Sunrise Sunblast

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 29, 2011467 views14 comments

When I arrived that morning, it was looking pretty bleak. Then, approximately 15 minutes after sunrise a slot opened in the clouds and the rays starting busting through. I was scrambling to find some interesting elements to add to it.
I love shooting Lake Superior in the winter. The ice adds a whole new
element.

5D Mark II + 17-40 + 3 Stop Hard Grad

All Comments and Critique appreciated.

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on July 29, 2011 at 9:48 AM

What a great scene! The sunblast & sky are superb, and the ice provides for a great fg. I might be tempted to crop a bit off the top, the empty sky above the clouds does not add a whole lot I think, and without it there would be a stronger mood to the image.

Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on July 29, 2011 at 10:15 AM

Love the colour contrasts and composition here. Great mood. It does seem a bit soft as presented...

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Ryan on July 29, 2011 at 11:14 AM

Nice work Shawn. Good light and foreground interest. I'd consider cropping the top portion to remove the spots of blank sky. I think it distracts from the rest of the image.

Registered on June 29, 2008, 85 Posts, 636 Comments

Comment posted by Koveh Tavakkol on July 29, 2011 at 11:32 AM

This looks beautiful to me Shawn. The ice is a great foreground element, and the colors look great throughout. You might consider a 4X5 crop and crop out the top to just at the heavy clouds.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 41 Posts, 608 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on July 29, 2011 at 12:27 PM

Composition works great for me and the elements of the scene are fascinating. The rays of sunlight breaking through the cloud add some nice drama. I have to agree with the crop suggestions . . . it didn't occur to me to suggest that when I first viewed the image, but I think it becomes a more powerful and dramatic image if you lose the bright sky at the top of the frame.

Separately, I agree with Morkel that it could use a stronger dose of web sharpening.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on July 29, 2011 at 12:58 PM

Fantastic color and drama Shawn. I also like the detail in the foreground ice.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on July 29, 2011 at 5:57 PM

I like the depth of the image. The ice gives the brrrrrrrrrr feeling to the image and the color in the sky and the reflection add real interest.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on July 29, 2011 at 6:56 PM

Wonderful color complements between warm and cool tones. The fg ice structures are comp are excellent. I'm not too sure about the very top sections of brighter sky, and thought of cropping those out to keep the focus on the fg ice. Fabulous shot Shawn!

Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Haskell on July 29, 2011 at 7:40 PM

Super Image Shawn. Agree with the crop comment but overall the shot has a great feel to it.

Ian

Registered on October 30, 2008, 24 Posts, 673 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Harding on July 29, 2011 at 8:40 PM

Very nice shot Shawn with beautiful color. I would recommend that you crop a little from the bottom but still include a bit of the light tone on the bottom right. I think this gives the image a good balance and I don't like the idea of cropping the cloud that is rising up in the top center.

Registered on January 19, 2011, 33 Posts, 408 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on July 30, 2011 at 7:38 PM

Very nicely done. Wonderful comp and light. I could see cropping the clear sky at the top to add a lot of drama to the scene.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on July 31, 2011 at 6:54 AM

Really striking combination of red sky and a cold foreground.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on August 2, 2011 at 3:59 PM

An excellent striking image!

It does look quite soft though and seems it could benefit from some advanced web sharpening.

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Shawn Thompson on August 9, 2011 at 11:36 AM

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!

Registered on July 20, 2011, 22 Posts, 102 Comments