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Higher Ground (Church of Kópavogur)
1st PlaceHigher Ground (Church of Kópavogur)
arngrimur


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Holy Places (Basic Editing III)
Camera: Canon EOS-20D
Lens: Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Location: Kópavogur, Iceland
Date: May 6, 2006
Aperture: 20
ISO: 100
Shutter: 30 sec
Galleries: Architecture, Water
Date Uploaded: May 6, 2006

Thanks everyone for the votes and the comments.

Shot info
Getting the blending of light and exposure the way I wanted was quite a challenge in basic editing. There was a very big difference in illumination of the foreground and the church. Instead of using a split ND filter I used a long exposure and masked the upper half of the frame with a black glove on my hand. I guess that was about 10 to 15 seconds of the 30 second exposure time. Old school darkroom techniques come in handy at times :-)

Post processing
Development in RawShooter essentials 2005
. Pushed the Color temperature up to get a warmer color. I had set the camera to Tungsten light balance.
. Increased the tint to get more blue saturation in the sky.
. Increased Highlight contrast to make the church brighter.
. Changed the hue to get a slightly warmer green cast.

In PhotoShop
. Levels tweaked to increase contrast
. Hue/Sat to decrease saturation.
. Selective Color tweaks
. Resize
. Sharpen
. Add border

EXIF
. Model Canon EOS 20D
. Date/time original 06.05.2006 23:15:20
. Shutter speed value 29.999688 s
. Aperture value f/20
. ISO speed ratings 100
. Exposure bias value -1.00 EV
. Metering mode Average
. Flash Flash did not fire
. Focal length 12 mm
. White balance Manual white balance

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 250
Avg (all users): 7.4428
Avg (commenters): 8.1556
Avg (participants): 7.2143
Avg (non-participants): 7.5455
Views since voting: 12593
Views during voting: 470
Votes: 271
Comments: 88
Favorites: 20 (view)


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AuthorThread
06/01/2006 09:10:10 PM
þessi er alveg mögnuð, held mikið upp á hana
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/23/2006 03:39:19 AM
Great composition, love it!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/21/2006 03:37:06 PM
I really appreciate it when people explain how they took the great shots like this one. I really learned something from ur little glove technique. Amazing shot, and i think you got the exposure just right. The ground lighting looks like its full moon lit, and thats a pretty sweet effect!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/20/2006 12:03:03 AM
This is just crazy good. Congrats on the ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 06:40:17 PM
Your supreme eye for catching that extra touch of drama amidst the ordinary never fails you. Great stuff.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/19/2006 11:44:39 AM
You had the vision to find this composition, the technical skill to get the right exposure, and genius to use the puddle. I had to fave the shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/18/2006 04:56:00 PM
Congrats on your well deserved blue ribbon. Excellent shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/18/2006 04:00:10 PM
u are like a attempting advertisement for Ice-Land !
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/18/2006 10:51:44 AM
Beautiful Composition with the water spot...

GRATZ !
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/18/2006 05:04:49 AM
Himnesk mynd! Bar af í keppninni. Til hamingju!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 07:35:37 PM
Congrats on your Blue! Well deserved!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 06:52:54 PM
Congratulations m8
Meirháttar mynd
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 01:26:57 PM
Congratulations on the blue one, well seen and executed!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 12:56:17 PM
Congratulations & well done.
Enjoying your work as always.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 12:10:25 PM
Ooohhh... brilliant! Really a great shot! Excellent title, too. Congrats on another blue ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 10:07:32 AM
well done
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 08:26:33 AM
Frábær mynd Arngrímur til hamingju með bláa borðann.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 08:07:07 AM
This was my number one ! Congratulations ! Very nice work.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 07:39:04 AM
Frábær mynd, til hamingju Arngrímur!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 07:31:24 AM
Excelent photo. It sure has the WOW effect. Congrats for the blue!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 06:38:34 AM
brilliant work..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 05:55:50 AM
FANTASTIC PHOTO! CONGRATS
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 05:38:50 AM
Congratulations on the blue one, I think it was very well deserved! :) This was one of the two photos in this challenge that I gave a 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 05:38:12 AM
Glæsilegt! Til hamingju með þetta!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 05:25:23 AM
Congratulations on the blue, well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 04:39:59 AM
Congratulations. The colors, the reflection are great.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 04:31:43 AM
Cool! Congrats on yet another blue, go mag 7!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 03:44:00 AM
I gave this a 10...the clear winner...stunning photo, especially the lighting and reflection
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 02:45:52 AM
Congrats, Arngrimur. Well deserved blue ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 02:33:00 AM
Congratulations on your blue ribbon. This was a brilliantly composed shot with a fascinating subject.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 02:23:23 AM
Congrats on the blue. This is a truly exceptional image. Love the reflection.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 01:02:01 AM
A splendid image. Many Congrats ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 12:59:15 AM
great capture, congrats on the blue!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 12:47:47 AM
Awesome reflection!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 12:38:10 AM
Congrats! One of my top picks for sure, startlingly effective use of reflection.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 12:29:19 AM
Is there a place in Iceland that doesn't have these cool surroundings and backdrops? Congrats!

