Walking To Solitude Photo

Photographer’s Note

A man plods onward in freezing temperatures toward the black, gargantuan hulk of Mt. Blanshard. He turns to me warily as I approach, eyes riveted on my dangling camera. He tells me he is birdwatching. His real mission though is to seek the solitude of the mountain and lakeside trails. He is gruff, bearded and friendly, but relieved that I do not follow him further toward the mountain. I let him go, watching his frame slowly disappear in the distance. The silence of the wilderness touches the soul.

Clairedelune, tibervince, Flavia, LyLong, axiotea, ballaln, pablominto, besnard, aloyho, riclopes, Nicou, papagolf21, chrisnet, ChrisJ, ManuMay, leonorkuhn, sleon, Cricri, Paolo, peter1892, wilkinsonsg, JCG, alvaraalto, lilimih33, PJE, Emile, singuanti, vesalius, PixelTerror, elihesamian, leo61, Tue, sabyasachi1212, parbo, syd1946, danos, Henryk_Bilor, Didi, Rosa_d_MonteLua, Muse, bertolucci, AiresSantos, Yffic, mortijo, dsidwell, Mistral, yogi32 trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

lemorse (370) 2007-01-31 21:12

Great photo and story. The trees look so delicate by contrast with the mountain. Funny how in such a vast space human beings would find comfort in parting ways. Course, solitude is a luxury when found on a mountain TFS
Jean-Pierre

Clairedelune (4885) 2007-01-31 21:13

Dear John,
Let me forget a moment your superb photo here...
I want to compliment you for this note. It is the first time that I read one of your note and feel John Cherrington behind. I have to say though that I may not have read all the notes you wrote since November 2004. Thank you John for giving a bit of yourself, a bit of your soul...
The photo? Gracious, delicate, almost fluffy trees on a dark background mountain.
Solitary man, a bird watcher. And you, behind, a beauty catcher...
Claire

Scharan (13955) 2007-01-31 21:16

Linda, linda linda!!!
Excelente foto, cores mágicas, trabalho belíssimo, meus PARABÉNS John.
Grande abraço,
Vera.

Ann75 (0) 2007-01-31 21:33

Hello John,

What a beautiful winter landscape. There is a lot of snow around. I love the white trees that have that frosty look. The man in the scene is a great addition, it shows how huge the surround scenery is. Great lighting and excellent colours. Well done, John!

Greetings,
Ann

siolaw (25800) 2007-01-31 21:40

Hi John,
Wow! The sunlit icy white trees in front of the dark forest coverd hill is spectacular, the rest of the compo is, IMO, s[ectacular too... one has to look real hard to find a defect to that picture!
Laurent

tibervince (781) 2007-01-31 21:45

Hello John,
What a beautifull picture... such a peacefull feeling... soft, fresh, airy... mysterious... you have captured this place beautifully...
thanks!
vincent

jakafahrial (213) 2007-01-31 21:50

nice capture... cold out there.

trinko (2940) 2007-01-31 21:51

great composition. very good colors. niece sharpness. the bare trees with snow are very good

MIG13 (0) 2007-01-31 21:53

Hi, John, this is a dreaming landscape! Great contrasts, depht and sharpness! Well done! TFS! Best regards! Miguel.

jsbedard (70) 2007-01-31 22:06 [Comment]

Show Comment

PJE (19483) 2007-01-31 22:53

John I think the contrast between the white frosted trees and mountain side is really attractive here. Also the perspective snow trail brings a wonderful invitation for the soul. I love this one from this area John...perhaps your most dynamic one yet. So what else have you got up your sleeve to share? Thanks for sharing!

Polonaise (5638) 2007-01-31 23:02

Dear John C.
Beyond comparison...Beyond competition...
My deepest respect for producing such a marvel..
Thank you, dear pal.
The note…It added a lot of depth

touched
george

PS: Somehow..It reminds me my very own shot...
By it's solitude...

Flavia (10202) 2007-01-31 23:45

Hi John,

Excelent composition using the raod as a lead. Beautiful light. The white trees and the man silhouette make this a very especial shot.

