Highveld Sunset

[Morkel Erasmus]

Another image from our trip last weekend. This time a horizontal format...with no sun star...I love the colours inherent in the rocks in this area.

Techs:
Nikon D3s with Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 @ 14mm
f16 @ ISO-200
Manual blend of 4 exposures using luminosity masks

PS: Jay, I know you will call for a crop off the sky of about 50%, I just liked the 50/50 split here for some reason...might post a cropped version too though...

[Roger Clark]

Hi Morkel,

Beautiful image, especially the colors in the foreground. Do you have any more at the bottom? I would have angled the camera down more, (or done a vertical mosaic), less of the sky at the top and more of the foreground. The rocks cut off at the bottom ask for more down lower, at least to my eye. But either way a lovely image.

Roger

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks Roger. I shot quite a few variations, but as far as I can remember the ground was sloping upward quite a lot here, meaning tilting downwards invariable meant including tripod legs in the frame (especially at 14mm ). The light also only 'peaked' for a minute or 2 as usual...

Will scrounge through the images and process a few more sometime...

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Morkel, very nice. Love the colours in the sky and the rocks are very cool. I can see why you are drawn to them. For an alternate version I would crop not quite 1/3 off the top, which would have the whitish clouds on the right extending up to the top right corner - after the crop. Hope that makes sense. Look forward to more from this location.

[Robert Amoruso]

Besides the above comments Morkel I suggest more "structure" or "local contrast" in the clouds to see how you like that.

The FG is inviting and beautifully colored - you have just the perfect light for it.

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Morkel, I like the 50/50 crop, but would crop off those very light spots in the clouds along the edge of the frame, or clone them out.
Great light and colors and very attractive lichens and rocks.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks for your comments Andrew, Robert and Jerry...


Robert, your LCE suggestion worked well, don't know why I didn't tease those details out of there to begin with...
So here is a repost incorporating Robert's tweak and Andrew's crop suggestion!

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Morkel, yep that's the crop I was thinking about. Great repost!

[Roger Clark]

Hi Morkel,

I really like your repost. With the change in sky, I no longer feel the need to see lower. Interesting how that perception has changed by cropping the sky!

Roger

[Rachel Hollander]

Morkel - The repost rocks (pun intended)! Nicely done.

TFS,
Rachel

[Santanu Banik]

Loved the colors and the details on the rocks!

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks for the kind comments, folks! Glad you liked the repost...

[Randy Bronkema]

the repost gets my vote too, it has more depth with crop and sky tweak, way cool!!!!!!!!!

Randy

[Andrew Aveley]

Morkman !!!! Great work , blending master it will seem

[Christian Neumann]

That's awsome. Very nice composition and colors. I love the rock texture and the lichens.

[Mark Wiseman]

Hi Morkel,
Your repost is so much better than the original. The change in composition makes a big difference and the foreground rock lichens are a definite interest point.
Well done and thanks for sharing,
Mark.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks guys!!
Strange how a slight change in perspective can change how a photo tells its story...