Sunrise at Arenal Volcano

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

I took this shot a few days ago, I have always tried to capture an image of the volcano erupting early in the morning but I guess it will take more time.

This is among the 10 most active volcanoes in the world and this is not touristic propaganda!;)

Canon 30D
Canon 18-55@25mm
ISO 400
Tripod
f/8
1/15
AV
Exposure comp. -2

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Juan I really like this image. It looks powerful and menacing. I am wondering if a bit of a crop from top and bottom would make it look evens stronger. Exposure looks good, can't see any noise.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Juan I really like this image. It looks powerful and menacing. I am wondering if a bit of a crop from top and bottom would make it look evens stronger. Exposure looks good, can't see any noise.
Thank you Jackie for your kind advise, let me know if this one looks better.:)

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I think the pano looks more powerful, Juan, just a bit more on the bottom to me?? What do you think???

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

I think the pano looks more powerful, Juan, just a bit more on the bottom to me?? What do you think???
Do you think this is enough?

Thank you Jackie for your input.:)

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Like the last post the best Juan.

[Dave Mills]

Hi Juan...Volcanos can make very interesting images...I took the liberty of playing with the image to see if I could bring out a bit more detail. I ran S/H to bring up detail in the shadows. I like the layered look on the left. I cropped a bit off the bottom and darkened it. I lightened the clouds a bit and darkened the smoke over the volcano. Finally, I added more saturation and ran noise ninja over it.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Juan,
Very interesting image and Jackie gave some nice advice on the crop. I feel Dave brought out the full potential and remember......you can implement his corrections better on a higher res file and adjust the tweaks to your liking......or only incorporate a few of them. I do feel his definitely adds some much needed pop and really brings out the base cloud nicly for added depth. I may go a touch darker on the sky and mountain.....but that is a personal taste thing. Compositionally I like how you placed the mountain and steam plume in the ROT position and the base cloud really gives a sense of scale. Nicely composed and I feel implementing Dave's tweaks will really make this shine!

[Judd Patterson]

Volcanoes are so cool! :) I also think that Dave shows us some great tweaks to separate the volcano and the sky and to bring out some extra color. Overall I do wonder if the focus was correct. It might just be that this small file is undersharpened, but the entire mountain profile seems a bit blurred as if there was some front-focusing. Did you have to use manual focus here? It sure is a beautiful subject and worth more attention.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Volcanoes are so cool! :) I also think that Dave shows us some great tweaks to separate the volcano and the sky and to bring out some extra color. Overall I do wonder if the focus was correct. It might just be that this small file is undersharpened, but the entire mountain profile seems a bit blurred as if there was some front-focusing. Did you have to use manual focus here? It sure is a beautiful subject and worth more attention.

Hi Judd and thank you so much for your input.

Is this more or less what you guys want to see in this image?
I really had problems with the clouds touching the volcano since I just wanted to darken the volcano and not the clouds but...
Any ways, that's may be better than the first post, and no, this is not a manual focused image.:)

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Juan,
I like the sky....but with a combination of screen blend layers on the fg and a slight contrast boost.....I bought out the clouds/mist even more. Let me know what you think.

[Jay Gould]

Frankly, while the reposts certainly bring out the details, the volcano no longer looks powerful and menacing. I like Juan's third image the best; the PP bringing out the details is certainly educational on how to do that with other images.

Roman/Dave, how do you gently bring out the details and maintain the power and menace of the volcano?

Cheers, Jay

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Frankly, while the reposts certainly bring out the details, the volcano no longer looks powerful and menacing. I like Juan's third image the best; the PP bringing out the details is certainly educational on how to do that with other images.

Roman/Dave, how do you gently bring out the details and maintain the power and menace of the volcano?

Cheers, Jay
Great question Jay!
I am learning a lot but I think I am facing a wall with post processing.:(

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Juan and Jay,
I used Juans final re-post.......and used a couple of tonal range tweaks with a screen blend layer to lighten(check Robert's tutorial at the top of the landscape forum in a sticky)(multiply to darken)......I use the lasso tool to grab the selection......don't have to be too neat......just remember to gausian blur it after you make the correction......you can adjust the opacity........levels layers......curves layers.....can also achieve the same results......more than one way to achieve the results.....including quick mask. Old ways of dodge and burn will also work.......quite a bit of effort......but sometimes I will do the above layers adjustments and then tweak it with dodging and burning.
A lot to learn in this digital darkroom.......but in 1 year here I learne dso many tricks.......if you explore other forums.......especially OOTB and such.....this will give you many ideas and possibilities. Be a sponge.....absorb as much as you can....and soon you will apply many of these things to your own images. Hope this helps a little!

