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Judd Patterson
05-12-2008, 12:03 AM
http://www.juddpatterson.com/BPN/konza_sunset1.jpg

Konza Prairie (Kansas)
Canon 20D, 17mm
0.8s, f/10, ISO 200
3 exposure manual blend in Photoshop

Post-sunset on a gorgeous November evening on the tallgrass prairie. Home sweet home. :)

Harold Davis
05-12-2008, 06:50 AM
BRAAAAVOO!! i love how the clouds lead to the edges of the frame and the colors are phenomenal!! love the diagonal lines of the hills.. this rocks!!!! wish it were mine!!

Robert Amoruso
05-12-2008, 09:41 AM
Judd,

Works on many levels. A dramatic sky with clouds that lead the eye into the scene. Opposing inclines on the rolling hills that give us diagonal lines and layering which again draws the eye into the scene.

The horizon is close to the middle of the image but I think that works well here. Well done.

Roman Kurywczak
05-12-2008, 10:30 AM
Hi Judd,
Very simple and elegant! As my eye explores this image, the contours of the hill always bring me back in. The shape of the clouds also do the same........always leading me back into the image..... the final piece to all this is the FG grasses........the color and soft feel are just enough to ground me in the overall image. For rolling hills..this one has a huge amount of drama. Very well done!

Julie Kenward
05-12-2008, 12:13 PM
Judd, I'm going to have to meet up with you and go shooting some time. You've got some beautiful Kansas images here!

David Kennedy
05-12-2008, 02:25 PM
Judd,
The one criticism I would have to offer is what appears to be a halo on the hill on the left. I've circled it here to show what I'm talking about. The hill itself also looks a little too dark compared to the others--possible a bit too much of the Clarity Slider in ACR/Lightroom or just a bit much Local Contrast Enhancement (USM @ 20%, Radius 50)?

Judd Patterson
05-13-2008, 12:03 AM
Thanks folks. Thanks also to David for noting the halo areas. I'm honestly not sure how much is an artifact of my HDR merge/post-processing and how much is actually a result of the juxtaposition of the bright sky and the shadowed hill. Every time I lighten the hill, the halo effect nearly disappears, but the scene starts to look unnatural to me...those hills need some shadow since I was pointing my camera toward the sun. Let me spend a little more time working the scene tomorrow night to see what progress I can make...it's certainly worth some editing time.

Anita Rakestraw
05-13-2008, 02:52 AM
Hey, Judd, enjoyed seeing this familiar landscape here! Gorgeous colors, great job!

Paul Pagano
05-13-2008, 05:29 AM
The red clouds here are really nice. I find I don't mind the hill on the left. There are a couple other dark spots (valleys I guess and the distant horizon to the right) that offset the dark hill for me and make it look like it needs to be there. The golden grass is really cool too. Well done indeed.

Michael Pancier
05-14-2008, 07:58 AM
Judd, you should try the Viveza plug in . let's you pinppoint areas for multiple adjustment of tone and brightness.

love the scene.

Terry Eddington
05-14-2008, 08:09 PM
Vivid color, great depth, and a warm inviting anchor in the foreground. Sweet.

John Blumenkamp
05-14-2008, 10:29 PM
This is really nice Judd... love the colors and overall composition. The Kansas prairie is something special. Congrats on a great capture.