Rebel

By admin | Published January 11, 2011

I was out with the family last week doing family things. To say that these activities were mundane would be a gross understatement. To make matters worse we sat beneath a heavy cloud cover and were moistened by a misty rain; it was pretty much like walking through a sneeze all day.

Then something happened. As I was returning to the car to drop something off, the clouds broke for a moment to reveal that our rain and mist were something much more beautiful at higher elevation. I made my way to the top of the parking structure but found my view remained obstructed. It was then that I made a snap decision. Camera in hand, I scaled a wall to get a clear view. I shot for a while before I heard the long arm of the law approaching. A massive police officer pulled up, fired his sirens for a bit and ordered me down from my perch.

That’s the way my wife heard it anyway. He was actually 18, covered in zits and riding a Segway. It was pitiful really. Still, for a moment, photography yet again gave me something new and exciting–I was undeniably a rebel.

 

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47 Comments

  1. Posted January 11, 2011 at 6:02 am by Mirco | Permalink

    Stunning Shot. Well Done

    Reply
  2. Posted January 11, 2011 at 6:08 am by fabrizio | Permalink

    perfect equilibrium between power and delicacy I also appreciate very much this strong contrast between white and black, it’s a relly an impressive atmopsphere, very well captured, compliments as always an interesting work Chis

    Reply
    • Posted January 11, 2011 at 5:32 pm by admin | Permalink

      Thanks for the kind comment Fabrizio! :-)

      Reply
  3. Posted January 11, 2011 at 8:47 am by Anny | Permalink

    wow! worth the climb and the “cops and siren” this is so surreal. You are definitely a rebel with a cause :)

    Reply
  4. Posted January 11, 2011 at 9:38 am by d. k. sutton | Permalink

    I like the wispy clouds trying (but failing) to obscure the drama between sky and mountain and how that bold contrast is then met with the billowy softness below. Excellent shot! And next time you will need to be a little more covert! :)

    Reply
    • Posted January 11, 2011 at 5:32 pm by admin | Permalink

      Many thanks d. k.! Really appreciate that. Next time I’ll wear camouflage!

      Reply
  5. Posted January 11, 2011 at 10:15 am by yz | Permalink

    beautiful shot
    looks like the hills were topped with some icing sugar :)

    Reply
    • Posted January 11, 2011 at 5:36 pm by admin | Permalink

      Thanks yz–you’re right they do have that look!

      Reply
  6. Posted January 11, 2011 at 1:09 pm by Corinna | Permalink

    OK a) I love love love the story. Love the idea that you got so in the moment that you had to do something marginally illegal. b) where are the rocket boots when we need them? And c) I’m digging this processing you’re doing lately. What is this? Infrared? Negative? Very dramatic!

    Reply
    • Posted January 11, 2011 at 2:24 pm by d. k. sutton | Permalink

      Agree. I like the processing lately as well!

      Reply
      • Posted January 11, 2011 at 5:37 pm by admin | Permalink

        Thanks d. k.–sorry didn’t realize this was a nested comment. It’ll be ubernested now. :-)

        Reply
    • Posted January 11, 2011 at 5:34 pm by admin | Permalink

      Hi Corinna–sorry it’s taken me a while to respond to your comment (and everyone else’s for that matter)–it’s been a crazy day and I’m taking a 15 min break. I processed this shot with a high contrast red filter setting which helps to create the contrast between the sky and mountains. I also added some curves adjustments to increase the contrast further. A while back a really talented photoblogger gave me a tip that has really made a difference for me. He recommended David Nightingale’s photoshop tutorials–chromasia.com. I’ve learned so much and I’ve only completed about a third of the lessons. I highly recommend it.

      Thanks by the way for the kind comment! :-)

      Reply
  7. Posted January 11, 2011 at 1:39 pm by Daniel | Permalink

    Great variety in textures. Nice photo. Keep up the good work, Rebel.

    Reply
  8. Posted January 11, 2011 at 2:07 pm by Michael | Permalink

    STUNNING. What did this look like in color? (just curious)

    Reply
    • Posted January 11, 2011 at 5:37 pm by admin | Permalink

      Thanks Michael! I’ll post the original on my process link tonight if I can do it before slipping into a coma. :-)

      Reply
  9. Posted January 11, 2011 at 2:59 pm by PixeLuz | Permalink

    What a strange story! Police officers are stunning guys in America :)
    Anyway, you captured (or created by post processing it) awesome layers of light.

