whydangle

Thanks Zsolt, Rashed and Steve! Actually, the blue in some way is added n post pro, or should I say pulled from the bland RAW file. It's there, just needs to be coaxed. You're right Steve, the cyan can get a little heavy and then you get some green tint, which this image is close to that. I will try your processing suggestion, but the color of the sky here seems to be consistent with what I witnessed. Thanks all!!

Thanks Olaf, Richard, Jeff, Richard and Margo! Jeff, that crop would work well and as you said, make it more subtle. I appreciate the feedback. I would say that would give me two images, because I would not likely discard the less subtle of the two. I like it. Richard, it really must be a personal thing. I have always been attracted to images that have a sunstar (not just mine, but from other photogs). In this case, I can agree that much of the sun has blown. A tighter sunstar would have been better, but the light was so harsh. I know Jeff avoids the sun like the plague, but I actually seek it because there is something special to me about strong backlighting. Once the sun was down, I continued shooting for the "elegance of color and contrast" and came away with the more subtle landscapes. I like both!

Thanks Rashed, Eyegor, Lester and Wanghan!! Eyegor, I do see your point and almost agree, but the photo is level and it shows more so in the line of aspen trees about midway down, but there is a slight felling of leaning right. Sure, I could rotate some, but I know that the tree lines will begin to seem off kilter after that. The main reason the image seems to lean is because Dunderberg Peak on the left is the tallest peak, but is also the nearest peak, so everything falls away as it recedes into the distance. I would say it can't be fixed because it really isn't broken, just an optical illusion of sorts. I appreciate you pointing that out, however. As well, you are right that it is HDR, but it hasn't been spit out by some HDR software. I blended it by hand in Photoshop. I really feel it has a more natural look than any other HDR images produced by Photomatix, et al! 

Thanks for any comments! Of course, the Larger version is

recommended!!

I'm prepared to respond to the critiques about the ostentatious sunstar. "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!". In other words, I like the effect. It creates drama when no real drama existed. Well, what I mean to say is that the sky was as bland as rice cakes, so I needed to infuse about the only thing that would offer some drama. In this case, the last light kissing the tops of the trees produced chiaroscuro lighting from a brilliant light source. That's a recipe for some drama on a day that really had nothing to offer other than the incredible foliage. As incredible as it was, I felt it needed a little more intensity, so blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!

Hi Walter! Thanks so much! Glad you asked. I blended this from four RAW files. The sequence went like this. The first shot was properly exposed for the foreground trees, but I lowered my hand across the top of the frame to block the sun and thus eliminate any flares. When you see the image, it looks like a throw away, but in fact was intentional. See attached. Then I used three more darker exposures to blend the star and the sky. Basically, the star gets smaller as the exposure shortens, so careful blending will produce a larger sunstar with a tighter center. Finally, I wanted the sky to be deep enough to match my recollection, so I had to blend that in as well. The final blend appears natural and not overly HDR. Thanks again!

Thanks Eystein, Harry, Les and Leo! This was a tough one. First of all, when we arrived, the sun was right on top of Dunderberg Peak, so I knew it was a matter of minutes. After about 15 minutes, the sun was still above the horizon and too bright. I couldn't figure out why, but then realized that the sun was actually going down at an angle equal to the slope of the peak. As you know, by this time of year, the sun has dropped south quite a bit, so it sneaks up on the horizon more so than in summer months. So I stuck it out, knowing for sure that it would drop below enough to break it's intensity. At F16, this lens really cranks out a sunstar. The blending work was also a bit tricky, but I've become an old hand at this anymore! Thanks all!! 

I refer to this as an Autumn Interlude because I have been planning for a couple of months to go to Yosemite Valley for a fall foliage camping trip. That is still two weeks away, but in the meantime, I couldn't resist taking a quick one day trip to the Eastern Sierra to catch some of the aspens in their fall garb. This image would be my choice as the best of, mainly because of the drama created by the sunstar and the last light of day kissing the tops of the trees. I had hoped for some thin clouds to help out, but no such luck. For that reason, I planted my tripod and waited for the sun to eclipse the horizon; a moment that lasts only about two minutes, if that. The round trip mileage was right at 700, so a fairly long ride just to capture one moment, but worth it all the way!!

