"Side by Side, One Occupied"

This is a re-work from a post in 2009. I just received a print order for this image and I had to re-process. This has been one of my most requested prints, yet I don't see it's merits. I believe what makes it work is the separation of the receding layers. This was one of those sunsets that had life as a result of a heavy valley haze. Perhaps that is why it doesn't work so well for me; I hate the hazy days in the valley. In this case, I saw it as an opportunity. After making this exposure, it dawned on me that there was a large hawk on the oak to the right. By the time I recomposed, the hawk flew his perch; maybe for a scurrying critter, or maybe just camera shy. The re-work has moved this photograph up a few notches for me. Well, of course it's popularity doesn't hurt it in my eyes either. Still, there's nothing like these old oaks for graphic silhouettes against a red sky. The Larger preview has a stronger appearance. Thanks for your opinions!

Thanks for your thoughts!

well done

Beautifully caught,the three layers of orange,grey and green are outstanding so is the composition,top work

well seen. it is a very good photo.

Thanks Ernest, Harry and Zsolt for stopping by!

Mark, your assessment is spot on. Those oaks are compelling. I have trouble with my own full frontal landscapes. They never appeal as much as something more subtle. Having said that, the layering and colour combined with the oaks makes this a very pleasing image.

Very pleasing indeed! The majestic oaks, The colour layers...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  So many layers and the colors rock! I can understand why it so popular...Lefty

Just awesome. So unreal, like in a dream. Best regards, Linh Dinh

A beautiful scene yet also disconcerting as the colour palette seems so unreal with those pinks juxtaposed with the purple. Lovely work.

Thanks Jeff, Danny, Lefty, Linh and Kah Kit! I appreciate the kind comments. Colors and Luminosity: I deepened the sky and opened up the mountains and everything below the horizon. This was a single exposure, so the sky was bright and the image got progressively (and rapidly) darker below the horizon. Once again, this is in an effort to regain a parallel between how I saw the scene and how the camera recorded it. I deepened the sky in PS, no different than adding a grad filter to the lens. I don't use grads anymore, so I refer to my technique as a digital grad. As far as color adjustments, I added yellow and some green to the grassy area in an effort to "correct" the strong color cast. Meanwhile, I protected the colors above there. The purple is really more of a blue, at least on my monitor. The sky and hills were also minimally adjusted for warmth because my camera seems to lean towards a strong blue-cyan during low light twilight situations. The effect of the red sky is a result of heavy haze, much like sunsets that are influenced by smog from a wildfire. This is typical in the Central Valley above Bakersfield. My last "creative influence" was to darken the trees to more of a silhouette. More so, while I was opening the shadows in the foreground, I masked the trees so they would remain dark. The image takes on more of a 3D appearance when separation is maximized. Post processing, to me, is akin to molding the lifeless RAW file into a true representation based upon my best recollection. My best recollection, over time, has been reinforced by a pragmatic exercise that I have been employing for the last year or so. I simply assign numerical values to the various luminosities and colors throughout the scene. Not a scientific approach perhaps, but certainly more significant than just saying "this is how I remember it". That exercise has shaped my approach to current as well as archived images. This image was not assessed at the time of capture, but my re-processing has been influenced by an increased understanding of "my best recollection"!  

Mark- I like that the trees were left as silhouette - I'm sure there was detail that could have been recovered had you chosen to do so.  In this way they don't compete with the layered background.  A serene and peaceful feel to this - no doubt that helps contribute to it as a best seller for you.  It is sometimes baffling as to a buyer's tastes when deciding on one image over another that the photographer thinks is superior.  That is the beauty of it, I guess.

As this is one of your more popular, and I certainly see why, you might revisit your blend.  Look at either side of either oak tree, down low, just above the ground, in the area of the first level of darkish hills, and you can see the lighter tones of your brush work--a bit of haloing.  I think a 2-% brush to darken would restore that perfectly.

 

The hawk (probably a redtail) is the just the crown jewel in this amazingly beautiful image.  Good work, Mark!

Thanks Harry and Chris! That's a redtail hawk and you are an eagle eye!! Yes, I see it more so around the left tree's trunk. Thanks, I will clean that up. The print has been done and on the way, so hopefully it will fly (no pun). Blending is like flying a hot air balloon, you have to watch your every step and plan ahead, no sudden moves! Always good to hear from you guys!!

Lovely colors, and excellent depth, in this image Mark! Fabulous shot, and excellent title! Well done!

All the best,
Neil

Looks very good to me Mark....The layers from warm to cool, the mist in the background, the silhouettes growing up through all three layers. I can see some very appealing merits. Nice work.

Fred

All I can say is,"You The Man"Great images don't have to be described, just sit back & enjoy the visual pleasure your fine image conveys to the viewer.This is one of the best healing art images I have enjoyed in a long time.Believe the viewer feels more involved when viewed large. Best Regards-Ross

This is an excellent and beautiful image! I am with Ross (above), sometimes nothing needs to be said...just enjoy! This is one of those images I would like to see as a large mural on a wall and just enjoy it.  The bird in the tree is the icing on the cake. Lovely capture; thank you for sharing. :)

Excellent!

It deserve to be poster everywhere as an expression of nature beauty.

like very much!

 

Outstanding photo, colors are spot on.  I was born in Bakersfield and raised in Tehachapi, the scene is so correct.