Regards,

Flavia

ndb1958 (9248) 2007-02-01 0:01

How beautiful, John. Would love to make a walk through the snow of this beautiful landscape. Looks like pouder on the trees. Great contrast against the dark mountain. Nice lightning. Nino

LyLong (1690) 2007-02-01 0:01

What a incredible shot! The half bottom looks like monochrome tone and the perspective lines lead the vision towards the mountain, all perfectly done. Thanks.

axiotea (16227) 2007-02-01 0:09

Hi John,
Fine compo here with snow capped peak as a backdrop for this nice scene of a person walking up that snow path... the snowy trees on black BG are superb
TFS
Marilyn

devimeuxbe (56188) 2007-02-01 0:31

Hi John
wonderfull contrast between the white trees and the dark background. Excellent also the POV with the pist.
A great realisation
Bertrand

excited (143) 2007-02-01 1:23 [Comment]

Show Comment

ballaln (400) 2007-02-01 1:26

John,

Excellent picture. I really like the contrasting background and seems like the man is walking into eternity!!!!

Very original and very interesting.
TFS

Cheers
Pradeep

pablominto (41122) 2007-02-01 1:26

Hello John,
A lovely perspective, and the frozen trees stand out so well on the dark background!
The track are taking me nicely into the scenery, up to that tower in the back and whatever is behind...
Well composed presentation with fine details!
Greetings,
Pablo -

besnard (30976) 2007-02-01 1:58

Bonjour John
Superbe ces arbres tous givrés et la montagne qui se détache sur un beau ciel bleu. Bonne idée d'avoir intégré cet homme perdu dans l'immensité blanche.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

ohe (2332) 2007-02-01 2:03

Dear John,
Very nice shot !!
POV and framing works very well.
Thanks for sharing,
- Olivier -

aloyho (6109) 2007-02-01 2:09

Hi John,
I am really being captivated by the shades of blue from your winter scene though most would probably like to avoid the winter blues. The very delicate trees lining the road contrasting against the solid mountains really bring out the beauty of this shot. The exposure is just perfect for a good visual impact and the lone figure allowed me to absorb the mood of the moment. Great shot!! Regards.

jjcordier (25086) 2007-02-01 2:21

Superb photo, John! Excellent composition. A very good visual impact.
Best regards
JJ

Graal (58515) 2007-02-01 2:43

Hi John,
beautiful view and winter, fine composition, good contrast and colours. I like it. Good job.
Gr., Aleksander

riclopes (33117) 2007-02-01 2:56

Uhau John, each post you surprise me with a better image. This is awsome: The strong perspective, the very beautiful white naked trees against that dark mountain, the tracks with the lonely man, searching exactely that - lonelyness & meditation on the mountains. Love the note. This is really good.
Congratulations!
Ricardo

papagolf21 (56593) 2007-02-01 3:54

Bonjour, mon ami John,
Splendeur, beauté, magnificence !
Tels sont les mots qui viennent à l'esprit quand l'on regarde cette superbe prise de vue.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Fis2 (46221) 2007-02-01 4:45

Witaj John!
Beautiful winter image! I like the composition and frame. Interesting light. Person adds savor of photo. Good work.
Regards
Krzysztof

chrisnet (20376) 2007-02-01 4:48

Hi John,
What a wonderful winter landscape! I like the snowy path and the person which walking here, the panorama of mountains is superb. I like much the white trees also, great winter atmosphere, well composed and done. Congratulations.
Best regards
Christian

cbrman (18985) 2007-02-01 5:29

Hello John,

Les arbres givrés se découpant dans la partie sombre sont superbes ! Cette zone de fort contraste m'a plus attiré que le très beau chemin enneigé qui sert de jolie ligne directrice vers les montagne !
Bravo !

A+

Dominique

ChrisJ (70393) 2007-02-01 5:44

Hi John

A superb winter wonderland shot, with marvellous graphism, enhanced by the snow. Good sharpness, & excellent use of diminishing linear perspective. The lone hiker adds a human element. Tfs!

