On the Road to Whitney

Please view large. All comments welcome, thanks.

Very unsual effect. Looks almost like a water colour.

Thank you Ian. As a matter of fact, I was working it like a painting. I would create a layer and bring out a colour and work it into the composition. Nice of you to point that out.

Hi Kim, Interesting effect. Definitely like a painting. The sky seems brighter than I would expect from the lighting on the ground and this gives it a slightly surreal effect. I wonder if we could see a little more of the lines on the road if that would sweep the eye even more into the photo? Nice work. Barry

Hi Barry! Actually the day was a rather dull one until these clouds broke up. It was 4 pm when I took this shot and the sun was behind the hill so there was no sun shining on the ground but only this magnificient sky. I took the picture mostly for the sky. During the PS work I focused mainly on brightening up the foreground as it was pretty dull. Im putting up the original so you can see what I was working with. I'm not sure if I could darken the sky. I'll try your suggestion later and post the results if I'm successful. Thanks so much for your interest in my picture.

Kim, your raising of the levels has worked well and the clouds work well with the colours of the land. I think I might reduce the cyan colour in the sky a bit but that is a matter of taste :-)

Glad you dropped by with your keen eyesight. You might have a point about the cyan. It's very nice to have your opinion on this because I posted it quickly. Usually I put the pics away for fews days to let things settle, then they are "new" to me again but that was not the case here. Thanks for the visit.

Kim, and I like your original because the sky colors illuminate the whole scene, and they have many nuances that are having an " answer" on the ground.My personal taste... Pnina

Wow! You like the original! I think it's probably only you and I who like it. I may have gone too far with the colour on this but I do prefer it with more colour. Thanks so much for stopping by:-)

Agree on the statements about painterly quality. I guess you picked up the color from the foreground, and worked it in as a background layer. Nice concept, a bit unreal but definitively more interesting than the original

I like the illuminated sky. Give the landscape a wonder feel.

The post production you did works wonderfuly for me and I think the enhanced colour is very appropriate. In terms of composition, perhaps if there was a bit more of road on the left that would create a nice point for the eye to travel along into the scene. Congrats and regards, Alex

Kim, you see both of us are not the only one that like the original....looking at the reduced colors imo killed the image. your original brings it to life.

Hi Carsten, I agree with you that it has the look of a painting. I think when I read about your exposure bracketing it gave me the idea to experiment with a similar method in layers. I create a duplicate layer in the background and work on the colours or effects I want and then as you said, work them into the image. BTW I finally found the exposure bracketing feature on my camera and have been practicing with it. Thanks for the visit!

 

Cherlyn, it was an incredible sky and that is the reason I took the photo. Glad you like it and happy that you dropped by.

 

Alexandre, shucks! I actually had a bit more road and cropped it due to some blurring at the bottom of the photo. You see this was taken from inside a moving vehicle. Thanks for the nice compliment.

 

Pnina, I misunderstood your last comment. I thought that you liked the one with the reduced colours as that is the photo that was downloaded from the camera and is the true original. We are in agreement that the colourful one is the favorite then. It's amazing what you can get out of PS. Thanks for your reply and setting me straight :-)

Looks like a Romantic Landscape, except for the road of course. Nice PS work!

Thanks Claude, what a nice thing to say. I never thought of it as "romantic" but I see it now!!

Holy Moly landscape make overs-your business card :-)

This is a nice scene Kim and I like the treatment you gave the original picture. I only think that the upper part of the sky is a bit too overdone. The bottom has already a lot of yellow tones in it so I think that in particular the salmon and yellow coloured clouds make the manipulated version a bit too crowdy. In short: the sky attracts too much attention to the detriment of the wonderful landscape.

Dear Kim I hope my poor English doesn't give any misunderstanding because I really like this painting-like composition.

 

Warm greetings, Ada:~)

Leann, thanks, I think . . . just kidding... Thanks for the exclamation!!

 

Ada, thank you for your in depth look and analysis! Your comment made me rethink this work and I found that it could use a "natural" workover so I made some adjustments. I made the sky look more natural and then I had to take some of the colour out of the foreground too, to balance it out. I think you are right and I appreciate your input because it made me "see" and investigate other options. BTW, your English is better than mine :-)

O yes Kim, my first impression when I saw your restored version was one of 'Wow, this is exactly what I mean'! There is much more calm and harmony in the compostion now. I realize that it has cost you a lot of work but the result is great. Really very well done Kim. Congratulations!

 

Warm greetings, Ada:~)

Kim,Nice to be here.The clouds are magnificent,they take care of the little bit more slower going atmosphere,still and large landscape but with the details and reflections ,lets you take part of it.I like what You lightened up.

Ada, well yes it was a lot of work but it was nice to get another feel to the image without all the colour. I have been admiring your work in the day-to-night images. You are an inspiration to me. Thanks so much for the encouragement.

 

Alexandra, It is so nice to see you again. Thanks for sharing your feelings about the scene.

Very nice landscape with lovely tones. Beautiful light too

This is gorgeous, Kim! I love the sky and I love the colors on the ground. I forget how beautiful Ontario is once you get past the highly populated Southern part of the province. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Adolfo and Lou Ann! Nice to see you both and appreciate your nice feedback.

 

Lou Ann this is wilderness country, about a 3 1/2 hour drive north-east of Toronto. You see very few homes along this stretch of highway, only a driveway leading into the bush every once in a while.Thanks for the visit!