Surging Cloud Falls at Sunrise

Beautiful shot...

On first view it looks spectacularly on the thumbview but at closer view this good composition loses a lot because of very unreal and not natural colors caused by too extreme saturation which gives a very kitchy touch that at last all looks out like a bad done digiart. Sorry

From the photographer: The sunrise of November 4, 2001

in Huangshan Mountains looked exactly this

colorful, with a lot of reds and yellows and magentas on the top, and cool lights down the

valley. I did not use filters to add color, and

there was no color added in Photoshop in which I

did a global color correction to remove the

blueness in the shadows by making the clouds puring into the valley neutral (plus some moderate burnings and doggings on a Softlight layer).

The color correction did fuether warm up the top to render it look maybe "artificial", but all the colors and the whole composition were natural and is on the original film - Velvia is famed to pick these warm tones. Perhaps I should have kept some of the shadow blueless to reduce such effects. It was a very special and spectacular sunrise. I shoot 16 rolls in a two hours window, including several all similar to this. The other images from the same session include the #8 and the #12 (the last one) of this portfolio; and the #4 of the portfolio "Huangshan Mountains II". Together they document the development of colors that very morning, from red-magenta before and at sunrise to yellows, whites, and blues after.

I wanna give u some idea.. Hope u don't mind.. I like this pic, but i think will be better take by B&W film.. Thanks..

Steven Kwan

I thought for sure you used a ND grad here, but no. Just impressive.

Use B&W? You have to be kidding! This photo is spectacular in color. B&W would loose everything amazing about the photo. Great Job! I wish I were there!

You said verbatim above "I did not use filters to add color" but you used an 81B warming filter. How is that not adding color?

A warming filter enhances colors already there Doug. It does not however invent new ones.

Stunning image. Once in a lifetime even! Absolutely amazing! 7/7

Leping, I happened to see this photograph (or one similar to this one) in a book called "1001 places to visit before you die" or some similar title.

 

Great job! A dream photograph. Keep it up.