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Thread: Harsh Light

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    Default Harsh Light

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    With Deadvlei being a well known destination for photographers in Namibia, I made it a goal to experiment and try and find a new point of view.Afternoons are not always productive unless you are 'creative' with regards the travel time to and from the gate at Sesriem and get lucky with clouds. All comments and advice appreciated
    Canon 5 DMK 2
    16-35 mm F 2.8 MK 2 @ 16 mm
    F22
    ISO 100
    1/60th S
    Tripod and Shutter release
    Kenko CPL
    Post Processing - Single exposure , LR 4

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    Hi Andrew,

    I think if you want to keep the image "natural" you should add more contrast and bring out more the textures in the FG. The composition I feel is a little off balance because the eye is drawn to the sun star and also because of the horizontal framing. If you want to make this image a little more moody, here is my take:



    Add contrast/clarity, applied a B&W filter and changed blending mode to darker color.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    I think you rocked this one Andrew! Reminds me of a twin kokerboom image I once saw , yet also quite different.
    I'm surprised by the FG details you got with a single exposure - did you use a grad filter?

    Chris's repost is way off for me - not sure if it was the intention, Chris, but the black sky isn't cutting it for me...did something go wrong in the processing? I can see some merit in a version with more FG contrast much like the FG in your repost...but that sky just throws me off...just IMHO of course...
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    Hi Morkel,

    I tried different variations of the black & white filter with the blend mode darker color, and for me personally I felt it balanced out the image more by moving the blues slider darker since the dominant focal point is the sun star. Really the intent of the image is show how I saw the scene more surreal and moody but whether it intersects with the original intent is hit or miss depending on the OP's intent, hence my commentary initially about if just wanting to keep the scene more "natural" looking, then adding contrast and bringing out the FG textures in the scene.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Korman View Post
    Hi Morkel,

    I tried different variations of the black & white filter with the blend mode darker color, and for me personally I felt it balanced out the image more by moving the blues slider darker since the dominant focal point is the sun star. Really the intent of the image is show how I saw the scene more surreal and moody but whether it intersects with the original intent is hit or miss depending on the OP's intent, hence my commentary initially about if just wanting to keep the scene more "natural" looking, then adding contrast and bringing out the FG textures in the scene.
    No worries, Chris! Just wasn't sure if the picture I saw was what you intended to upload
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    Robert Amoruso
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    Andrew,

    I like that you did something different here. Vertical a good choice with the tall trees. I like the strong shadows but feel they need to be black. I will using levels and clip the blacks to make that happen.

    I would also suggest an image like this w/o the sun can be more effective as it allows the viewer to concentrate on the shapes of the trees and shadows more.

    Local Contrast Enhancement on the ground could really cinch the deal.

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    Well for what it's worth my thoughts are simply that it is darn near perfect as is.....only because nothing is 100% lol. The intensity of the sun flare serves to emphasise the harsh environment well. The strong, long and very interesting foreground lead in is extra nice particularly with the long shadows. I like the color tone transition in the sky, it's eye catching...such nice blues. I find this image very appealing to my tastes and vertical format was an excellent choice, no nit pics from me, well done.

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    Thanks all for the great comments and feed back. I know it may sound cliched but I am focused largely on journeys like this with finding the best single exposure with either a grad filter or cpl that the basic processing or development after the fact is where i want to be. I do have multiple for a rainy day :) I spent nearly 25 min to work out the exposure and waited for the sun to get to its position.I have not added any contrast to this image as it forms terrible halos for some reason......yes I am sure there is a solution but I am not one with great PS knowledge or ability to focus on the processing of blending and layers etc....I did add to the high res version and the difference is what takes this to a new level thanks Robert .I will share some images which I have done in BW of just a scene without the sun . Chris , your repost is not in my taste but has given me some great creative idea and I have played with tones and styles in Lightroom (my limit at the moment) and have some interesting results. Morks, eish man I have one with three tree's that afterwards made me think of that pic and so I scrapped that idea and found a single tree :) No grad here as far as I can remember , just the cpl. Thanks Phil for your kinds words. I hope this all makes sense guys :)

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