[Jay Gould]

Hi Juan and Jay,
I used Juans final re-post.......and used a couple of tonal range tweaks with a screen blend layer to lighten(check Robert's tutorial at the top of the landscape forum in a sticky)(multiply to darken)......I use the lasso tool to grab the selection......don't have to be too neat......just remember to gausian blur it after you make the correction......you can adjust the opacity........levels layers......curves layers.....can also achieve the same results......more than one way to achieve the results.....including quick mask. Old ways of dodge and burn will also work.......quite a bit of effort......but sometimes I will do the above layers adjustments and then tweak it with dodging and burning.
A lot to learn in this digital darkroom.......but in 1 year here I learne dso many tricks.......if you explore other forums.......especially OOTB and such.....this will give you many ideas and possibilities. Be a sponge.....absorb as much as you can....and soon you will apply many of these things to your own images. Hope this helps a little!

1. What is OOTB?

2. Roman, I do understand what you trying to achieve in bringing out the details, and I have copied and pasted your posts into the PS Tips & Tactics. Do you believe that the volcano or the entire image after what you did is as powerful and menacing? The darkness of Juan's image creating the foreboding menacing feeling. Can you have both detail and menace? :D

Cheers and thanks for taking the time to teach us all. Jay

[Dave Mills]

Hi Jay, OOTB means Out Of The Box

[Roman Kurywczak]

1. What is OOTB?

2. Roman, I do understand what you trying to achieve in bringing out the details, and I have copied and pasted your posts into the PS Tips & Tactics. Do you believe that the volcano or the entire image after what you did is as powerful and menacing? The darkness of Juan's image creating the foreboding menacing feeling. Can you have both detail and menace? :D

Cheers and thanks for taking the time to teach us all. Jay
Hey Jay,
Dave beat me to the OOTB response.......as for the 2nd question......yes....for me the volcano is as powerful and menacing and I like the added depth of the cloud/mist.......that being said......that is very subjective. Today you like the darker version.....tomorrow.....who knows? Good news is that this is a very nice luxury to have and without a very good original capture.....not possible. Better yet......if clients like the lighter version......print that......darker....print that! This luxury doesn't happen often......enjoy it!

[Robert Amoruso]

Juan,

I would go with the crop in the second post you did. Taking too much off the bottom eliminates the anchoring of the image and removes an important layer in it. What makes this interesting is the many layers building up to the volcano.

On the tonal relationships, Roman sums it up pretty well in his last post. You have two or more interpretations of this image to work with. Whereas opening up the details may remove some of the menace, it creates a beautiful relationship of tones, layers and colors in the image thereby creating great depth. The darker version is more menacing. As Roman stated, you have options with this image and that is a great thing to have. Roman's last post of tonal tweaks is my favorite due to the sky, Dave's I like too. I would just leave more room at the bottom as I suggest above.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Thank you Jackie, Judd, Roman, Jay and Robert!

Your comments, suggestions, ideas and tutorials are very appreciated.

I been trying to put those suggestions on the work and I have learned a lot, may be I still don't get to the right dock but I am sure that as I play with my pictures I will learn more.

I really don't like digital noise and was experimenting a hard time trying to get details in the blacks without getting too much noise but I have to admit that it was a hard task!

This is more or less what the suggestions are all about (I guess!) please feel free to point any other suggestion.

As always, your gentle critiques makes this the best learning site on the web and I mean it! jc

[Jay Gould]

I definitely like this last posting! Cheers, Jay

[Robert Amoruso]

Juan,

You did well striking a balance buy bringing up detail in the shadows some and really increasing the color in the sky. Combined with the dark volcano, I feel you have created an image combining both menace and while preserving the subtle shadow tones.

This scene is a good example where HDR could be used, but I think two or three exposures combined in PS would do it. With two, one for the sky exposure and one for the FG dark tones, exposure them to raise the tones into the middle of the histogram and let the sky blow out. In PS you layer the two and maksed out the sky that is overexposure. Then go about working the tones to your pleasure. THis way you have better tonal depth in the shades, less noise and you can expand and lower them with less degradation. Given the layering of the image, two exposures blended would work well here.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

I must then learn how to do an HDR image.

Thanks Robert for the suggestion and advise. jc

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Juan,
Final one is right on!