Indian Summer

[LumenLux]

If upon viewing, Indian Summer seems a little familiar - it is an Autumn view of a short route we hiked in Spring and Fall. Interestingly (to me) the amount of snow on some of the mountains is about the same, five months apart at the beginning and ending of summer. This winter however has had unusual amounts of snow so I think we could probably not even find the trail by May 2, this year!

"Indian Summer" is linked above and should soon be on Beechbrook. If you want to compare the Spring views, they are here in the previously posted This Morning.

My (often) central purpose of creating and posting is to share personal experiences and the beauty encountered along the way.

With that in mind, I like to know what might be appealing to viewers or what might make the presentations more interesting to you or my "in house" or "participant" viewers. So please feel free to share any reaction you have.

[KyDan]

Hello Lumen!

I enjoyed your Indian Summer show very much!

My wife and I are avid day hikers and it was fun to watch

your nice slide presentation.

It really me want to go there some day.

Well done.

Not too fancy which I liked. Some shows don't need all the special

effects, especially when they have spectacular scenery like that.

Now some questions--

the colors are very vibrant- did you enhance them or are they right

out of the camera?

Where is Circle All Peak?

Name that tune!

What song was playing?

A final screen giving this information would be much appreciated

but feel free to answer here if you wish.

Thanks!

Dan D. Louisville, Kentucky good ole USA

[dpeterso]

I like to know what might be appealing to viewers or what might make the presentations more interesting to you or my "in house" or "participant" viewers. So please feel free to share any reaction you have.

Hello -

Nice show. I liked the beautiful colors of the season as well as the mountains. The music was relaxing and worked well. Somethings that might help future shows of this genre: maybe give us a little history on the area you are exploring, give the music credits, maybe show a map of the area, you might try a more landscaped format when showing predominately landscapes, very careful pans can work well with landscapes, and maybe more (you had some) of a people connection with you and your friends, maybe show them doing things that hikers and explorers might do such as lunch, tipping a canteen, looking through binoculars, reading a map, etc. Also, you used a few blurry pictures, so you might want to have one of your friends carry a tripod. If possible, time your hikes to shoot in the "good light". I've said it before, great slideshows beging with great pictures.

Regarding this particular show, it's nice to see friends experiencing the outdoors, and you captured it well. Keep hiking and shooting.

Regards,

Dave

[fh1805]

You are blessed with some spectacular landscapes in which to do your hiking. The golden glow of those aspen trees is such a beautiful sight. Makes me yearn to visit the States in the fall and experience it for myself.

I'd go along with Dave Peterson on some of his points. It would be nice to have a map that set it into its geographic context and perhaps a little information either as voice-over, captions or by photographing information boards when you come across them.

But, that said, this is your show built in your style. In my book, you should always do things so that you enjoy doing them. If others then enjoy the fruits of your labours, that's a bonus!

[LumenLux]

Hello Lumen!

I enjoyed your Indian Summer show very much!

My wife and I are avid day hikers and it was fun to watch

your nice slide presentation.

It's a great way to keep physically and mentally active. Yesterday, wanting to capture some sunshine before last night's predicted snow. My wife and I set out for just a couple of hours to explore the other side of our city/valley. We stumbled across an adoption center for wild horses and burrows! There is always something new to aim a camera toward.

It really me want to go there some day.

I think our state has more National Parks than any state in the U.S. But I have often thought, the beauty found in the acclaimed locations is not clearly better. I sometimes think the National Parks are useful magnets to keep the masses off the more personal paths.

Now some questions--

the colors are very vibrant- did you enhance them or are they right

out of the camera?

I did shoot that morning with a circular polarizer. I used no computer adjustment for saturation or color shifting. You may have noticed two sequential slides of diagonal Aspen forest. The colors were quite different and I considered making them more the same but decided to leave, as you say, out of camera. On most these photos, I probably checked and sometimes used the levels control in Photoshop Elements.

Where is Circle All Peak?

Circle All Peak (strange name) is certainly "a lesser" peak. The summit itself sits right above the highway in Big Cottonwood Canyon which is host to Brighton and Solitude ski resorts, minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. The summit is 8707 with maybe only a thousand foot elevation gain over 2- 3 miles?

Name that tune!

What song was playing?

Flying Mountain, by Tim Janis

A final screen giving this information would be much appreciated

but feel free to answer here if you wish.

Thanks!

Dan D. Louisville, Kentucky good ole USA

Maybe next time for an info screen or two. Thank you for taking time to comment.

[LumenLux]

Thank you Dave for your observations/suggestions. I learn not only from your comments but also from trying to "answer" to myself on the points you bring up.

Somethings that might help future shows of this genre: maybe give us a little history on the area you are exploring, give the music credits, maybe show a map of the area

I think I sometimes feel a little pretentious, like I am making too big a deal out of a little slide show. But I can see it could also be seen as a courteous improvement for some viewers.

you might try a more landscaped format when showing predominately landscapes, very careful pans can work well with landscapes,

I like the landscape format, but I usually prefer to use my full monitor screen. Never-the-less I should consider this on each project. Yes, some nice effects can be carefully used to benefit.

and maybe more (you had some) of a people connection with you and your friends, maybe show them doing things that hikers and explorers might do such as lunch, tipping a canteen, looking through binoculars, reading a map, etc.

I agree, but also fear maybe some viewers mght think "enough already." (I have included a water-melon bust at the end of two of my presentations. Does that count?)

Also, you used a few blurry pictures, so you might want to have one of your friends carry a tripod. If possible, time your hikes to shoot in the "good light".

Ah yes, a Sherpa for my tripod. I like that idea. This is perhaps the area that I most would like to do better. But I suspect "better" will only mean "fewer" out of focus shots. I seldom pose my fellow hikers and most the time I am lucky if I am even stopped when I snap the photos of my friends. But you are right, sometimes a little more attention would result in less blurry and fewer blurry photos. I must admit I enjoyed seeing a couple of blurry photos in Andrew's latest epic. I felt like he was imitating my style. One thing I have been experimenting with is the ISO setting when hiking in early-morning or otherwise darker situations. Then I risk forgetting and leaving the high ISO to degrade pure scenics that don't need the speed. The other excuse is that I deem a photo to be important to me or other participants but an outside viewer may recognize only the blurry photo and perceive no relevant need. Ironically, I sometimes find that a "perfect" landscape photo sometimes seems out of place in a mostly semi-casual journalism approach of sharing an experience.

Thank you for taking the time to comment. I hope my lengthy response won't hinder your willingness to comment on future offerings I might post.