Message edited by author 2006-05-17 00:29:36.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 12:20:57 AM
Congrats to you! and another ribbon for Mag 7!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 12:19:35 AM
Congrats! This was definitely a superb image. Love the reflections!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
05/16/2006 10:38:36 PM
The reflection made the whole image for me. Wonderful shot, love the clarity, colors and contrast. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/16/2006 09:18:38 PM
Great image. Into my faves. I love the reflection. Top 15 for sure ;) Good luck!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/16/2006 07:01:23 PM
wow the reflection is amazing, but it doesnt look real
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/16/2006 06:38:27 PM
Heh - before I saw the title, thought "Must be Iceland" - I swear you guys have it too easy. Well seen.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/16/2006 01:25:46 PM
stunning shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/16/2006 11:50:46 AM
Great composition and great tones. Very well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/16/2006 09:28:14 AM
The reflection and edge around the pit looks overdone to me but otherwise it looks great - 7 from me
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/15/2006 09:04:37 PM
Nice capture. The reflectioin is great!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/15/2006 04:48:56 PM
Nice. Has a crisp, studio feel. I like it lots.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/15/2006 03:07:00 PM
One of my pics for the top spot in this challenge. I'm just amazed at the symbolism of this shot. The darkness all around and the beacon of light protruding out of the darkness. The reflection of the church really makes this a powerful image that stands out from many of the entries. Wonderful, 10 from me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/15/2006 10:24:06 AM
wow...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/14/2006 04:34:14 PM
Another Islandic ribbon, I'd wager... :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/14/2006 01:31:43 PM
All I can say is WOW, Its is fantastic and the colors comined in their values id stunning.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/14/2006 09:21:06 AM
I like it alot. make this a print. super compostion and that puddle looks like an eye.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/14/2006 06:07:38 AM
Well seen, my guess is Bragi or Lárus. 9 btw.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/14/2006 05:14:16 AM
very nice. I like the little reflection. could use a bit more cotrast I think. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/14/2006 02:38:58 AM
Great picture, but I never thought that was a Church in a Billion Years
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/13/2006 08:51:51 PM
Liked it!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/13/2006 08:37:29 PM
Love the composure! This one really stands out, great job!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/13/2006 08:14:10 PM
Ha? Er enn verið að spegla kópavogskirkju í sama pollinum. Ég var búinn að gefa mjög svipaðri mynd einkunn. Flott mynd en ég er lítið hrifinn af eftirhermum.
05/13/2006 06:34:24 PM
Wow, I love the reflectin in the puddle.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/13/2006 04:49:21 PM
Beautiful contrast and color...It looks like an old tire on the hill. The reflection of the building in the puddle is awesome. Definitely deserves a ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/13/2006 09:31:37 AM
Nice one. I love the reflexion and the dodging on the top left
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/13/2006 08:04:39 AM
Excellent shot...this should ribbon...Iceland? 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/12/2006 06:41:15 PM
Great architecture and the concept of it is so well captured with the rough terrain and the reflection in the small puddle. 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/12/2006 06:04:48 PM
One of the best :o)

Til hamingju með sigurinn :o)

Glæsileg mynd.

Message edited by author 2006-05-17 01:51:12.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/12/2006 12:23:49 PM
Really beautiful, one of the top images. The reflection is wonderful, as is the lighting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/12/2006 10:24:47 AM
This is awesome. bumping to 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/12/2006 09:16:00 AM
Very interesting reflection.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/12/2006 04:54:11 AM
Wow.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/11/2006 11:19:10 PM
Very cool use of reflection here. Great concept. Nice shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/11/2006 11:06:44 PM
This must be the only one i really liked in this challenge, unlike the usual shot this gives an oh so eerie feel and the church is like a beacon in a wasteland as well as the reflecting pool mirrors hope in such a desolate setting. Great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/11/2006 05:16:54 PM
Interesting reflection. Creative angle.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/11/2006 05:29:20 AM
Amazing church and well caught reflection.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 11:46:50 PM
An interesting image - good reflection
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 09:23:48 PM
this is going to do very well i think. very good. good luck
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 07:53:40 PM
Nice ligthing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 07:51:25 PM
beautifully composed..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 06:50:12 PM
This is a great photo. I love the reflection in the water and I like how small the puddle is too. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 06:23:57 PM
Incredible lighting and composition!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 05:58:43 PM
this is stunning! love the relection makes it for me! nice tones as well! (10)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 04:25:47 PM
Nice shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 03:50:23 PM
great reflection capture. absolutely beautiful
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 03:16:48 PM
Was the grain intentional? I think that it works against the subject and feeling of this shot. Other than that though, darn fine work . Nice saturation. I would have been tempted to over saturate this were it mine, but I think you made the right decision and kept a sort of "cold steel" tone to the image. Again, darn fine work.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 02:33:17 PM
Amazing colours with the white on Blue.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 02:30:32 PM
Awesome!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 12:01:02 PM
Good job of locating this angle for your image. Well done in spotting this. Nice color and exposure on this. Good luck in the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 10:56:26 AM
Spectacular picture! 9!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 07:07:32 AM
Beautiful! (Hefði orðið fyrir vonbrigðum ef enginn hefði sent inn mynd af Kópavogskirkju.... :P )
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/10/2006 03:09:43 AM
very different and also very nice..
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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