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Nature's Firework
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Nature's Firework

by John Fan

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 5, 2012472 views10 comments
In the midst of fireworks over the 4th of July, I thought of a image I took last year at Toadstool. The color at sunset was the most intense I ever experienced out west. I tried several versions last year and was not satisfied, mainly due to the color temperature being a little odd. Now I finally had it processed.

Comments

10 comments
Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on July 5, 2012 at 9:48 PM
I like the composition, but the the magenta clouds don't quite match what appears to be a normally lit ground. Though light can certainly do some strange things out here, so it's hard to say.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments
Comment posted by Yiming Hu on July 5, 2012 at 9:56 PM
Beautiful comp. Like it a lot. I am OK with the colors of the clouds. However I would lighten the upper part of the sky a little bit. The GND effect is a little bit strong here.
Registered on April 28, 2011, 38 Posts, 733 Comments
Comment posted by John Fan on July 5, 2012 at 10:00 PM
Thanks, Tony. That is exactly what I struggled with. The sky looked magenta.
Registered on August 24, 2010, 135 Posts, 489 Comments
Comment posted by John Fan on July 5, 2012 at 10:03 PM
Thanks, Yiming. It does look a little strong.
Registered on August 24, 2010, 135 Posts, 489 Comments
Comment posted by Rick Turner on July 5, 2012 at 11:36 PM
My mind sees clouds but no white and it throws me off. Just does not mesh.
Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on July 6, 2012 at 1:00 AM
John,

I think you've got a great scene, great clouds and light combo. However, I must agree with the comments so far relating to the color of the clouds. Now I know I've seen clouds get like this, but it's always AFTER the sun goes down (or before it comes up.) But clearly the sun is still in the sky. So that's what is throwing me off. Not that clouds can't be intensely color like this, but it's a matter of timing and believability for me. Hope that makes sense. I'm really liking the comp though.

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on July 6, 2012 at 5:14 AM
Cool comp! The clouds do seem a tad oversatched.
Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments
Comment posted by John Fan on July 6, 2012 at 7:59 AM
Thanks guys for your great suggestions. I will try to de-saturate the sky a little to match the foreground.
Registered on August 24, 2010, 135 Posts, 489 Comments
Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on July 6, 2012 at 8:43 AM
The lighting must have been pretty great at this tme of day. The top sky just looks way too dark - was a ND grad used? I would expect the sky to look more like the blues and pinks lower in the sky which seem more natural. More info. regarding your settings/processing might be useful any correction suggestions.
Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
Comment posted by Ben Horne on July 8, 2012 at 12:33 PM
I would leave the saturation of the sky the same (don't want to hurt those blues!), but convert the RAW file so the sky has a WB setting that makes the clouds more white --- then use this or a similar WB setting for the foreground. You should be able to easily mask them together.
Registered on August 27, 2009, 51 Posts, 959 Comments