Amazing clouds - wow.. they look surreal! so thick, yet so neatly arranged. UFOs are coming! eep.

Not even just the sky, everything's just so vibrant and colorful. Awesome capture... amazing color.

Wow, love the richness of colours in this photo. :)

my jaws dropped after seeing this one!! the colors are incredible. If it is not too much to ask, please write about how you processed this one. There are too many areas to work with (the way i see it).. so I am more curious that usual. Great work Sam!!

Hello

You're images are very spectacular.
Could you say more on the part of retouch in Photoshop ?

There is a location on your site where I could find your photo before and after Photoshop retouch ?

If not, do you think it's a good idea that you explain you retouching work ?

Thanks,
Jerome

A very pleasant shot. It's nice how the buildings at the distance still appears close enough to see some details. I guess the lens quality makes a whole lot of difference. I can't get shots like these with my compact camera... perspective is emphasized too much.

Very interesting, the light is not real, the picture is very strange, not natural, like a big composition of different pictures...
i like it ;)

WOW!!Elegant image. Gorgeous colors!!

You're using a ND-graduated filter here as well, right? You can see that the tips of the biuldings are darker than the bottom.

Sometimes life just seems unrealistic...this photo captures that. absolutely beautiful.

your work is really amazing. i found your site on photobloggers. i have never commented on your work coz hundreds of people already do. but right now, im the first person to comment, so im doing it. i always make sure to visit your site whenever i feel like satisfying my photography craving. i'm 18 and im an amature photographer, and someday i'd like to be able to produce work as amazing as yours. =)

It looks magical.

Another stunning shot.

If it were not for the foreground, it almost looks artificial.

amazing as always

i love the blue

sam, i read in a book about film photography that you can get deep blues by using a different ISO film, I am not sure which number... is this true for digital photography too?

Sami

I've no idea how you do this but your clouds are always just superb, and in this photograph they subdue the urban landscape beneath them. If there is anything to draw my attention on the ground it's that patch of sunlight in the distance.

looks like a fairy tale. love the polarizer effect.

wwwwoooooowwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this one is amazing.....
can't believe it. so beautiful.
you are the best.

End of talent and beauty !! Amazing! This is called extraordinary! This picture is so alive and u are a very talented photographer ..dorood bar shoma ;)

This is beautiful. It reminds me of Truman Show for some reason.

Whoa! what's with the buildings on the horizon? Is that the filter also or/and some Photoshop jockeying? I mean to say I like it muchly, gives it a John Hart 2D cut-out effect but tres strange all the same especially with that clock tower spire reaching up into the clouds. Makes me want to shake it up and down and watch the snowflakes swirl around.

Wow. Pretty.

I love this picture! It looks so surreal. The beautiful clouds and wonderful blue sky! Keep it up!

where is the glare?

It's So Beautiful!!!!

Sam, this would make an incredible POSTCARD!

You should consider contacting one of the printers in Ottawa who produce those things, and seeing if they would be interested in _buying_ your shot!! (first perhaps crop or mask out the recycle/garbage bins in the bottom left, I think >*G*<)

And thanks for the tip about the filter, and your time taken for adding commentary today -- alway appreciated. **smyle**

=]) Beth

[[PS: re cropping the bins? Considering this is an OTTAWA pic, with the federal emphasis (or to encourage same) on recycling and a clean environment, perhaps the bins being so prominent / anchoring that corner, might be A Good Thing??!? ]]

=D

I was starting to think I was running out of things to take pictures of Ottawa. Looking at your Ottawa pics, I know this is far from true..

what does turning the filter do?

You have covered a very wide area and still the image is very clear. The colour of the sky is something beyond words. This almost looks like a fairy tale. Good job.

wow. coolest shot i've seen in a while. It almost looks like a painting. there's just so much to look at. wallpaper??

gorgoues shot. the colors are so rich and the picture is so quaint. very beautiful. good work! :D

mmm...sweet. thanks for the tip too. ill have to go track down polarizers...

You know what, I am actually beleiving what I am seeing. For the first time in a long time, I am witness to one of the best photographers ever. Simply outstanding work! If you don't keep this up, we are all going to kick your ass!

What does turning the filter accomplish?

This is the kind of photo that makes my heart skip while looking at it.
(Isn't that the Parliament building with some renovation-netting over part of it?)
Kat

very magical. the colors are so rich and so sharp that i can hardly believe this is a photograph. it looks more like an animated photograph.

This is a great capture - the sky looks great!

you make me want to move to canada.

This is stunning! Technicolor dreamworld crazy Oz-like... wow.

picture perfect! it looks like a painting of a place you only dream about. everything looks so perfectly arranged.

Excellent photo, Sam! Did you take this from the Museum of Civilization?

Cheers,
Thomas

i have the urge to just reach inside, pick up a cloud, and eat it.

What a beautiful picture!
I have never seen a photograph capture the beauty of nature like you have!

