time you get to the top it is mid-morning to early afternoon, when the light is the harshest. Plus I don't carry a tripod, since it is added weight that I don't want to carry up 5,000 feet. So all said and done I am taking essentially lightly PP'd snapshots. But I'm ok with that since the experiences themselves make up for the lackluster shots.

Couldn't agree more. The one thing that seems to really help, as someone else mentioned, is a circular polarizing filter. I just leave it on the camera when I'm doing long day hikes. But you're right, I'd rather have the memory/experience with an average photo than compromising the hike for a technically better photo.

Thanks for the comments! I believe I did have the CPL on for the 2nd shot, but I must not have had the polarization dialed in correctly because the sky looks pretty light, and I did notice, when comparing it to the other shots, it looks pretty washed out. Needs more levels adjustment.