Sometimes you get lucky in seeing something that was not expected. I was on my way to New Salem yesterday which most often takes me by this Pelham Overlook on Route 202. I’ve photographed here before, but it generally doesn’t offer much to work with. The foreground is often too dark and captures with lots of pattern noise (one of Canon’s specialties) even when shooting a series of exposures for the different zones (HDR). When I saw the wonderful shapes of the clouds over the reservoir and the soft pastel light of the impending sunrise I stopped quickly…probably losing a couple of months worth of tire wear. 🙂
Here are two versions, portrait and landscape format, and I wonder which works best for you?
These are both single exposures at f/16, 2.5 sec for the portrait and 3.2 for the landscape, ISO 100, with the 70-200, 3-stop hard GND filter, upon a tripod and using a remote.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Nice and soft colours.
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Thank you, Bente.
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Landscape works much better for me. If the Fall colors weren’t there then it might be a different story.
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Thanks, q. If the foliage wasn’t there this would have been a black and white.
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Landscape. Much better especially as it seems to show less cloud movement which doesn’t sit well in this image. Its a spectacular scene and worth some tread. Colours to die (well, brake anyway) for.
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Thanks, Andrew. Well, now I have to say that yesterday’s and today’s are in my favorites. I go back and forth between which format I prefer, but I think landscape is winning me over too. Actually, to this point, Sandra is the only one who has preferred portrait. But she likes portrait better for almost everything.
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I’ll come back and reply to your comments in a little while. But on my way out this morning, I realized I told a fib. I did use a filter and you can now see that in the techs. 🙄
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I think the lines in the photo work better in landscape.
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Thanks, Lyle.
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Another in your recent series of beauties … I’ll take landscape, thank you. D
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Landscape seems to be taking it by a landslide. Thanks, David.
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Landscape for me. Was the bottom one taken first?
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Yes it was. Very observant, Jim.
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The fog does produce a lot of creative options…Love what you did with it.
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Glad that you like it, Charlie. Thanks.
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I much prefer the landscape view, because, for me, the fog is the most interesting part of the photo. The trees are nice, but I’m entranced by the way the wind is sculpting the fog, and the effect is a bit lost in the portrait view.
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The fog was what stopped me, Linda. That some color built up behind it was an unexpected bonus.
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Must certainly the landscape is the winner. Just not enough in the slim version to hold my interest. This is a print worthy one I think. The hovering fog adds so much to the fall colors along with the pastel hues of sunrise.
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Thanks, Yvonne. Yeah, the landscape format is winning by a landslide. It will be printed and added to the portfolio book.
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I prefer landscape also. For me the clouds and trees are your subject. With portrait it seems to minimize the clouds with all the foreground more than with landscape. Also I think we naturally see the world in landscape unless there is some sort of frame (tree trunks, rock formation, etc.) creating a portrait view. One last reason: portrait cuts in half the amount of clouds and tree I can see. They are both great subject so I’d like to see as much of them as I can.
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Thanks for commenting, David. I agree with all your points, especially the minimizing of the clouds. They were what stopped me in my tracks and the more the better.
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Well worth the quick stop! hmmmm, that is hard but I think the landscape for me. Or both. Yea, maybe both.
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I like the way you are able to adjust to the situation, Melissa. At least someone sees a bit of value in the portrait mode. 🙂 But I was predisposed to the landscape at the start and am now pretty much convinced. It does help to have both available though.
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