Another Bosque sunset

[Kerry Perkins]

I am really new to landscape, but as I have on the other groups I'm looking forward to learning from the excellent teachers here!

I was taken by the incredible colors of the sunrises and sunsets in New Mexico and reflections of those colors in the marshes at Bosque. I was attempting here to highlight the reflections. Hope this works! I cropped a bit off of the bottom to get a ROT composition.

Roman - thanks for the welcome! I look forward to improving my landscape skills.

50D, EF28-135mm f/5.6L@50mm = 80mm
Manual mode, f/5.6@1/100 ISO 400 WB 5100K

[Robert Amoruso]

Kerry,

Welcome to the Lanscape Forum.

A great New Mexico sky. FOr those that have not traveled to NM, its skies are to die for and you captured it well here.

To me the strongest parts of the image are the sky and the silhouette of the mountain. The FG is to confusing with all the growth and detracts from the image so in the repost I went to a pano and eliminated it.

I also did:

Curves Correction - reverse s-curve (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24075) to tone contrast.

Hue/Saturation and lowered the saturations of the reds and yellows, plus a global desaturation as well. This does lower the (drama quotient some but gets back the detail lost in the sky).

To offset the desaturation, I used a Selective Color correction and added 35 points of black to the yellow and red channels to bring back the POP.

[Dave Mills]

Hi Kerry, I like what Robert did but it's a radical departure from what you started with. I also agree that the foreground as posted and the large amount of growth in the foreground detracts from the overall. I though I might post a compromise which will still keep your intent but limit some of the distracting elements.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Kerry,
Man....I can't wait to do those skies in a few weeks! As Robert mentioned NM and Bosque have some of the sweetest sunsets around! I like Dave's re-post but I have done many sunsets similar (although FF) to Roberts....why?.....while the FG reflections are OK....they are quite busy. I have an image where you have a bunch of sandhills in the FG....and still it is busy due to the merges and such. Just keep in mind what draws you to this scene....the sunset sky....including more of it with the simple silhouette is often very effective....add in a crane or snow goose landing....up another notch. Many times simple is better in landscapes! Excellent job on exposure....just long for a dominant FG element if you are to include this much FG in the future......seperation is key...you nailed the rest!

[Grady Weed]

Kerry, killer colors. I like Roberts post better, just me. I wonder if you could have gotten more sky? Still, looks like you had a great time. I would love to go there someday.

[Anita Rakestraw]

Kerry, a dissenting voice here. For me, the image is more about the wetlands at sunset than jsimply the sunset sky; I love that expanse of wetlands with the grasses silhouetted and the beautiful colors reflected on it. If I were going to buy one of the versions shown here, your original would be the one. I don't mean to disagree with the knowledgable experts here at all; just that I personally prefer the first version.