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Canyon Sunset
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Canyon Sunset

by Serkan Imisiker

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 27, 2013530 views14 comments
I think this shot was from the Hopi Point. It was a good winter sunset over the Grand Canyon. Long exposure was basically the reason for the blurry clouds. Brightening some part of the sky makes it a little bit noisy and I just tried the saturation on a high level. It is always good to hear your thoughts.

Please see it larger.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 16-35 Mark II at 24mm, F11, 30 sec, ISO 100, Gradual ND Filter.

Comments

14 comments
Comment posted by Mark Metternich on March 27, 2013 at 6:28 PM
The location and composition and light you have captured here are great but, my immediate question is if you have your monitor calibrated? The color is nuclear to the extreme. Also, are you using Photoshop CS6 with Adobe Camera Raw? I'd be more than willing to help you on your settings (I do this for a living) and I think the photo could be vastly improved. I also think the photo is very much worth it.
Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments
Comment posted by Eva McDermott on March 27, 2013 at 9:41 PM
I have to agree with Mark. Great comp, drama, and light Serkan but the color is over the top for me. The canyon especially seems too blue / cyan.
Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments
Comment posted by Stan Rose on March 27, 2013 at 9:52 PM
I don't know what Mark is talking about, colors look fine to me! :razz:
But then again, im in a very very very BLuuuuuuue mood :eek:
Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments
Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on March 27, 2013 at 9:53 PM
Would look great if not oversaturated.
Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments
Comment posted by Peter Coskun on March 27, 2013 at 10:26 PM
I don't mind the colors as is, but they don't come off as natural to me (of course this is art, so everything I am saying is just personal opinion). I think with a few adjustments this could be a real "wow" image. The comp is great.
Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments
Comment posted by Johan Eickmeyer on March 27, 2013 at 10:47 PM
Regardless of how the colors are treated, that's one wicked-sick photo! It would look good in B&W too.
Registered on March 25, 2013, 36 Posts, 164 Comments
Comment posted by Serkan Imisiker on March 28, 2013 at 5:40 AM
Thank you for the comments so far. Mark, I didn't have any calibration device and I use standard display profiles on my Macbook Pro. I also use PS CS5 and ACR for the raw conversion. I would love to hear your suggestions about improving this photo. Afterwards I can also post the altenative versions.
Serkan
Registered on March 15, 2013, 25 Posts, 44 Comments
Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on March 28, 2013 at 9:44 AM
nice light & comp but it's very saturated IMO

Thanks
Registered on June 1, 2009, 372 Posts, 2282 Comments
Comment posted by John Fan on March 28, 2013 at 7:42 PM
White balance might be slightly off. Just warm up a little in PS might solve the problem. Otherwise, a great image.
Registered on August 24, 2010, 135 Posts, 489 Comments
Comment posted by Ben Horne on March 29, 2013 at 1:34 AM
Though there is in fact a blue haze in the distance of such shots, I feel it's way too strong here. You've captured some wonderful light here, it's just a matter of tweaking your processing to showcase it. Not every moment needs to have mind blowing super saturated color. Often times, the most powerful shots are the ones that showcase the subtle nuances of light.

One of the things I love about landscape photography is that I can gaze at a photo for quite some time, and truly get lost in the scene. In a way, it tricks my mind into believing that I am there. This isn't to say that I'm a literalist and that all landscape photos must match reality -- I realize that there is no way to truly capture a scene as it was, and there is always some degree of interpretation.

From a pure artistic standpoint, the blue canyon is quite interesting to look at when paired with the warm light. However, this strong color cast makes it difficult for me to stare longingly at the image, and fool myself into believing I'm looking at reality. I don't have as strong of a connection with the image in the same way I would if it was a more natural of a presentation.

You nailed the exposure while shooting it -- that was the hard part. Now it's just a matter of fine tuning it in the digital darkroom.
Registered on August 27, 2009, 51 Posts, 959 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Harding on March 29, 2013 at 7:13 PM
This is a beautiful well captured scene Serkan. But the colors on my monitor are way over the top. You need to calibrate your monitor.....Mac pro's are usually very good. I shoot with a 5D11 also but for many years I've been using Canon's DPP raw converter. I get superior results, more accurate colors and my images are sharper than conversions with made with ACR.
Registered on January 19, 2011, 33 Posts, 408 Comments
Comment posted by Serkan Imisiker on March 30, 2013 at 3:59 PM
I have changed the white balance and gone over the retouching phase again. I hope the colors on this one seems to be better than the other. Thank you for the comments so far.
Registered on March 15, 2013, 25 Posts, 44 Comments
Comment posted by Ben Horne on March 30, 2013 at 11:40 PM
I'm really digging the repost Serkan. The color is much more realistic, and it also helps to bring out more depth from the sky. I might consider darkening the shadows a bit on the repost to add a bit more contrast, but that's minor.
Registered on August 27, 2009, 51 Posts, 959 Comments
Comment posted by John Mumaw on March 31, 2013 at 9:49 PM
This is much better! Don't you think?
Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments