I shot this near Hysham, Montana while traveling. There is something unusual going on in this photo; look closely and see if you can tell what it is. The usual comments/critiques are welcome. All shooting data is in the EXIF.

Lovely image. Hits all my hot buttons. Whatever's unusual is not apparent to me.

I might increase the contrast in the sky a little, but YMMV.

Peter

Darn. I hate it when the image gets "quoted". Now I know why.

P

Alien invaders from Mars?

We already did Mars a couple of years ago.

I'm thinking that the corn stubble is being burned? Looks a little smokey to me.

Or maybe I just need to clean my contacts.

Bingo! There's a layer of smoke obscuring the horizon and the lower portion of the sky. But it's behind two of the trees in the background, so they are clear and the rest of the trees are partially obscured by the smoke.

WooHoo! First I win a copy of Dan Margulis' "Lab Color: The Canyon Cunundrum" book, and now this.

Better buy my lottery tickets tonight

Subtle!

Could you see said smoke better in color?

Yes. Part of the reason I gave this image a B&W treatment was to get a bit of the early-morning mist look and not make it obvious that you're looking at charred, smoking corn stubble.

Hey Jonathan. I live in Billings, MT. About 75 miles or so from Hysham.
I get to travel that direction every month or two, and have always considered the drive somewhat boring. I guess since it is familiar, I need to change my perception of that area.
I wondered if that is smoke in the background, or is it fog from the Yellowstone River?
The weather in wintertime frequently causes fog in the Yellowstone valley,and I find myself watching the weather on the weekends. If it looks like high humidity, I will arise early (5 AM or so), and drive along the river. I love the depth I can get while shooting in the dense fog.
Anyhow, I love the picture. It really does look like that around that area.
Good luck with your stint in the Army! You have my respect!
LEE





http://leethal.smugmug.com
http://homepage.mac.com

It's definitely smoke, which is obvious in color. I was driving from Big Timber to Billings and the smoke was going across the freeway and was visible for several miles in both directions. I initially stopped because I thought it was from a grass fire (which it was, in a manner of speaking), but after taking the Hysham exit it became obvious what was going on and that the fire was highly unlikely to spread. I shot a few frames, and then got back on I-90 and continued east.