ManuMay (11229) 2007-02-01 5:51

What a contrast!!
Good composition.
TFS
Manuel

dkeus31 (26320) 2007-02-01 6:01

Hello John,
Nice composed winter view with the two lines of trees well framing the path and leading the view.
Regards
Didier

danyy (69279) 2007-02-01 6:43

Bonjour John,
il est bien heureux ce promeneur, seule dans le calme et le silence, foulant du pied cette neige pure et blanche.
On envie des fois ceux qui profitent de cette nature généreuse.
Bel arrière plan avec ce sommet neigeux.

Best regards.
Daniel.

leonorkuhn (13945) 2007-02-01 7:40

Hi John,

Very beautiful composition. I like the tenderness of the white trees and the soft snow in great contrast with the dark mountains. The lonely man seems to walk for the dark side. Perfect light.
To my favorites.
Have a nice day
Leonor

barni (14563) 2007-02-01 8:19

Bonjour John
Une belle couche de neige... ça fait plaisir à voir.
La partie sombree au milieu de l'image rend très bien.
Salutation
Christophe

sleon (9352) 2007-02-01 8:46

Hi John
What a beautiful and imposing winter scene. The compo is excellent, with a nice perspective along the path and a dramatic backdrop. The white trees stand out well against the dark background and the presence of the person adds the perfect focal point.
Regards, Susanna

Cricri (43524) 2007-02-01 9:15

Bonjour John,
Il régne un calme absolu, douce lumiére sur les arbres giver par le froid, cet homme courageux a l'air tout petit dans ce chemin et face au montagnes, belle réalisation, félicitation
bonne journée
amitié
cricri

Paolo (40751) 2007-02-01 9:31

Hi John, amazing image with that long road made of snow and the lonely man. excellent quality and perfect exposure with a great work on the light.
thanks, ciao

coco (28030) 2007-02-01 9:40

Hi John.

Again a snowy landscape and this the man walking in the road between the marks of wheels looks real suggerent and nice.
In Barcelona, where I live, is not possible see this kind of landscape because if sometimes snows is very soft.
Nice and well composed.

Thanks for share.

batalay (21122) 2007-02-01 10:08

What a gorgeous shot, John. What is especially dramatic are the hills in the intermediate distance appearing in shade, and so dark, in contrast to the foreground and the snow-covered mountains in the distance. The hills create a very nice swath of dark paint, forcing one to look closely at the footpath, and the peaks in the background. I liked your note, succinct and informative.
Bulent

carper (65426) 2007-02-01 10:42

very good one John,
the prspective is going with the walker into the dark shadow, well seen shot, good pov, very good quality here, well done.
gr. jaap

peter1892 (3201) 2007-02-01 12:30

Hi John - wonderful image, solitude indeed. Apart from the beauty of this winter scene, your own vision is evident here from the note that accompanies this image. Perfectly executed!

sothy81 (8540) 2007-02-01 12:33

Nice shot John. I love this white trees contrasting well with the black mountain in the BG. Also the white mountain on the next BG is well contrasted with the white snow. Well done. Sothy

plimrn (19688) 2007-02-01 13:04

Hi john,
You've framed this perfectly with the tracery of the deicate frosted branches against the dark hillside. Within the snowy foreground, the road leads us right to the bright mountain above. Your story brings the solitary walker to life. HLJ, Pat

markstaples (15670) 2007-02-01 13:24

Superb perspective, great contrast with the white against the black backdrop. A beautiful piece of work.
Best wishes
Mark

jafadabret (40137) 2007-02-01 13:32

Ces arbres givrés, John, sont magnifiques et sont bien mis en valeur par le fond sombre que leur fait la forêt de la montagne. La perspective de la route et l'homme qui s'y déplace donnent du dynamisme. Le bas de la photo aurait déjà fait un excellent cliché mais la montagne enneigée est du meilleur effet.
Jacques

wilkinsonsg (8646) 2007-02-01 14:03

I like the POV and the almost graphic elements of this shot - TFS :)

