Palo Alto Dawn

Photograph of sunrise from Windy Hill Summit in Palo Alto. I've

been getting up early recently trying to take sunrise shots from

around this location above silicon valley and the lower SF bay.

Most suffer from too much fog, or too little foreground interest.

There was a thunderstorm over the mountains on the other side

of the bay the morning this photograph was taken, but I missed

capturing any of the lightening. I like this shot with my daughter

and dog taking in what my daughter called "the fireball", but what

do others think? Serious comments and suggestions are

appreciated.

Wow!! i never knew Palo Alto could like so good!! I like the placement of dog and person, enjoying the view!

Beautifully framed

First impression was: you have made a shot of the surf somewhere. Nice puzzle for the mind & good shot

A sunset here or a dawn there, noting original and all equally beautiful

Beautiful shot and great colors!

Wow... looks like a scene from a heaven.

Great shot! I would like to the see the placement of the figures more centered or closer to the foreground, there are too close to the edge and they really do add to the image.

There are several issues I consider worth mentioning in this photo. First, the composition is quite nice, as the person(?) and dog(?) provide a sense of perspective on something we don't expect: an inversion of who's above who in a sunrise (in this case sun above clouds rather than clouds above sun). Very nice. However, the execution is not up to the subject. First, the person and dog are barely visible, as if contrast has rendered them irrelevant, rather than a key part of the composition. A 1/2-3/4 stop increase in exposure would have placed them more in the shot and less in the nether world of dark shadows. Next, I shall assume that the colors are 'true' but they do not ring true. The clouds may have a magenta tinge, but the grasslands and foreground are too magenta-cast. It almost feels like reciprocity failure rather than a true magenta ambience. Love to see other sunrise shots from you. Good luck with future ones.

Based on the comment above, I modified the low res file by taking the grey scale from the path (her shoe works fine too). With a little contrast and curve adjustments, this is how it looks...

I like how you included the woman and the dog in the photo. Dramatic picture.