Is the sky blue? To my eyes it certainly is! So often, however, scenes like this will record the sky as a washed out gray or white because it is so much brighter than the balance of the scene. When I took this photo, I knew the sky would be a problem if I wanted it to appear as I remembered it. I distinctly remember being able to see the little wisps of clouds as well, but the RAW file almost shows no trace of clouds. Without an accurate sky, the intention of this photo would be lost. The blues in foliage photography are so important because they add the color contrast that made the scene so intense when I witnessed it. In order to bring the blues back into the two dimensional media, I took several exposures well underexposed and then blended them back in during post-pro. Even then, I had to select the sky and change the blend mode to multiply to get the blue deep enough. After finishing up, I still considered this blue to be rather light, but without it, I don't think the image could convey my experience!

Thanks for viewing and commenting! Because of the fine detail, it is best

viewed Larger!

This was my first trip across the Conway Summit during peak autumn foliage. It is a sight to behold! The light was of poor quality because of the lack of any clouds, but despite that, the colors glowed even after the sun dropped below the horizon. With the light source behind the trees and horizon, it is still a backlighted subject. For this reason, the aspens seemed to intensify, all the while the shaded blue light was picked up by the white trunks. Most would mitigate this color shift and make the trunks neutral in value, but I contend that this would not be an accurate reproduction of the actual ambient scene. The color contrast is actually one reason why the aspens seem to come to life. This particular group of trees showed a pumpkin hue. My guess is that within a few more days, most of these leaves will have fallen. After recording the scene, I paused for a few more minutes to visually take in the scene, despite my kids and Father-in-law waiting in the car for me. If you don't get it now, who knows when you will get it again!!

Sensational moment expertly captured! That was some sky, and you handled it very well. I love the understory in the foreground; sort of like a visual launch pad into a dynamic scene of transient light! Nice work Linda!!

Very serene and peaceful! Thanks Tony!

Thanks Raymond, Niki, John, Tim, Yan and Larry! John, this is a blend of two exposures. John, the white balance was daylight, so you can imagine the blues in the RAW files. I corrected the foreground exposure to bring back some yellow to the grasses, meanwhile I masked the flower and then used the sky exposure as was, which brought out a rich contrast of yellows and blues. Even the flower has both hues. Larry, the sky is natural and if it looks painted, even better me thinks. As I said, it just looks surreal because I corrected the colors of the grasses and leaves only, so the colors are incongruous to some degree; my intention actually!

Fine work Stephen! Really love the color contrast and the design quality of the dunes!!

A single Datura flower glows yellow and blue from the backlighting of a vivid sunset. The title "Solo Loco" refers to the name of the flower, also being called Locoweed. It is poisonous and causes hallucinations in the animals or humans who consume it. I consider these flowers to be a hearty species of plant, being able to inhabit arid landscapes even in the hottest and driest conditions. Even the leaves remain deep green during the hot summer months. Since moving to Bakersfield, I have often photographed them. They make interesting contrasts against the brown and yellow grasses. Thanks for your time!

Awesome! This is Extraordinary! The red bush in the LL makes the comp perfect!

On October 14th, 2008, my Father left this world to be in a more peaceful place. I'm normally not one to pay a tribute in this way, but I can't help acknowledge the fact that after so many boring sky days here in the Central Valley, yesterday's sunset was one of the best this year. There seems to be some connection, and that's as much as I will say. As the afternoon progressed, I noticed a great sky developing. I didn't plan to go, but at the last second, I decided it would be good to get out to a more peaceful place; a place closer to Dad!

I've shot from this exact spot several years ago. It's a great trail! I'm also wondering if the subject (the viaduct) is enough to stand on it's own. I think it could use some local adjustment to brighten it and the foreground cliff face. I also think pulling the red out of the rock and road to get it back to a more neutral hue would help the foliage. As it is, it appears red was added globally when it wasn't needed, making it appear slightly muddy. True, some blue in the sky could help it pop. Still, the colors are so vibrant and the road is a leading line, so I would consider it a success. Very nice!

Really nice Lester! Looks like Pixel Bender software, Yes?

Harry, you've outdone yourself! Man, this one really sings! Very grandiose with significant chiaroscuro light and tack sharp detail. I really like how you have the complete ridgeline reflection, yet there are foreground boulders filling in the empty spaces. About the only thing I can come up with is that I would be interested in seeing a crop of the right side to take out the boulder, perhaps cropping to the right most peak's alpenglow, or just short of that. No doubt, any cropping is not necessary for this to be a 7. A very big WOW for this one!!!