Landscape from Christmas day

[Marie Hass]

This is a 2 image image. I shot the first exposed for the ground, and the second exposed for the sky. I layered them in CS5 and then used the brush at varying opacities to attain (what I thought) would be the desired results.

It was truely a glorious sunrise yesterday. The colors depicted were pretty much what was in the RAW image. I was trying to do it justice in my PP.

Please feel free to comment on all levels. Someone told me that, no matter how beautiful, sunrises and sunsets are trite. They have been done to death. I don't know.



Marie

[moopy goops]

I think it's lovely and I think you should ignore all those nae-sayers, for one thing nearly all photography has been done before and secondly you should strive to take the kind of photos that inspire YOU, that YOU enjoy, not shoot to please others.
Well done and keep doing your thing

[Daisy Mae]

Marie,,,this is really lovely.

Those colours and tones, the depth in the sky...that beautiful arc of trees bathed in purple....seriously good work!

[Mike Buckley]

Great job, Marie.

I wonder how many times Handel's Messiah was performed this Christmas season despite that it has always been performed this time of year and has been performed literally at least tens of thousands of times over the past few centuries. That's my response to anyone who tells you not to make a photograph of a sunrise or sunset because it has already been made.

[Loose Canon]

Personally Marie, I don’t find this kind of beauty trite at all! In fact quite the opposite.

If this were mine Marie, I would have a look in the bottom left of the frame where there is something protruding up past the line of the hill in the distant background. Right there in that same area is something that resembles hot pixels (though it isn’t). I might have a look at that and see if I thought it would be better not there!

A great composite Marie.

[shreds]

I would go further and say nearly every photograph has been taken before at some time in the past. Thats not to say you can't do better. I think that the combination has been done well, to give depth to that glorious sunrise.

Do you take photos for other people (in which case they can give input and pay you handsomely for the result), or do you take them because they give you and others pleasure?

A friend of mine spent years taking pictures to win photographic competitions (which I suppose had its 'payment') but reached a point where he stopped entering after some twenty odd years (having won just about everything there was to be had) and remarked how enlightening and fantastic it was to be able to use his photography for things he wanted to shoot.

I have always said shoot for yourself and your own pleasure. Even Pros reach a stage where people come to them for their 'style' rather than just having photos. That way it is possible to combine both.

Those who criticise probably have not got your skills or tenacity to get such great shots!!

[FrankMi]

This is a 2 image image. I shot the first exposed for the ground, and the second exposed for the sky. I layered them in CS5 and then used the brush at varying opacities to attain (what I thought) would be the desired results.

It was truely a glorious sunrise yesterday. The colors depicted were pretty much what was in the RAW image. I was trying to do it justice in my PP.

Please feel free to comment on all levels. Someone told me that, no matter how beautiful, sunrises and sunsets are trite. They have been done to death. I don't know.



Marie

Good morning Marie. This is exactly the way I would have treated this scene. For me, the goal is to ensure that beyond being a compelling image, that there is no hint of any post processing activity and you have achieved that as well. I love the layer of haze that separates the foreground from the horizon and sky!

Sunrises and sunsets have been done to death but why? Because they can be awe inspiring when captured at this level! I suspect that most folks that put down sunrises/sunsets may lack the skills to capture a really outstanding image like this. I simply leave those folks to wallow in their negativism and move on to engaging the folks that are positive, upbeat, and striving for life's higher experiences.

Recommendations? Explore the image carefully and notice the path your eye takes as you explore the scene.

When I do that I realize that the blue sky at the top is pulling my eye away from the rest of the scene. You may notice that we have three areas of interest in this image, the foreground, the band of gold, and the band of blue. Normally a Red object will pull your attention stronger than other colors but the Red-Blue-Red combination at the top may be stronger than bright Red/Orange in the middle.

I would open the image in Lyte Box and use your mouse to move the image around, using the edge of the monitor to play with how a cropped image might look. See if losing some of the Red or Red/Blue at the top improves the feeling of the scene for you or not. You may also realize that the wider aspect ratio caused by losing some of the top may (or may not) be more appealing as well.

I'm not trying to get you to change the cropping or aspect ratio but rather to thoughtfully explore the image. This is something that we should always do in the viewfinder before the capture but may not have the time to fully explore while the sunrise sky is fleeting.

I would be pleased to hang this one in my Morning Room. What a wonderful way to start the day!

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[ajsmith]

Great photo and good job with the post processing.

[NorthernFocus]

Really nice, Marie. As previously noted, sunrise/set shots are done to death for a reason.

In way of critique, the colors and treatment of exposure is well done. The object protruding above the horizon on left side of frame was already mentioned. One other thing noticeable in the large version that may look odd if printed is that some of the tree branches extending above the horizon are sharp and some are blurry. The ones in center of frame are sharp and the others not so much. I suspect it has something to do with blending the two exposures as you described. Then again it could just be my old eyes

[Digital]

Beautiful photo, Marie.


Bruce

[Wavelength]

Very colorful and awesome; it looks like Earth is rising against a colorful sky; If we are happy to see sunrises and sunsets any number of times, the same is true regarding their images too; further no two daybreaks are identical nor two sunsets

[Marie Hass]

I worked today and am just now picking up.

Mat - thank you.

Sharon - thank you as well. Your comment is valued.

Mike, I guess I never thought of it that way. This image was summarily dismissed by a person I respected. It was hard to get by.

Terry, I see what you found. Thank you. I can fix it.

Ian, thank you for the confidence boost.

Frank, a high compliment from you. Thank for for the words of wisdom. I will have a look as you say.

John and Ali, thank you.

Dan, you are right about the fuzziness that you see. I think I moved the camera when I reset the exposure. I cannot think how to fix it. All of the images are like that. I tried a transform to warp the image a bit to make it fit, but still could not get it exactly aligned. I am not sure what to do. It is disheartening.

Bruce and Nandakumar, thank you.

Marie

[Stagecoach]

Marie,

I very much appreciate seeing good sunrise and sunset images and this is good.

Sure there's a few minor areas that have been mentioned already but it's main attributes are that it has interest throughout it's depth and it does not look over-processed/forced which far outweigh any negatives in my humble opinion.

I very rarely comment on crops but as Frank had mentioned I looked at this image moving around in Lytebox and believe it becomes far stronger with some of the sky removed.

Grahame

[ShaneS]

This one is a stunner Marie and I agree with others who have said that no two will ever be the same and who the heck cares if it makes you happy and brings back a fond memory

[Marie Hass]

Graham, thank you! I did see the crop that you and Frank were talking about and i am going to try it.

Shane, thank you for commenting.

I may go ahead and print this one after I do the suggested edits.

Marie

[jcuknz]

They have been done to death but here you have something different and worth the effort.

[Marie Hass]

jcuknz, thank you for taking the time to comment.

Marie

[Tringa]

A good shot, Marie. I really like the curve of the near hill and the mist filling the more distant valley. I don't find the blue in the sky a distraction; I find it reflects the blue/lilac tones of the mist. I would be more than happy to have taken it.

Photography is all about light and to ignore one of the potentially most impressive natural light shows, just because others have recorded it, seems very odd to me.

Dave

[Kaye Leggett]

The sun rises and sets every day - that's hardly done to death. Its a beautiful shot, taken on Christmas Day and in a special place for you - what more can you want ? Keep taking the photos you want.