I always love sunsets because they seem to calm the day and say, "Time to rest." This one is a study in contrasts: the deep black of the cacus against the brilliant sky. Kinda wish the blue in the middle matched the sunset blaze, though. f10, iso 400 10/3200 sec. slight use of dodge on sunset oranges. some cropping.
Well composed and executed Hazel...I like this very much the contrasting color tones and hues are simply beautiful...and the mood is one of tranquility and peaceful beauty...congrats...:cool:
Very nice Hazel. Has a very peaceful mood. The colors are beautiful and the silhouetted cactus balances the sky well. As posted it is a very nice, but as an alternate idea I would suggest cropping the top just above the cactus and then cloning to remove the dark clouds at the top. I think that might make it a stronger image. Good job!
Not a bad idea Chris Would make a different (and good) image !!! Sort of like it as presented.
Would like to see more to the left? Not sure I like how the plant is cropped ... feels clipped. Do like the overall feel and love the exact amount of black on the bottom part !!! btw these thrive on sharp outlines and you got it !!!
I like you image very much. Sunsets are a favorite of mine but I am not good at finding foreground to include with colorful sunsets. You found something quite interesting. I like it as presented but agree that cropping it would also make a good image but with a different feel.
Hi Hazel,
This is one of those times I feel film outshines digital......as film tended to handle the whites/lighter areas better...especially in these high contrast sunrise/sunset situations....but do not despair.... a few PP tweaks will bring these up.
First lets discuss the composition......you did well in choosing the cactus for a FG element and although I wish for a better specimen.......you did nicely with what you had. A bit more in the ROT position.....maybe..... if it was a better specimen but I like how it occupies a third of the frame and balances well with the mountain range. Like Alfred......the left one felt clipped......so I just cropped slightly.....to remove the trunk.....this seemed to now make it look like a cut...and not clipped. While Christophers idea is intriguing and well worth exploring.....I want to discuss the image as presented without cloning....so I kept the rest of the comp as is.
Now for some of the PP tweaks..... I lowered the contrast a bit using a reverse S-curve (check Robert's tutorial in the landscape forum) and also did a bit of SH adjustment to bring out a bit more detail in the clouds. I adjusted the color balance by adding a bit of blue to the lighter area and toned down the saturation on the reds and yellows......just above the mountains ever so slightly. I made sure I kept the silhouettes black by adding a few points of black in selective color.
Overall, this was well thought out and composed.....the re-post is just a few PP tweaks to make it shine a little brighter. Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks, Roman. I had been working on the cloning, cropping suggestions already made and am posting what I came up with re those. I didn't like cutting out the overhead clouds completely because it seemed to leave too much blank sky, so I left some in and cloned in some of the sunset highlights to match the lower colors. I also worked on removing some of the cactus on the left side so that it didn't seem to run off the edge. I'm posting this. Do you think the clouds as they are now are too light?
Now I'll go back and work on some of your suggestions and guidelines. Thanks.
Last edited by Hazel Grant; 03-15-2009 at 09:38 PM.
Well, Hazel, your repost isn't exactly what I was envisioning but looks pretty good. Remember it's your image. I think comparing your repost and Roman's, I like Roman's best. I like how he lightened the clouds causing the cactus to stand out more.
I see what you mean, comparing them. I think I was concentrating so much on the cropping suggestions and trying to work that out, I messed up the coloring. Went back and re-read Roman's guidelines and think I may have something closer to his now. If not, let me know. don't want to overdo this thread, but I do appreciate the advice. Thanks for helping me learn.
Hi Hazel,
PP'ing wise......I think you are close enough.....now you see the smaller cactus on the lower left.....just add a bit canvas back so as not to clip it and I think you are there! Well done.
assignment: Utah sunset
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