kylebarendrick wrote:
I love the cloud - captured and processed beautifully. I do feel like you may have opened up the shadows too much, but that's just my taste. I always appreciate your work.
Thanks Kyle very much for your feedback. Yeah, I think that might be a taste thing. I first did the image in complete silhouette and quite liked it, but I knew there would likely be a chorus of people taking issue with plugged/blocked shadows (due to the advent of modern HDR and general dynamic range blending standards). It seems to almost be the "sacred rule" these days to have discernible detail all the way from black (0) on through to pure white (255). So, then I decided to play with my "blend if" techniques for blending/tonal control and decided after pulling in a little detail in the land, I liked it even more. But I too could go both ways.
Side note: the image should be viewed at about 120 candelas (calibration) for best accuracy.
Mark Metternich wrote:
Thanks Kyle very much for your feedback. Yeah, I think that might be a taste thing. I first did the image in complete silhouette and quite liked it, but I knew there would likely be a chorus of people taking issue with plugged/blocked shadows (due to the advent of modern HDR and general dynamic range blending standards). It seems to almost be the "sacred rule" these days to have discernible detail all the way from black (0) on through to pure white (255). So, then I decided to play with my "blend if" techniques for blending/tonal control and decided after pulling in a little detail in the land, I liked it even more. But I too could go both ways.
Side note: the image should be viewed at about 120 candelas (calibration) for best accuracy....Show more →
Beautiful image. Thank you so much for sharing your processing information and following up with feedback. You make a good point about the idea of a silhouette and then lifting the shadows. I am somewhere in between the silhouette and version you posted here. Personally, I would like to see some details in the ridge-line and tree, but I would like to have to look a little harder for it. Please keep in mind that is my preference and I certainly respect yours. Also, it is considerably different viewing images on a laptop screen (even a calibrated one) and seeing it in print. So that is a big factor as well.
c5gowin wrote:
Beautiful image. Thank you so much for sharing your processing information and following up with feedback. You make a good point about the idea of a silhouette and then lifting the shadows. I am somewhere in between the silhouette and version you posted here. Personally, I would like to see some details in the ridge-line and tree, but I would like to have to look a little harder for it. Please keep in mind that is my preference and I certainly respect yours. Also, it is considerably different viewing images on a laptop screen (even a calibrated one) and seeing it in print. So that is a big factor as well. ...Show more →
Thank you very much for the compliment and feedback. Yes, a taste thing and I can see an argument for both ways or in between. Yes, a laptop is very different from a PC (even calibrated) so that is likely playing into it to some degree. As far as a Laptop being different than a print... I never make prints out of my web versions! They are simply test runs for the print. When I am really serious about a master quality fine art print I start from scratch and profile it (soft proof) for print even starting at the raw stage. This also entails very different monitor calibration. A print file never sees web.
Greg Campbell wrote:
Very cool scene / vision.
However, the large halo in the clouds just above the horizon does suggest that the PP maybe got a bit out of hand.
Thanks Greg. Good eye. What you are seeing there is not so much a halo per se. It is faint indication of shadow dodging overspray that I should have corrected. I will revise the web version and do that on the print to. I appreciate the feedback. It helps!
Very creative shot Mark. I love the drama in it and the tree looks like thunderbolt. Great processing. I'm wondering how it would look like with the sky a little lighter.
or PM me about a Skype lesson. That is what I do for a living during the fall/winter when I am not leading workshops. I LOVE teaching and helping others come along in their skills!
The cloud is beyond awesome! I feel like I could break off a piece and then I'd have dessert. I am not saying this would be better, but I think it would be interesting to see the tree as a silhouette and have it pop and play with the jet black sky. Or close the grass. Or both. You have such wonderful detail in the cloud (I think I saw one of my friends in there), and that might highlight it better.
or PM me about a Skype lesson. That is what I do for a living during the fall/winter when I am not leading workshops. I LOVE teaching and helping others come along in their skills!
Good luck!
Mark
Thanks, Mark. I think I'm going to check out your videos after watching your preview link. I appreciate it!
