Two Hearted sunset, UP Michigan

JoashotsJoashots Registered Users Posts: 138 Major grins
edited September 4, 2009 in Landscapes
We were treated to an eye-popping sunset at a recent overland trip to Michigan's upper Peninsula.
These pictures were taken next to our campsite at the mouth of the Two Hearted River adjoining Lake Superior. Appreciate any comments/feedback.
Thanks for looking,
Joash

1. D90, 2 stop ND grad
629555676_i4ekJ-L.jpg

2. D90, 3 stop hard ND grad
629584545_mdonm-L.jpg
Joash R

If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do. - Samuel Butler

Comments

  • Awais YaqubAwais Yaqub Registered Users Posts: 10,572 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2009
    These photos got some stunning feelings ! love the 2nd one most.
    Thine is the beauty of light; mine is the song of fire. Thy beauty exalts the heart; my song inspires the soul. Allama Iqbal

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  • canghuixucanghuixu Registered Users Posts: 238 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2009
    Spectacular!

    I was inspired by your photos to read up on graduated ND filters for the first time, very interesting. Looks like something I should experiment with at some point.
  • Photog4ChristPhotog4Christ Registered Users Posts: 716 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2009
    thumb.gif

    I like #2 :D


    Great shots!!!

    I really do want to go to da UP eh!
    <><
    Neal Jacob

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  • JoashotsJoashots Registered Users Posts: 138 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2009
    Thanks for the kind words
    Awais, thank you for your compliment. I am partial to #2 as well.

    Neal, you really do need to get up to the UP- the scenery is truly incredible, and such a dramatic change in landscape going West to East.

    @Canghuixu- thanks! the grads helped me hold back the dazzling sun a bit- to be quite honest, I am still trying to work on a consistent, multiple exposure technique that I can get good results with, in post processing. In the meantime the grads help me capture some of that overwhelming color and dynamic range. BTW I love your cityscapes.
    Joash R

    If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do. - Samuel Butler
  • dseidmandseidman Registered Users Posts: 824 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2009
    Welcome to dgrin!
    These are a couple of nice shots but the saturation is a little too high for my taste. The second shot has a bit of vignetting in the extreme upper-right corner but that's an easy fix.
    Danny Seidman
    http://www.danseidmanphoto.com/
  • Photog4ChristPhotog4Christ Registered Users Posts: 716 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2009
    Joashots wrote:

    Neal, you really do need to get up to the UP- the scenery is truly incredible, and such a dramatic change in landscape going West to East.

    My wife has family in The Thumb and also in the Grand Rapids area, but I have never been to da UP. I really want to go to Mackinac and then up to The Soo. I wouldn't mind taking two or more weeks to just drive around up there! (me personally... I don't know about my wife) :D
    <><
    Neal Jacob

    [URL="http://nealjacob.com/twitter"]Twitter[/URL]|[B][URL="http://photos.nealjacob.com"]SmugMug[/URL][/B
  • JoashotsJoashots Registered Users Posts: 138 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2009
    dseidman wrote:
    Welcome to dgrin!
    These are a couple of nice shots but the saturation is a little too high for my taste. The second shot has a bit of vignetting in the extreme upper-right corner but that's an easy fix.

    Appreciate the feedback- exactly what I'm looking for. nod.gif I did slightly increase the overall contrast, which may have also contributed to the colors being too heavy? Also in the 2nd shot, there's the 'transition line' from the grad filter in the upper half of the clump of trees in the Left.......
    Here's another picture, seconds after the sun set- without contrast adjustment- just doesn't have those golden sprinkles :D :
    634591868_RqHrz-L.jpg
    Joash R

    If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do. - Samuel Butler
  • toragstorags Registered Users Posts: 4,615 Major grins
    edited September 2, 2009
    Very nice Joash. I use a GND. It's a lot easier to reduce dynamic range than bracketing & merging

    Rags
    Rags
  • chrismoorechrismoore Registered Users Posts: 1,083 Major grins
    edited September 3, 2009
    great shots, looks like you got treated to some awesome light. I would echo the decrease in saturation, esp of the blues and oranges, and crop out the vignette artifact upper right. Also I wonder if you could recover the highlights on the water/sand a little. very well done!
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  • JoashotsJoashots Registered Users Posts: 138 Major grins
    edited September 3, 2009
    @Rags: pretty much the reason I'm using handheld grads- I'm still a complete novice in the area of bracketing and merging and am quickly finding that albeit rewarding, it is definitely time-consuming; at least for me. I'll keep at it though...

    Thanks for the advice Chris- I am going back and making some specific color adjustments, The more I look at the pictures, the more I see that those hues are a bit too much- even though my memory keeps screaming- BUT IT WAS SOOO RICH AND UNREAL AND BREATHTAKING !!....I have to get back up there again soon...
    Joash R

    If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do. - Samuel Butler
  • bbcrewbbcrew Registered Users Posts: 12 Big grins
    edited September 4, 2009
    Awesome Pictures my friend! #2 is my favorite, you wouldn't by any chance have any others that were taken within the next 5-10 minutes after that one was, would you? I visited the U.P. for a week at the end of June and got some awesome shots off the south shore ( Naubinway Area ), we made it up to Munising, Christmas and AuTrain, but totally missed that area. This will definately be my next destination when I get chance. Did you get a chance to do any canoeing on the Two Hearted river? I seen a segment on Michigan Outdoors a few years back, Looks like it would be a trip of a lifetime! Thanks for sharing those photos..... This is what Michigan really has to offer, that most people down state have never seen! thumb.gif
  • JoashotsJoashots Registered Users Posts: 138 Major grins
    edited September 4, 2009
    Thanks bbcrew. I could have stayed for a week. I do have other pictures that I didn't particularly like. In fact, lots that didn't 'turn out' ne_nau.gif

    I will post few pictures from Copper Harbor/Keweenaw peninsula, that were of the bracket and merge variety- I personally don't think they match up to the caliber of stuff I see here on a daily basis....

    BTW If you would like more details on this trip-check out the trip reports in this link. The Expedition Portal is a great, conservation minded, and informative venue with people committed to responsible off-highway travel, hiking, kayaking etc.
    http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31051
    Joash R

    If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do. - Samuel Butler
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