I dream of you...

[ShaneS]

In the process of mining through my images for the year I am finding some nice surprises...here is one:



Yep, another sunset, but I liked the movement that I captured and of course the colors. I played around with the contrast on this quite a bit but found that as I increased the contrast there was a corresponding decrease in the ethereal feel of the image which is what I found appealing. The addition of a soft white vignette seemed to add to the dreamlike feeling that I was trying to evoke in this image.

Your thoughts and critique would be most welcome.

[Shadowman]

Shane,

It is dreamlike but not your typical sunset. I need landmass to ground me.

[ShaneS]

Thanks John. I have no land to offer as the framing shown here is essentially as shot.

Maybe I should call it a sunset seascape...

[Shadowman]

Thanks John. I have no land to offer as the framing shown here is essentially as shot.

Maybe I should call it a sunset seascape...

[Colin Southern]

Hi Shane,

Some other "tricks" you can do ...

1. Duplicate the layer - blur the top layer (around 20 on a full-resolution image) - then vary the opacity to suit desired "dream factor")

2. Apply an unsharp mask with a high radius to simulate clarity (it can add contrast without destroying the softness).

Pretty good job all round as it is though.

[chauncey]

I have difficulty visualizing Colin's advice but, I sure like it as is!

[Colin Southern]

I have difficulty visualizing Colin's advice but, I sure like it as is!

The first bit is used to add "dreaminess"; I used it on the water in this image.



The 2nd bit comes down to radii; the clarity slider in ACR or an USM with a big radius changes the contrast, but on a "bigger picture" scale so you can add contrast, but not make it "sharper" to the eye.

[Mike Buckley]

I like the image a lot. Any changes to it are purely a matter of artistic choice, not matters of right or wrong.

[ShaneS]

Thank you Colin, Chauncey and Mike. Colin, I'm going to play around with your suggestion (particularly the second regrading the USM) and see how it changes the image. I appreciate the tips as it is always good to have some new tools to add to the repertoire - you never know when they might come in handy

[TobyMac]

I love how this looks like a painting. Such a great smooth and dreamlike texture, I really like it.

[Wavelength]

Lovely; i call it an abstract Sunset

[ShaneS]

Thank you Tobias and Nandakumar. The processing of this one took me a bit to wrap my head around as it isn't a shot that you want to be crisp and sharp. I'm still working on the art of bringing out what I saw/felt at the time of capture in my processing and feel like I actually got this one right - it's a nice feeling

[Brownbear]

Hi Shane, I adore this image... Dreamy and beautiful!

[ShaneS]

Thanks Christina...I'm not sure if you have been following my journey to create a collection of my best/favorite shots from the year but it is a process that I highly recommend. You should really think about doing this as you have come a long way in your imagery this year and I bet your would find some overlooked gems as well

[Brownbear]

Hi Shane,

Thank you for sharing your image... Somehow I have missed your journey but I will check it out later. Right now I'm swamped with several things so one more thing is too much for me now but for sure later I will do.

Thanks Christina...I'm not sure if you have been following my journey to create a collection of my best/favorite shots from the year but it is a process that I highly recommend. You should really think about doing this as you have come a long way in your imagery this year and I bet your would find some overlooked gems as well