Love the photo.
Everyone should understand that a decent amount of post processing went into this image so simply purchasing a filter for the lenses you have will not totally do the trick. You also have to have some image editing skills in a photoshop type program.

I would actually be more interested in seeing the original.

wow! amazing photo!

This almost doesn't look real! Wow...

Any way to get the polarizer effect in photoshop? I've used a polarizer on 35mm a friend's 35mm. Makes a great difference taking photos on the water, cutting a lot of reflection off the waves & ripples.

Mike, turning the filter changes the angle of incidence of the light hitting the lens. This affects which colours of the spectrum are permitted & which are filtered. You'll see polarized sunglasses used for cutting the glare of the sun. I guess they'd give you really nice blue skies as well. :)

http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/filter/polarizer.html
http://www.geocities.com/cokinfiltersystem/polarizer.htm

Sam,

Could you tell how many take you take to retouch this photo please ?

Thanks

amazing! it look like from the postcard ;]

When I saw your photo, I thought I was in my own personal wonderland. Just spectacular. What camera do you use? And how long have you been taking shots?

follow the yellow brick road.....and arrive at the wonderful Land of Oz ....or Ottawa. this picture is straight out of fantasyland ...the Emerald City...Sam, you are a Wizard ...a fabulous talent. thanks for the joy you give.

Bravo!! magnifique, sublime,splendide mais est elle réelle ou retouchée

Still life... it's alive,it's alive! Sam....damet garm!!!!!

is there anyway i can get this as a background at 1920x1200?

What I don't quite understand... The tower in the outer left of the picture... is it that high? Were the clouds hanging that deep? Why does it's peak dive into the cloud above it?

Is that Willie Wonka's factory?

I knew you had to be using a polarizer. They are really useful when there's too much glaze on things, but overusing them can be an adiction. It does do a great job of saturation of all the color in a scene - not just the blues.

You sure got a nice one of my home town. The broken light from the cloud cover does a majical thing to it.

The Parlimentary library sure looks weird with that white shroud on it. Handy spot for views that Museum, eh?

i love how the bottom half is very calm, peaceful and suburban, yet the top half is very industrial, full of detail and an awesome sky. lovely colors throughout. they really pop out. great contrast as well......as usual. thanks again!

Wow! I love the colors and those clouds hanging in the sky are awesome!

Great image! Beautiful as always :)
Thanks, also, for the circular polarizer tip; I just bough one and now I'll know the proper way to use it!

Incredible...great job with the clouds. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it.

beautiful colors. very interesting

sam, is this photo retouched?

can u plz confirm?

Love the sky (even if it does look 'unreal') and the overall composition.

unbelievable! the color and contrast are perfect!

Damn you. I just love the intense colours. I'll certainly remember the tip about the filter and the 90 degrees. Thanks

lovely picture ... what can i say.
btw, are you making a wallpaper version of this photo? I'd be the first one to download it to my desktop

Thanks for the tip - tried it myself - works like a dream!

It looks great! Everything looks perfectly placed, as if it was arranged out by somebody. Great shot, Sam.

man, this cannot be real :O

Spectacular! This is definately one of your best. You are an inspiration. Btw, is is possible to give a little info on the kind of lenses you use when you post them? Helps us newbies sort things out. Maybe use a few tags for each of your lens? Thanks anyway.

Awesome contrast between the clouds and the sky, they really leap right out of this image!

wow, that should be a post card.

this is fantastic, you reminded me those beautiful days in Ottawa, this special city of clouds...

Cool and nice, but the wide angle causes that only part of the sky is polarized... I realize that probably there is no way of taking the same shot with less angle (to ensure even sky color) and still have a pleasing composition. Nevertheless, this is a distraction.

Other than that, it is a very sharp, very crisp, very pleasant photo.

i love this photo! it's so very surreal. wallpaper please?

totally amazing clouds and sky colors !
hope i could make photos like this one with my polarizer filter one day...

The rich blue in the sky really brings out the bright white clouds. There is also a subtle reflection of the clouds in the water that adds a nice effect to the photo. Overall the photo is truly stunning!

It's hard even to begin talking about this shot; there is so much good in it. The polarizer is great here, as is the saturation (especially of the yellow stripe but also throughout the foto). This shot is so well composed and enjoyable to view. Very nice, Sam!

I insist: where is the wallpaper version for this one?

Just extraordinary. It's hyper-realistic and just intensely beautiful.
i.f.

i like how the horizon behind the buildings glows. You make me want to do great things.

huge fan of your works sir.

keep up the good work!

Utopia beauty.
Silent sunday.
Fatal dream.

sooooo sososo beautiful.... I would love a wallpaper sized version!!! <333333

This photo is purely spectatular. The colors are so full. This photo alone makes me want to become a photographer.

I was born in Ottawa and it is a beautiful city. I will bookmark your blog and will be visiting it often to read news about my home town. Thank you.