Finding balance in an image

[stamper]

My point is what the brain already finds pleasurable or aesthetic, has been converted into what's called "rules" or what I call insights on how the brain works.  The "rule" or insight reflects what the brain enjoys hence the recommendation looks like a rule. 

Here's another "rule".  Never oversaturate the sunset so the colors look like nothing you've ever seen before otherwise the viewer will think the picture is false and ugly.  Will your photographic progress be impeded by following that rule?

Everybody's brain is different so trying to straight jacket them with a set of rules is silly. My liking/disliking for an image is instinctive and isn't hampered by a set of rules. Ask me what I like/dislike about an image then I would struggle to find the words. Some people like "false and ugly" over saturation and even pay a lot of money to own an image that is "false and ugly" Look up subjective in your dictionary.

[luxborealis]

My advice: put the photo/file away for a month and then come back to it fresh.

Ditto.

Before going any further, consider carefully what your end game is. What will the photo be used for? Who will be looking at the photo. The answer should help determine some of your direction with the photograph.

For example, the "tower" to anyone not familiar with SF is an eyesore in an otherwise compelling photograph.

The colours, to anyone not concerned about reality (photographers tend to be more concerned than the average Joe/Jill), maybe just fine. To many, their surrealism is a detriment.

If it's for a stock agency then the more compelling the better.

If it's for your wall only, well, anything goes.

Lots of "ifs" that only you can answer. There is no "right" way only ways that may be more or less acceptable to one group or another.

Do you want to play it safe? Follow the "rules". If you prefer to be more avante garde, then do whatever satisfies your original compulsion to make the photograph.

BTW, try raising the values of the fog so it looks less like a desert wind storm/mountains, unless, of course that's the way you envision it. 

[RSL]

My advice: put the photo/file away for a month and then come back to it fresh.

I'd change Bob's advice to: Put the photo/file away for the rest of your life and try again.

[jng]

Ditto.

Before going any further, consider carefully what your end game is. What will the photo be used for? Who will be looking at the photo. The answer should help determine some of your direction with the photograph.

For example, the "tower" to anyone not familiar with SF is an eyesore in an otherwise compelling photograph.

The colours, to anyone not concerned about reality (photographers tend to be more concerned than the average Joe/Jill), maybe just fine. To many, their surrealism is a detriment.

If it's for a stock agency then the more compelling the better.

If it's for your wall only, well, anything goes.

Lots of "ifs" that only you can answer. There is no "right" way only ways that may be more or less acceptable to one group or another.

Do you want to play it safe? Follow the "rules". If you prefer to be more avante garde, then do whatever satisfies your original compulsion to make the photograph.

BTW, try raising the values of the fog so it looks less like a desert wind storm/mountains, unless, of course that's the way you envision it. 

Thanks for your thoughtful comments. More - and very useful - grist for the mill...

John

[degrub]

What did you pick to set the white point and white balance curve ?
I think there are two light sources in the image - the sunset itself and the mixture of city lights that are very different.
For a sun that had set behind the coastal range, the city side fog looks like it has the wrong color cast for city lights. What about masking and working on the two halves separately ?

I've seen that orange glow in the sky after Pinitubo popped in the Philipines years ago, but that was at 35,000 ft over the Pacific.

Frank

[jng]

What did you pick to set the white point and white balance curve ?
I think there are two light sources in the image - the sunset itself and the mixture of city lights that are very different.
For a sun that had set behind the coastal range, the city side fog looks like it has the wrong color cast for city lights. What about masking and working on the two halves separately ?

I've seen that orange glow in the sky after Pinitubo popped in the Philipines years ago, but that was at 35,000 ft over the Pacific.

Frank

Frank,

Given the very different sources of light on the two halves of the image as you note, setting the color balance was (and still is) the main challenge here. There wasn't a reasonable or obvious area to pick as neutral grey; the overall color balance was set on somewhere between daylight and tungsten. I did in fact use a layer mask to handle these areas separately, but as you may surmise it's still a work in progress. And yes, in retrospect I guess I also overdid it on the saturation (mea culpa).

In any case, the SF bay can give some pretty wild colors at dusk, especially when a low fog rolls in. The photo was taken ~40 minutes after the sun passed below the horizon. Twenty minutes prior, the colors were quite different. Whether this particular image ultimately works for me or not, I'm interested in learning how to tame these effects.

Thanks.

John