A compilation of three images of mountains and clouds, where finally no matter how big, enveloping or black the clouds are, their character is fleeting and the mountain stays. The clouds are a reflection of our problems or concerns and the mountain represents our inner strength and firmness. Nature gives interesting metaphors, valid for each person’s life, available for those who are capable of halting and contemplating.
Processed in Camera raw, with slight adjustments of lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop, with a slight color correction and cropping, eliminating a part of the sky above the mountain, which detracted sorne of its majesty and grandeur.
SIERRA NEVADA
Ful/ frame, 150 mm, F:16, 1/4 s, 100 ISO, polarizer
A portrait of a Mountain Gall Oak (Quercus faginea subsp. alpestris), a survivor of setbacks, marked by the harshness of the extreme climate on this plateau, reminding one of the face of an elderly person. The quintessential fog separates the tree from its background to create depth and a ghostly atmosphere.
Slide scanned with Joss of quality. «Processed» in Lightroom to create a base file from which to refine settings, trying to balance the loss of detail caused by the Jow dynamic range of the original. Edited in Photoshop, with a s/ight correction of its tones, applying a focus and at the same time trying to remove «noise» using the «dust and scratches» too/ and a slight «Gaussian blur» in a se/ected zone.
SIERRA DE LAS NIEVES
Analogue Camera, 80 mm, F:11 slide 50 ASA, 1/8 s
ICE STUCCOES
The cold of the night created these ice figures with such striking shapes that they seem to have been made in a mould for decorative purposes. In reality, their unique appearance is because the water under the ice has evaporated, creating these beautiful icy, almost floating textures. It is the photographer’s job to give the final touches to the work of art, creating the right frame to highlight the forms.
Processed in Camera raw, with s/ight adjustments of lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop, applying the last color corrections, removal of much of the dominant b/ue hues and cropping of the superfluous details.
SIERRA DE CASTRIL
Full frame, 70mm, F:16, 100 ISO, 1/20 s, polarizer
A waterfall that turns everything it touches into ice with the magic of its freezing waters. To keep it in harmony with its surroundings and the icy elements it has created, I chose an intermediate speed, giving more volume to the water, at the same time maintaining its texture.
Processed in Camera raw, with s/ight adjustments of lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop, applying the remaining color adjustments vía the «se/ective correction» too/ (of co/ors) and moderate cropping to remove superfluous details.
SIERRA SUR DE JAÉN
Full frame, 26 mm, F:11, 400 ISO, 1/20 s, polarizer
The ancient sea bed dyed white. The magic of the scene invokes the very distant past, as if it were an underwater reef with rocks, corals and anemones. In this climate it is essential to go while the snow is still falling or very soon afterwards to be able to capture the scene with the shortlived snow still on the tree branches and the rocks and no footprints of its numerous visitors.
Processed in Camera raw, slight adjustments of lights and shadows. Edited in Photoshop, building a panoramic file using «photomerg» with perspective correction. An inappropriate antenna and its cables have had to be cloned using the «clone stamp» tool on the Jeft margin.
TORCAL DE ANTEQUJERA
Panorama of 3 photos, Ful/ trame, 29 mm, F: 14, 1/60, 200 ISO, umbrell
An image with a long exposure so as to capture several rays in the same frame. If the storm is far away, the rays will overlap and if the intensity of the electrical apparatus is low, its (attractive) texture may disappear completely due to the long exposure. It would be ideal then to be close (not too close) to the storm and the lightning being intense and frequent, filling the sky and illuminating the setting, enabling to maintain the texture in the clouds by using a short exposure time.
Processed in Camera Raw, making basic adjustments. Edited in Photoshop, trying to separate the Jarge ray from its background by a local se/ection, increasing the contrasts. The photo has been cropped Jater to improve the composition.
ALTIPLANO DE GRANADA
Full/ frame, 24 mm f:8, 124 s, 200 ISO, umbrella
24
An expressive, dramatic scene, accentuated by the composition, leaving only a mínimum margin of earth as reference so it seems more insignificant and vulnerable to the threat of the storm that almost fulminated the photographer. An attempt was made to avoid overlapping the elements as far as possible, trying out different viewpoints.
Processed in Ughtroom, applying a gradient filter to balance the strong contrasts. Edited in Photoshop, bringing the images together in a panoramic file using «photomerge’ with a perspective correction through the «warp» too/ and a final color adjustment with «color balance’
HOYA DE GUADIX
Panorama ot 3 photos, Full/ trame, 32 mm, F:11, 1/2 s, 100 ISO, polarizer
17
A solitary tree contrasts with the burning sky; clouds of passion floating above the firmament. I have left only a mínimum of earth to accentuate the drama and tension of the composition, where the different phases of colouring of the clouds at sunset can be clearly distinguished; from an orangey yellow to the soft pastel tones. The long exposure has accentuated the movement of the clouds, thus adding to the dynamism of the scene.
Processed in Camera Raw, first adjustments. Edited in Photoshop, cropping (s/íghtly) and tryíng to recover the «original» color; Nikon sensors create strange effects at these hours of light with the stillneeded polarízer on the Jens.
LOS MONTES ORIENTALES
Full/ frame, 32mm, F:10, 25 s, 400 ISO, polarizer
The «dehesa» in bloom, crowned by a beautiful cloud and the traces of the last rays of the sun. The proportions of the shot with relatively little sky create the sensation of amplitude in the field. The «star» effect of the sun is achieved by closing the aperture to a f: 11 or more, and covering a small part of the sun, in this case with the trunk of the tree, to avoid fiare.
Processed in Camera Raw, first corrections, balancing contrasts between earth and sky by applying a gradíent filter. Edíted ín Photoshop, refining the colors, among others using a very laborious se/ectíon of f/owers, to remove theír dominant greenísh tones sínce the sensor confused them with the color of the herbs. I had to select and «redraw» the sun’s rays ín the sky to be ab/e to keep them visible in the final color print profile.
HOYA DE GUADIX
Camera APS-C, 12 mm, F:16, 1/4 s, 100 ISO, polarizer
Here the trees have managed to «unite» the two shores. Although it has its charm on a symbolic level, for the composition it is better to keep spaces in between to give enough «air» around them. At the same time as I close the aperture or apply focus stacking for these frames I also try the polarizer at different intensities to achieve a balance between reflections, colors and underwater elements.
Processed in Camera Raw, basic contrast and color changes. Edited in Photoshop, adjusting the «horizon» of the river, using the «straighten» too/ to correct the angular deformation. Adjustment of colors and contrasts, recovering detai/s in s/ightly overexposed areas.
RÍO TINTO
Full/ frame, 24 mm, F:16, 200 ISO, 1/8 s, polarizer
