Another couple of Sunsets...

Dreadnote

The clouds have been rolling in the past couple of weeks, so I thought I'd try my hand at a sunset or two. Comments always appreciated as I don't do many of these and don't really know much of anything anyway.

1)


2)

ritewinger

Both nice but I really like the second a lot....well done.

kdog

Yeah, me too. Second one is off the charts, man. Jason, is the foreground light-painted on that second one?

alissaspieces

WOW! That second picture is really amazing!!!

Dreadnote

ritewinger wrote: »

Both nice but I really like the second a lot....well done.

Thanks a bunch. I always wonder until I get some outside perspective. Too many hours staring at the screen I guess.

kdog wrote: »

Yeah, me too. Second one is off the charts, man. Jason, is the foreground light-painted on that second one?

Thanks for the compliments. Coming form you that is saying something as I have seen your work and feel I have sooooo much to learn. No light painting (though that is something that I definitely want to try, hopefully sooner rather than later). It is a single image that I processed separately on 4 different layers and then blended and finished off with a bit of dodging and burning and what not. I wish I could say that there was some strategy behind it, but the truth is that lots of sliders were tweaked and there is was. Don't really even remember what I did. I suppose I should make a note somewhere next time.

alissaspieces wrote: »

WOW! That second picture is really amazing!!!

Thanks very much. I appreciate it. The desert where I live is pretty ugly in my opinion except for a few moments before dark during the late summer when on good years we get the big thunderheads coming in.

Earache

Dreadnote wrote: »

.....I wish I could say that there was some strategy behind it, but the truth is that lots of sliders were tweaked and there is was. Don't really even remember what I did. I suppose I should make a note somewhere next time.

This is a common approach used by many photographers (I do it for fun all the time), but very seldom admitted to lest it seem like we are
not masters of the process - so good on 'ya for transparency on the issue. It's actually a fundamental exercise for learning PP and developing repeatable final results. As you mentioned notes may be helpful.
And, in this case, the proof-is-in-the-pudding - WoW! - these are a cut-above and not more of the same "sunset pictures" - #2 should win awards and would look out-of-this-world printed big on metal!

Dreadnote

Earache wrote: »

This is a common approach used by many photographers (I do it for fun all the time), but very seldom admitted to lest it seem like we are
not masters of the process - so good on 'ya for transparency on the issue. It's actually a fundamental exercise for learning PP and developing repeatable final results. As you mentioned notes may be helpful.
And, in this case, the proof-is-in-the-pudding - WoW! - these are a cut-above and not more of the same "sunset pictures" - #2 should win awards and would look out-of-this-world printed big on metal!

Thanks a bunch Eric, that's a big compliment. I appreciate it. I think I will start being a bit more serious about PP, saving presets and making notes and such. Thanks again!