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Archive 2014 · Valley sunrise

  
 
ben egbert
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Valley sunrise


Here is an image from my recent trip to Yosemite. First time here in about 40 years, I was surprised at how dry it was.







Oct 18, 2014 at 09:31 AM
Chaz
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Valley sunrise


Pleasant view, Ben, with dramatic sky and clouds. However, the HDR or Shadow/Highlight treatment looks a little overcooked on my monitor.

Dry? Indeed! We are asking the spirit of Chief Tenaya for a little rain dance assistance this season.



Oct 18, 2014 at 01:12 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Valley sunrise


Chaz wrote:
Pleasant view, Ben, with dramatic sky and clouds. However, the HDR or Shadow/Highlight treatment looks a little overcooked on my monitor.

Dry? Indeed! We are asking the spirit of Chief Tenaya for a little rain dance assistance this season.


Thanks for the comment Chaz. Indeed, this is HDR, we Canon guys need all the help we can get for lifting shadows. I presented this elsewhere in many iterations seeking to find the right balance, but this forum is more critical than others and in a good way.



Oct 18, 2014 at 01:21 PM
Chaz
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Valley sunrise


I don't mind HDR at all. I sometimes use it as well as a "variation on a theme" to impart a different look and feel to a scene - usually in cases like you have here when dramatic clouds and sky are present.


Oct 18, 2014 at 02:15 PM
JimFox
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Valley sunrise


Hey Ben,

I see no need for HDR, if your camera have so little DR then many switch to Sony or Nikon. HDR screws up 99% of the photos it touches, using layer masks and bracketing is the key.

And I agree, this HDR looks way over done.

As for Yosemite being dry, even in wet years it is dry when you went. That's why most of us skip Yosemite Valley till the end of Oct when some fall colors hit.

Jim



Oct 18, 2014 at 02:34 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Valley sunrise


JimFox wrote:
Hey Ben,

I see no need for HDR, if your camera have so little DR then many switch to Sony or Nikon. HDR screws up 99% of the photos it touches, using layer masks and bracketing is the key.

And I agree, this HDR looks way over done.

As for Yosemite being dry, even in wet years it is dry when you went. That's why most of us skip Yosemite Valley till the end of Oct when some fall colors hit.

Jim


Hi Jim. I can wait for Canons next camera, it will give me reason to go back I was in Bishop for fall color a few days later and hit it peak. Yosemite was a nostalgia trip and I had other fall color locations I wanted to hit.

Here is another more subdued 2 image blend.







Oct 18, 2014 at 02:43 PM
JohnC
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Valley sunrise


I like the clouds and sky better in the first shot but the HDR is a little much.


Oct 18, 2014 at 02:59 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Valley sunrise


JohnC wrote:
I like the clouds and sky better in the first shot but the HDR is a little much.


Yep, it works on other forums, but not here. I am trying to find the threshold here. I just need to back off a bit.

For future viewers, please let this post die. I would delete it myself but it has too many comments. I should not have posted it.



Oct 18, 2014 at 03:43 PM
alatoo60
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Valley sunrise


Ben, this is a wonderful landscape and light that you captured, but I wish the processing was not so aggressive. Second is much better than first, but still, why not to post one of the originals?

Sasha.



Oct 18, 2014 at 10:03 PM
Danpbphoto
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Valley sunrise


I will not comment then Ben...I think you are selling yourself short on this/these images.
Dan



Oct 19, 2014 at 03:08 PM
dsjtecserv
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Valley sunrise


Ben, I'll keep this thread alive long enough to compliment you on the second version of the scene. I think that demonstrates that you didn't need hdr for the first one; Canon sensor notwithstanding. You could even punch it up a bit using normal contrast controls if you prefer a more dramatic look, but I like it the way it is.

Does that help you find the sweet spot for this forum?

Dave



Oct 19, 2014 at 04:34 PM
psharvic
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Valley sunrise


No matter how you PP, Ben, you made a very nice picture. I like the 1st. Nice to get back to remembered spots. Always enjoy your posts and in depth questioning.


Oct 19, 2014 at 06:00 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Valley sunrise


What bothers me with this post is the fact that I should be able to see before I post it that it will have issues.

Not every image will be a winner, but after this much time I ought to be able to post acceptable and properly processed shots for this audiance. It’s usually a case of going too far. You should have seen the several that were far more processed than this one. I thought I had backed way off, but I guess not.

I check the LCD for each of my bracket shots and compare them to the actual scene. I then process those which meet the same DR as I see in person. The HDR was about as I saw it in terms of overall DR.

My second image does not come close to showing the sky I saw. The HDR is about right. The second is probably close on the trees. I don’t think the HDR is far off.



Oct 19, 2014 at 07:36 PM
nma
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Valley sunrise


Ben,

Why not try blending your HDR and the otherwise best bracket? You can also add a gradient to favor the clouds. Scott Stoness used to favor that approach when he was shooting Canon.



Oct 19, 2014 at 09:56 PM
Camperjim
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Valley sunrise


ben egbert wrote:
What bothers me with this post is the fact that I should be able to see before I post it that it will have issues.

Not every image will be a winner, but after this much time I ought to be able to post acceptable and properly processed shots for this audiance. It’s usually a case of going too far. You should have seen the several that were far more processed than this one. I thought I had backed way off, but I guess not.

I check the LCD for each of my bracket shots and compare them to the
...Show more

Ben, I think you are discounting individual preferences. Some viewers will not like your image if it has a hint of hdr processing. Others might not like it if some details are lost in the shadows. You will never please everyone. That said, I find that I often avoid posting some of the images I like best just because I suspect they will not be liked.



Oct 19, 2014 at 11:22 PM
Foggy14
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Valley sunrise


Ben, image #2 is excellent, and takes me back to tunnel view. Nicely done.


Oct 20, 2014 at 12:00 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Valley sunrise


I want to thank everyone for the support here. Sasha and I got together and I sent her the raws which she graciously processed and gave me the formula. I think everyone would like her version.

I have been using my own non HDR 3 image blend but wanted to try HDR.

This is the wrong forum to try stuff like that. My apologies.





Oct 20, 2014 at 10:26 AM





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