Swamp Sunset 2

[Richard Pearlman]

Comments and critiques are appreciated. I am having some trouble masking the barren trees in the center of the image just above the treeline. If anyone has some advice on this matter, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[stamper]

I like this. Nice rendering.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I like this. Nice rendering.

Agreed. And those trees look fine to my eyes.

[stamper]

There are some members who think that all blacks should be lightened to show details - if there are any - in shadow areas. Some times - but not often imo - they are correct. In this instance if you think they should be lightened then I would leave them alone. The light is behind the trees so detail has been lost. Did it look that way when you captured the shot?

[Richard Pearlman]

I have the ability to pull out a lot more detail from the shadows because I have another exposure for them. However, I do not want to show more detail in the shadows because the shadows are uninteresting and do not add much to the image, which is about the sky and its reflection.

[stamper]

I thought that when you mentioned masking you wanted to lighten the shadows?

[mkihne]

+1 for dead trees look fine. If you want to address the central ones in the distance, careful cloning, healing at high magnification should not be too tedious. I would leave those at the margins as many have reflections, esp. on the right and are more substantial.

Mike

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

I have the ability to pull out a lot more detail from the shadows because I have another exposure for them. However, I do not want to show more detail in the shadows because the shadows are uninteresting and do not add much to the image, which is about the sky and its reflection.

I think that depends.
If you pull the shadows so far, that they loose their graphical quality, then you are surely right, I think.

But sometimes you can just pull them a slight bit, just so far, that faint details start to appear without making the image as a whole flatter.
Definitely worth experimentation, I think.

Grat shot anyways.

Cheers
~Chris