Mesquite Dunes

[David Eckels]

Preferences?
I have been struggling with this image ever since I took it in January 2020. Trying to find the right contrast and color balance has been very difficult for some reason. Tried a re-do using Tony Kuyper's linear profile for the D850 and seemed to have a little more control. OR, my contrast hand has gotten a little weaker

[digitaldog]

IMHO, bottom (colored). Just so much more unusual.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Me too.
Color also shows more detail that gets lost in the B&W.

[David Eckels]

Thanks for the replies, Andrew, Eric.
Still the same opinions if I lift the blacks?

[digitaldog]

Not for me; the first pick is unusual and more visually appealing to me.

[degrub]

Might try 3-4 more colors and make a set of three ?

[David Eckels]

Andrew, appreciate the comment. I think there is something special about that twilight hue as well.

Might try 3-4 more colors and make a set of three ?

degrub, I don't understand this. Can you elaborate? Are you saying you don't like the magenta tones?

[Bob_B]

I prefer the color version also.

[Alan Klein]

Might try 3-4 more colors and make a set of three ?

I like the idea of a triptych.  A purple one by itself looks unreal but a set of three different oversaturated hues is artistic.

[degrub]

Andrew, appreciate the comment. I think there is something special about that twilight hue as well.degrub, I don't understand this. Can you elaborate? Are you saying you don't like the magenta tones?

Maybe lime green, electric orange, blue in addition to the magenta ?
yes. i do like the magenta over the b&w

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Forget the b&w... boring. Color all the way (in this particular case).

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I definitely won't "think the same" about these.

I much prefer the revised B&W version. The use of fakey colors seems to cheapen the image.

-(signed) Oscar the Grouch.

[David Eckels]

Thanks for the comments, all. I think the diversity reflects somewhat the schizophrenia I felt in processing this. I will have to let the prints be the final arbiter. That being said, the color version reflects the mood at the time; no "unnatural" colors were added although they were enhanced; perhaps too much for some tastes. It was shot about 20 minutes after sunset and I was freezing my ass off, even with a propane heater aimed at me. The following was taken about 2 AM, January 2020, early the next morning, my campsite. Cold, deserted, I will never tire of Death Valley.

PS Nice selfie Slobodan!

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

My one visit to Death Valley was in a January, many years ago. Daytime temperature was in the low 70s (Fahrenheit) the whole time, cooling off a bit at night, but not much. Just beautiful.

[Arlen]

I've only been to Death Valley once, but it is a very interesting place, and I plan to go back sometime. I like both the revised B&W and the color image, but I also favor the color one. And I've seen color like that in sunsets before, so it doesn't seem pushed so far out there to me. It only takes a drop in vibrance by about -6 to make it start looking a little wan.

[David Eckels]

Eric, on this trip, night temp about 11F!
Arlen, thanks. I agree about the vibrance trailing off rapidly. I mainly worked on the dune highlights, first to bring out their luminosity and then to pick up some of the warm tones in the sky.