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Glowing Landscape+repost
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Glowing Landscape+repost

by Nathan Apodaca

Gallery: LandscapePosted November 25, 2012378 views14 comments
Getting over a cold this past week made taking photos not sound like much fun. However, yesterday I felt just good enough to hit a location up in northern colorado. I had been watching the clouds all day and guessed there might be a good sunset, but I had not anticipated the vibrant, fiery sunset that materialized just after sunset.

From that photo shoot, I have several images that I'd like to share over the next week or two. Hopefully you all can enjoy the scenery I saw that evening (or perhaps enjoyed from wherever you live in northern CO). I won't post them in the order I took them, for various reasons that would take to much room to note...

I had scouted several areas just before sunset, and found two major areas to work in, both being oriented differently to the sun. This image posted here is actually the second area. You can see a sliver of a lake in the bg (I actually don't like that it's visible in this shot, but...). That was my second location, and offered an incredible reflection. More photos on that later...

So, having those two locations (not necessarily close), it involved a bit of jogging back and forth, setting up the tripod, switching lenses, all to catch each scene in good lighting. Whew! :smile:

I'm surprised, I did not touch the saturation or vibrance sliders either in RAW or in CS5. The landscape was literally glowing with the colors of the sunset.

Canon 60d 10-22mm @ 10mm
ISO 100 --- f/13 --- two exposures --- tripod --- no filters

Your input is always appreciated! :smile:

Comments

14 comments
Comment posted by Morris McClung on November 25, 2012 at 7:30 PM
That is some sweet light and color both in the sky and across the rabbitbrush. Beautiful image!

I just came down with the cold that is apparently spreading like wildfire across Colorado right now. :frown: My daughter and her family have it, too.
Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments
Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on November 25, 2012 at 11:36 PM
You sure got an awesome sky, and display of color. I like the highlights bouncing off the foreground bushes. Interested to see the reflection now!

Chris
Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments
Comment posted by Nathan Apodaca on November 26, 2012 at 12:07 PM
Ahhhh, so it's rabbit brush... Always wondered what they were. They have unique displays for each season, it seems. Thanks for the comments, Morris & Chris!
Registered on November 16, 2011, 67 Posts, 1127 Comments
Comment posted by Navin Sarma on November 26, 2012 at 1:22 PM
nice light nathan. i like the contrast you presented here. the colors seem a little magenta to me -- i might look at an adjustment layer for selective color and turn the reds/magentas a little bit yellower. thats my only thought. nice work!
Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments
Comment posted by Nathan Apodaca on November 26, 2012 at 1:40 PM
Thanks so much, Navin. Here's the re-post with the magentas and reds a bit more yellow. Feel free to tell me if it needs more...
Registered on November 16, 2011, 67 Posts, 1127 Comments
Comment posted by Natalie Mikaels on November 26, 2012 at 2:10 PM
This is a "wow" image. I love everything about it...the only thing I might work on is lighting the top left corner of the sky just a bit for balance. Then again, that may be a subjective issue. Absolutely incredible!
Registered on November 3, 2011, 45 Posts, 181 Comments
Comment posted by Peter Richter on November 26, 2012 at 4:26 PM
A stunning composition for me, Nathan. The colors in the repost work even better to my eye. I especially like the kind of symmetry betwen the clouds and the foreground elements in your image.

Peter
Registered on November 10, 2010, 218 Posts, 2723 Comments
Comment posted by Joseph Campisi on November 26, 2012 at 6:05 PM
Glad you're feeling better Nathan. And I'm also glad you felt good enough to get out and capture this! Great sky, and I like the color and texture on the rabbit brush.
Registered on November 24, 2008, 304 Posts, 3211 Comments
Comment posted by Eva McDermott on November 26, 2012 at 6:58 PM
I like the repost best Nathan. I agree with Natalie on the upper left corner and possible lightening of it. Great color in the sky. Look forward to your other posts now that you mentioned them.
Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on November 26, 2012 at 11:59 PM
Nathan,

What a gorgeous sky! I think the repost is great, especially in addressing the magenta in the rabbitt brush, and yet not taking too much away from the beautiful sky. My only nit is with the composition. While it's certainly ok the step out of the box with certain "rules" or guidelines, I'm just not sold on the 50/50 composition. These comps confuse me in the sense that I'm not sure what was the important subject for you as the photographer - they big, glorious sky, or the light on the foreground? Capturing them both is what most folks want and try to do, but for me it's an unsettled composition. Hope that makes sense.

Sure sounds like a great time chasing the light and colors!

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Nathan Apodaca on November 27, 2012 at 12:24 AM
Lon---I guess when out taking these images, I am constantly looking for an interesting foreground, and THEN hoping for a beautiful, intense sky to top it off. I totally get what you are saying, and it makes sense. Now that I look at it, I do think, "what is the main subject?". Is it the sky or fg? However, when I stood there, it was a magnificent scene to take in, and I feel the rabbit brush was part of that (to be a bit dramatic :wink: ). I guess what I'm getting at is this--- How would I photograph a scene like this, with both interesting subjects, yet craft it so that it does not unnecessarily divide the image into a 50/50 comp?

Thanks for bringing this up, as you are not the first to comment on one of my images being 50/50... :wavey:
Registered on November 16, 2011, 67 Posts, 1127 Comments
Comment posted by Nick Bristol on November 27, 2012 at 8:16 AM
Nathan, This is really some beautiful color and a great looking scene. I love that sky! I think the color in your repost looks really good! Nice work!....I look forward to some of your other shots now as well.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI
Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments
Comment posted by John&Patty Benway on November 27, 2012 at 8:51 AM
You caught some pretty nice light and color Nathan, beautiful scene, and beautifully presented.
John
Registered on May 12, 2006, 626 Posts, 8700 Comments
Comment posted by Paul DeCesare on November 29, 2012 at 3:49 PM
Man, what a color feast! The 50/50 would normally bother me but it doesn't really here, at least IMO. I agree that the TLC needs a bit of brightening just so it doesn't distract, but otherwise, you've got quite a great image here! Thanks for posting on mine, I'm glad I clicked on your gallery and saw this. :toast:
Registered on August 31, 2007, 29 Posts, 202 Comments