Albrecht (11177) 2007-02-01 14:22

Hi John
Marvellous walk there; great view on the mountains and winter-wonderland.Hope to get that here one day, but I guess the winter has passed without freezing and snow.....

greetings from Holland
Albrecht

Gerrit (36111) 2007-02-01 16:32

Hi John,
that's how trees are at their best. The way you managed to put them against the dark mountains to provide optimal contrast is magnificient.
Great composition too.
Regards, Gerrit

alvaraalto (5285) 2007-02-01 16:43

Hi John,
Great winter composition with the colours of the Estonian flag.
The fragile white cobweb of frozen branches stand out beautifully against the black mountain.
Groet Rob

xavshot (62981) 2007-02-01 17:40

Bonjour John
c'est une grande et belle photo. J'aime beaucoup cette allée entourée par les arbres blancs et le promeneur au milieu de ce paysage. Bravo
Xavier

Photo65Net (43096) 2007-02-01 17:50

Hello John,
Amazing brightness of this foreground snow.
I like the different parts of this picture, very contrasty.
Regards,
JB.

lilimih33 (9874) 2007-02-01 18:00

Hello John!
Great colours and perspective! Lovely contrast!
Good sharpness! Wonderful place!
Excellent done!
Lili

Emile (20051) 2007-02-01 19:29

Hola John.
Very good composition and an excellent note. Beautiful winter landscape with good contrast in colors and lighting, your POV is great. This special man is an important subject in your shot. Well done.
TFS. Regards.

singuanti (15240) 2007-02-01 22:29

Wow John! Everywhere I look I see something that is spectacular. The road obviously serves as a great lead-in and the trees it points us to capture the eye with their ice covered look. The big mountain in the background serves as strong focal point. Superb work John!!

vesalius (857) 2007-02-02 0:02

Hi John,

As always, spectacular shot. The composition is particularly good and haveing the chap in the shot finishes it perfectly.

Beautiful.

Don

PixelTerror (86620) 2007-02-02 6:05

Hi John,
A beautiful winter image, the upper part seems to lack a bit contrast but on the lower path the snow is shining, which aloows the person to contrast well against it.
I definitely have to spend a while in Canada in winter one day, 24 years until pension and counting ;-)
Have a nice week end,
Jean-Yves

JCG (25651) 2007-02-02 7:06

Hi John,

I like very much the contrast of these trees frosted with this dark background. A splendid landscape of a great serenity. The beautiful light gives a superb whiteness to this snow. The point of view is imposing, thank you for sharing John.

With my frienships,

Jean-Charles

elihesamian (26091) 2007-02-02 10:15

Hello John,

Amazing natural contrast between the snowy road,trees and the dark mountain you seen and captured skilfully,a special story,I like it,and the shot with its atmosphere and soul absorbs me to itself very well,nicely composed and great shot,Thanks,
Best
M

leo61 (43562) 2007-02-02 11:11

Hi John!
Wonderful wintercomposition.
Great depth,the lonely person at the perfect position and an amazing contrast of the frozen trees with the mountans in the shadow.Only three colors,but a great effect.
Regards,Leo

gilou530 (35554) 2007-02-02 17:14

salut john
trés beau contraste des lumiéres dans ce paysage de montagne, ou la beauté de ces arbres tout blanc est superbe
amitiés
gilbert

Tue (25608) 2007-02-02 17:56

Hej John,
Beautiful photo, I enjoy your winter captures even more because of the lack of snow and low temperatures in Western Europe this year. I really like the view of the white branches agaist the dark mountains. The man is a great addition. Very well done and thanks for sharing!
Hilsen,
Lars

sabyasachi1212 (19546) 2007-02-02 23:20

Hi John,
Splendind! Sure is an excellent POV, the lone walker through the snow laden path with the mountain in the distance. Your note is first rate too.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

jemaflor (39649) 2007-02-03 3:23

Hi John,
What a lovely shot, well the human presence and i like too the effect of these snowt trees on the dark backgroud, very well taken, bravo !
later ...

