Morning Glow Take 2

[dje]

This shoot was a follow up to a recent one which I covered in a recent thread (Morning Glow). I sensed another good sunrise and I wasn't dis-appointed. The sky really turned it on for me a few minutes before sunrise. This is the sort of sky I have been chasing for quite a while.

The second shot was taken from the same spot as the first but in the other direction. The ferry terminal looked so serene in the light.

The third shot was my little companion for the shoot. I think it's a white faced heron. It was quite tame and hung around the whole time I was there - and was quite happy to pose for me!

Comments welcome, pls click on image for best viewing.

Dave

[FootLoose]

The first one is spectacular, Dave. The light show changes so quickly around dawn, you have to be on the ball to capture the better displays. I like the gradation of colour in this shot: the way it starts with gold on the horizon and then blends into the blue above. It makes a beautiful background for the blushing clouds above the city.

(This really has to be viewed at largest size to appreciate it)

[kdoc856]

I usually cringe at the overuse of "awesome", but #1 really deserves it. The scrub at the lower left bothers me just a touch, but I wouldn't want to lose any of that sky. Perhaps a tiny crop on the left just at the right edge of the small building?

[John 2]

Three very nice images but the first one is a peach. Great image not to mention bonus marks for getting out of bed early enough to capture it.

[Ken Curtis]

Hi Dave.

You've captured a spectacular morning sky in image #1. It has great colors and I like the silhouette of the buildings at the water's edge. Not a criticism, just a suggestion to try, but I wonder if you would like the image any better if you removed the electric lights (spot removal) from the building. They tend to pull the eye away from the sky.

I also like the detail and clarity of your companion.

[dje]

Many thanks Greg, Kevin, John and Ken for your comments.

Greg my approach with these sorts of shots is to get there at least twenty minutes before sunrise and take shots every few minutes. That way you can't really miss the best colour.

Kevin your suggested crop would be worth a look as there is not really much on the far left of the image.

John sunrise was at 6:35AM that day - we are getting very close to the winter solstice here. I'm only 15 mins from this point on the river so I could get up at quite a civilised time !!

Ken point taken about the lights. If I'm not mistaken, at least some of these are actually openings in the buildings letting the sunlight through as they cast reflections in the water. I would have to clone the reflections out also.

Dave

[dubaiphil]

Very nice, Dave, but #1 looks a little over sharpened and saturated to me - it almost looks as if you've tried a virtual HDR from the single image (as in processing several different exposures from the RAW file and blending)

[dje]

Very nice, Dave, but #1 looks a little over sharpened and saturated to me - it almost looks as if you've tried a virtual HDR from the single image (as in processing several different exposures from the RAW file and blending)

Thanks Phil. I guess the processing is a matter of taste and the effect you are after. I deliberately emphasised the reds a bit and added contrast to the sky. No virtual HDR though. Here is the image with only "basic" processing in ACR ie no colour mods or Levels adjustment in PS. Sharpening was set to 150/0.5 pixels. The downsized image has also had some mild sharpening at 0.3 pixel radius.

Dave