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Author Topic: July skies  (Read 3949 times)

sdwilsonsct

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July skies
« on: July 17, 2015, 05:38:29 pm »

Feedback welcome.

I spent last week in the Rockies, driving a thousand miles, walking 60, spending money on gas and travel and fancy lightweight gear. Photographic results: not so great. The attached images are all from one evening, a mile from home.

MattBurt

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Re: July skies
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2015, 06:02:55 pm »

I like the first and last. The middle one is a nice example of clouds but the foreground looks like it was pushed too hard and that kills the detail.

The other ones have much more interesting foregrounds. I especially like the tractor in the grass. Are these HDR? They have that look but it might just be how you managed your shadow areas in processing.
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Mike Brown

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Re: July skies
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2015, 06:23:23 pm »

I think my favourite is the first. I find it quite interesting having the road lined up centre with the change in cloud lighting.

I would be interested in seeing it with more of the top cropped off. Perhaps that just speaks to my love of wide panoramic aspect ratios though.

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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: July skies
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2015, 06:28:36 pm »

... a mile from home.

It is said that most car accidents happen a few miles from home. What that has to do with your photos? I have no idea, it is just something that crossed my wandering mind :)

Beautiful photographs, all three.

sdwilsonsct

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Re: July skies
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2015, 03:42:28 pm »

Thanks for the comments.
Matt - not sure what "pushed" means here, but I think the foreground would be more realistic if it was lighter. The tractor shot is HDR, and the tractor could be darker.
Mike, I do have tighter shots of the bright front, but am a sucker for context and all that surrounding structure.
Slobodan: thanks. Most accidents happen at home, so perhaps we can expect some successes there too?

JohnBrew

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Re: July skies
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2015, 03:54:10 pm »

 I like them all, but the tractor shot is especially nice.

Arlen

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Re: July skies
« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2015, 08:38:15 pm »

Too bad about the Rockies trip, Scott, but you've captured some beautiful scenes right in your own neighborhood. I think the one with tractor looks quite stunning when the overall exposure is brought down a bit, and the foreground just a bit more, to move towards a little more of the natural balance that one expects from backlighting.
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: July skies
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2015, 04:39:23 am »

All three are good, but I particularly love the sky in the second; I think I'd crop off a bit of the uninteresting foreground, though.

Jeremy
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pollarda

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Re: July skies
« Reply #8 on: July 19, 2015, 12:43:37 pm »

I think the first one is excellent.  You may want to try a black and white treatment too, I think the first (and perhaps last) have great potential as B&W as well as color.
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MattBurt

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Re: July skies
« Reply #9 on: July 19, 2015, 08:44:02 pm »

Thanks for the comments.
Matt - not sure what "pushed" means here, but I think the foreground would be more realistic if it was lighter. The tractor shot is HDR, and the tractor could be darker.
Mike, I do have tighter shots of the bright front, but am a sucker for context and all that surrounding structure.
Slobodan: thanks. Most accidents happen at home, so perhaps we can expect some successes there too?


I was thinking there was some aggressive shadow recovery going on and maybe not that much detail to get out of those shadows.
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langier

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Re: July skies
« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2015, 08:58:49 pm »

This is the "world" in your back yard. No. 1 has perfect balance with the road headed to the wall in the clouds. It is striking.
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Larry Angier
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sdwilsonsct

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Re: July skies
« Reply #11 on: July 19, 2015, 11:56:13 pm »

Thanks for the feedback, very helpful. I have added a couple of revisions to #1.

John -- I have many of this tractor but that night the stars aligned (in the form of clouds). Great stuff on your home page.
Arlen -- Yes. I have complaints about the grass seed heads being distracting, too.
Jeremy, Matt -- There isn't much detail in the foreground, a crop might help. It could be a little greener and brighter.
Pollarda -- a crunchy Reichman sky might work here, I'll see...
Larry -- that balance lasted just a few seconds, the front was miles away but moved very fast.
« Last Edit: July 20, 2015, 11:40:02 am by sdwilsonsct »
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: July skies
« Reply #12 on: July 20, 2015, 03:18:36 pm »

That works for me in monochrome.

Jeremy
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MattBurt

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Re: July skies
« Reply #13 on: July 20, 2015, 04:08:32 pm »

That one is pretty great in color or B&W, but I'm starting to lean toward B&W now.
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Paulo Bizarro

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Re: July skies
« Reply #14 on: July 21, 2015, 09:04:01 am »

Wonderful shots.
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