    Reply
    • Posted January 11, 2011 at 5:38 pm by admin | Permalink

      Thanks PixeLuz! Really appreciate that!

      Reply
  10. Posted January 12, 2011 at 2:48 pm by george | Permalink

    Definitely worth indulging in a little criminal activity for such a good shot.

    Reply
    • Posted January 12, 2011 at 8:24 pm by admin | Permalink

      Ha! Thanks George–a little mischief does us good I think! :-)

      Reply
  11. Posted January 12, 2011 at 7:05 pm by faisal | Permalink

    excellent dark black sky.

    Reply
  12. Posted January 12, 2011 at 7:05 pm by Kala | Permalink

    Stunning shot – I should look at those Photoshop tutorials you mentioned.

    Reply
    • Posted January 12, 2011 at 8:26 pm by admin | Permalink

      Thank you Kala–they’ve really been helpful for me and so reasonably priced considering…

      Reply
  13. Posted January 12, 2011 at 7:51 pm by sherri | Permalink

    A beautiful scene you’ve captured. I enjoyed reading about your rebellion too. So this really was a young cop, right? (I was threatened with arrest for taking pics of railroad tracks several years ago. He was a Barney Fife and I had to act like he was smart:-) Gotta love it:-)

    Reply
    • Posted January 12, 2011 at 8:28 pm by admin | Permalink

      Thanks Sherri! I should have mentioned–he was more of a mall-cop actually. He worked as private security for the center and was quite comical scooting around on his Segway.

      Reply
  14. Posted January 12, 2011 at 10:05 pm by Rue Du Lavoir | Permalink

    Je suis admiratif du traitement réalisé par le rebel. Tu arrives à sélectionner une seule partie (les nuages) pour la traiter et la tourner à ton avantage. Le contraste du noir est blanc est fort mais à la fois délicat. Curieux mais splendide.

    Reply
  15. Posted January 12, 2011 at 10:26 pm by sheila@drcason.org | Permalink

    Wow Are those the mountains just north of us??

    Reply
    • Posted January 12, 2011 at 10:28 pm by admin | Permalink

      Hi Sheila–yes, those are the ones. I hardly recognized them myself. :-)

      Reply
  16. Posted January 13, 2011 at 12:35 am by Phil Vaughn | Permalink

    This is freezingly majestic. I like it very much. The narrative is a good short story. I laughed out loud when I read “like walking through a sneeze.” Thanks for the entertainment!

    Reply
  17. Posted January 13, 2011 at 1:09 am by k@ | Permalink

    What a PURE beauty ! And how i love your story, one has to go up (and beyond authority sometimes) to see how life is beautiful when on the ground lil’ ants ignore it ;) Thanks a lot for your rebel forever young & beautiful temper*

    Reply
  18. Posted January 13, 2011 at 11:50 am by Michael | Permalink

    magic moment, as someone who grew up in the alps I really share thoughts

    Reply
  19. Posted January 14, 2011 at 4:08 am by Klaus | Permalink

    LOL, that’s good – a photographer must be a rebell. I must be stored in mind. Realy great shot .. and good choise with b&w .. good contrast with the dark sky.

    Reply
    • Posted January 14, 2011 at 8:06 am by admin | Permalink

      Couldn’t agree more–thanks Klaus! :-)

      Reply
  20. Posted January 14, 2011 at 4:16 am by Gemma | Permalink

    Well and truly worth being a rebel when you nail a shot like this.
    Pure photo brilliance Chris!

    Reply
    • Posted January 14, 2011 at 8:07 am by admin | Permalink

      Thanks so much Gemma–very kind! :-)

      Reply
  21. Posted January 14, 2011 at 6:43 am by Mike Blanchard | Permalink

    A great choice rebellion turned out to be in this case. A wonderfully dynamic shot…..especially considering it came from a parking garage. Nicely done.

    Reply
  22. Posted January 20, 2011 at 11:59 pm by Andrey Samolinov | Permalink

    Very majestic and moody photo
    Beautiful bw – excellent

    Reply
  23. Posted June 8, 2011 at 12:29 am by Claus Petersen | Permalink

    I can almost here the wind blowing here, damn cold this shot feels and looks.

    Reply

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