Budapestman (42610) 2007-02-03 5:41

Hi John,
What a fascinating and peaceful atmosphere! I like the contrast beetwen the dark mountain and glittering trees. Picturesque details and excellent POV. Superb quailty and frame. Beautiful shot!
Have a nice weekend!
George

Davidwh (3654) 2007-02-03 5:58

Hi John,
The lone man in the image really contributes to the solitude and vaste expanse of the landscape...without him the lonely atmosphere would be much reduced.A clever under-exposed capture of the dark forest so has to have the frost covered trees stand out so well.A poetic note that touches your feelings....well done.
Regards, David

LCannon (2776) 2007-02-03 8:53

A stunning photo John! I love the white trees against that dark background. The lone man walking adds to the mood of solitude. The sunshine on the peak shines so brightly yet still has perfect exposure, well done, TFS.

parbo (11004) 2007-02-03 12:23

Hi John,

Frozen tree branches at front of dark mountain ridge are giving infrared effect to your photo. I like road full with snow and tire prints, dark ridges and again white, huge snowy mountain under blue sky. The lone man adds the life needed for your photo and helping to us imagine the scale of your landscape view while snowy road is creating good perspective with trees at banks. Congratulations. I wish you a very good week-end.

Friendly Regards,

Ertugrul

syd1946 (17953) 2007-02-03 12:46

Hi John,
A superb and impresive shot!The road full in snow and these lines lead us and the man of your composition to this amazing place.The trees are what I like most in your image.The contrast between them and the black backround is excellent.Nice note as well!

Wishes for the weekend,
Thomas

danos (33016) 2007-02-03 12:57

Hi John,
I wonder where the man going in this snow road.Very difficult mission in such freezing temperatures.Nice your shot with vivid white colours and lighting.Great contrast and sharpness make your capture marvellous.Well done, John!
Regards,Danos

ben4321 (9807) 2007-02-03 14:49

Sometimes an image comes along that deserves to be seen at a higher resolution than this site allows. This is just such an image, and the blocky effect in the sky and the dark areas of hillside resulting from the JPEG compression is a little unfortunate.
Compositionally this is superb; not only do the two lines of frost covered trees frame the path beautifully, but they also look great set against the darkness of the mountain behind.
There's a massive range of brightness levels here, which must have made for a problematic exposure situation, so the over-exposure on the snow covered track is understandable. I do think under-exposing to reduce the brightness of the snow and expose it correctly would have improved this though.
This is a great shot John, although let down slightly by the over-exposure.

Cheers,
Ben

capthaddock (28640) 2007-02-03 15:23

Hi John - 3 things I find here that make the shot, placing the snow covered trees against the dark foothills which really bring them out, the presence of the walker, and the majestic peak above, alltogether make a fantastic trio, the weather is so boring here in SF, it has hardly rained at all this year, and the air pollution as I look out the window is atrocious.

rbassin (4255) 2007-02-03 16:29

Bonsoir John,
Superbe composition de qualité, bien vu les arbres blancs de neige se découpant sur la montagne sombre.
Le chemin tracé dans la neige crée une belle perspective.
Roland

Henryk_Bilor (20367) 2007-02-04 2:38

Hi John
Yes, the silence of wilderness is great (yesterday I spent almost whole day on dunes, alone). Beautiful place with the frozen landscape. I hope this man wasn`t attempting to climb on this mountain ;).
Regards

Didi (36332) 2007-02-04 16:25

Hi John
It's a very nice picture with a very good control of the exposure.
The foreground is fantastic.
I have not found any over exposure on the whites.
I suggest a WS not for correction but to give you a variant idea.
Cheers

[workshop] [compare] +

Rosa_d_MonteLua (1504) 2007-02-04 18:27

Hi John!
Amazing winter landscape with perfect contrast between the white trees, the dark mountains on the background and the blue sky.
Good colours and luminosity, and excellent sense of depth.
TFS and have a nice week,
Rosa

