Etch a Sketch

[maddogmurph]

Hmmm. I just don't know. I tried to warp this thing back to what I thought it looked like not on the 15mm, but it's just a rabbit hole of indecision. Also, this was one of those moments I was legitimately scared and uncertain of the future. The first drops of a potential thunderstorm dotting the ground.

[armand]

The second seems to be the best compromise between immersive but without unnecessary distractions but I think this more of a personal decision on what you are trying to achieve.

[luxborealis]

For me, the second “works” best if only because of the alignment of the grooves in the bottom right as the rest of the scene is, more or less, similar enough.

Great view, MadDog. I assume you will add some post-capture processing to really make this scene sing.

[maddogmurph]

For me, the second “works” best if only because of the alignment of the grooves in the bottom right as the rest of the scene is, more or less, similar enough.

Great view, MadDog. I assume you will add some post-capture processing to really make this scene sing.

Well, the color always goes to this orange/red place in parts of the photo when I make it "sing"... B&W seems to lose the strength of the blue/orange color harmony. I have one shot from out here where I love the jpg, and no matter how much I try to work the raw, I can't get it to color match the jpg. Has anyone else worked with these scenes that has advice for isolating out those oranges/reds to shift them to a more natural color? (you'll notice them particularly in the upper left quadrant)

[armand]

Maybe trying to separate more the yellow vs orange?
My postprocessing skills are limited but Color Effex (from Nik) often does offer some interesting interpretations.

[francois]

I also lean toward the second shot but it's not an easy choice.

[Chris Calohan]

Might I suggest you use both the red and blue channels for color bump and some needed contrast separation. I have done this to you color image but will not post without permission.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I've come back to these several times, not able to make a definitive choice.
I now lean toward the second, too.

I would be interested in seeing Chris's suggested reprocessing, if you will let him show it, Murph.

[maddogmurph]

Might I suggest you use both the red and blue channels for color bump and some needed contrast separation. I have done this to you color image but will not post without permission.

You can always terrorize my images. I could care less if people edit them, I do it to other people all the time. Reality is, once you post in a public space, chances are pretty high, someone somewhere has your image.

[Chris Calohan]

Just a thought...

[luxborealis]

Is this what you’re looking for? Based on what you said above, I thought I would give it a whirl - good practice.
1. I imported your image into LrM
2. Sounds simple, but I tapped the “Auto” button. I often do this to see where Adobe might go with images. More importantly for me, though, is it’s the only way to get Auto White Points and Auto Black Points in LrM, which I find helpful starting points with full-toned images.
3. I reduced exposure by 0.3, reduced Whites by 10, added some Texture (+20) and some Clarity (+10). Then, I added a grad mask to darken the upper right ¼ (mostly sky) by 0.4 and increase the contrast by 15. Finally, I added a grad mask to the left ⅕ to slightly raise the tones there by 0.2. Note: there are two spots in the mid clouds (removed in this version).
4. Then I changed it B&W and Wow! What potential! I raised the Exposure by 10 and raised the Texture and Clarity by 20 each.
This took all of about 5 or 10 minutes. Very exciting image! I’d love to work with the raw file, if only to reduce the highlight in the top right that keeps drawing my eye. Great shot, MadDog!
Note: IQ on the images is not ideal as I could not upload the full res jpegs created, but had to reduce their size.

[maddogmurph]

Is this what you’re looking for? Based on what you said above, I thought I would give it a whirl - good practice.
1. I imported your image into LrM
2. Sounds simple, but I tapped the “Auto” button. I often do this to see where Adobe might go with images. More importantly for me, though, is it’s the only way to get Auto White Points and Auto Black Points in LrM, which I find helpful starting points with full-toned images.
3. I reduced exposure by 0.3, reduced Whites by 10, added some Texture (+20) and some Clarity (+10). Then, I added a grad mask to darken the upper right ¼ (mostly sky) by 0.4 and increase the contrast by 15. Finally, I added a grad mask to the left ⅕ to slightly raise the tones there by 0.2. Note: there are two spots in the mid clouds (removed in this version).
4. Then I changed it B&W and Wow! What potential! I raised the Exposure by 10 and raised the Texture and Clarity by 20 each.
This took all of about 5 or 10 minutes. Very exciting image! I’d love to work with the raw file, if only to reduce the highlight in the top right that keeps drawing my eye. Great shot, MadDog!
Note: IQ on the images is not ideal as I could not upload the full res jpegs created, but had to reduce their size.

Looks pretty solid to me. I'll have to go back to this image and finish it.