Muse (31047) 2007-02-05 4:57

Bonjour John,
Très jolie photo où la silhouette de la forêt contraste bien avec ce joli paysage enneigé.
Le pov est bien choisi.
Excellente journée
Denise

teutza (10568) 2007-02-05 14:53

HY John,
well the winter came in almost all places ..
beautiful landscape..great colors..i like those trees full of snow!!
TFS!
teo

John_F_Kennedy (31865) 2007-02-06 12:00

Wonderful deep blue sky against pure white snow. Great colours and sharp details
Achim

Stepan (27175) 2007-02-06 17:23

The title is strong and pertinent. So is the compo, with a great visual impact. You design a strong mood here, with that walker in this sea of snow. Excellent.
Stéphane

bertolucci (11990) 2007-02-07 2:40

Hi John, this as evocative and filmic as it gets. Like a closing sequence of a movie - yes still operating in movie mode a bit. I love the strong perspective, the balanced composition, hard contrasts and of course the placement of the wandering birdwatcher in the frame. Xcellent with impeccable tech.
Best wishes,
Bert

AiresSantos (42714) 2007-02-07 9:39

Hi John,
Magnificent picture, very interesting note.
Superb POV, great colours and sharpness.
Very well seen and done
My best wishes,
Aires

Gregtom (7119) 2007-02-08 3:07

Hello, John!
This is really a fantastic winter landscape with its contrasts and light effects! I like this straight snowy road, leading to... nowhere, black hole on the background of the distant, majestic peak. Man can almost feel closeness to the nature in this shot! Fantastic work!
regards,
Greg

anesugur (16942) 2007-02-09 4:30

Hi John,
Very beautiful view.
Superb composition, colors and good POV.

Congratulations. Uğur

Yffic (6106) 2007-02-10 12:56

Hi John.

A real superb picture.
Composition is vey nice and colors are awesome.
A real,real nice work.

Regards.

Yves

Jeppe (18623) 2007-02-11 16:47

Hi John

A great scenary you present here - I like the mix of lines and the contrast between snow and black rocks - The man gives the true perspective and dimensions - thanks for sharing.

Jeppe

mortijo (12356) 2007-02-13 5:16

Yhis is a truly beautiful photo, a magnificent winter image. The perspective is great and the contrast of the frosty white trees against the black forest is amazing. Thank you for your note. Perfect, My sincerest congratulations.
Rgards,
John

cam (8880) 2007-02-14 18:05

John
I do not know what I will give to be at the place of this man,and no need to have an excuse to be there,such beauty.
I wondered what feeling I will get at looking at a vertical composition,with the trees just inside the frame?Do you have one?
Good personnal note,a savoured personnel moment.
Do you have a ND grad filter?You could have use one here,with the dark part at the bottom,as the light looks strong there.

A dream come true.
Lucky you
Charles

mesutilgim (37148) 2007-02-17 18:02

Hi John
Simply "breathtaking" . Great, gorgeous ; what shall I say ..
Compo, pov, colors evrything fits so well. A real TE shot, a masterwork !
TFS,
MESUT ILGIM

dsidwell (9745) 2007-02-21 9:03

It's winter here, too, John, though we may be past the hoar frost days. It did snow again last week. I really like here how the frosty trees have that nice, dark background in front of which to show off. The mountain behind is another wonderful element. Winter for me is a wonderful time for photography. So many interesting shapes and textures.

evanrizo (456) 2007-03-31 14:21

Heeeyyy John, what a marvelous image!!!
What a great composition, the white trees with this durk background give a wonderful effect.
The idea to have the man inside the photo gives also a very good ton.
The light control here is perfect.
Cheers
Evan

Mistral (13744) 2007-04-06 14:22

Hi John,
excellent picture but along with your delicate note it's much more...
Great work!
A smile from Italy
Luca

totoamoto (2288) 2007-12-29 4:33

Salut John.. Cette photo est magnifique
Les contraste enre le noir et le blanc sont parfaitement positionner,.
Cela donne envie de prendre cette route.. vers ces montagnes enneigées..
Félicitation..
Cyril