Repost + Reaching for Warmth

Gallery: LandscapePosted January 17, 2016168 views14 comments

I took this last autumn at Yosemite National Park. It was my first visit to the park, and even though there wasn't a drop of water anywhere, I was blown away by the amazing beauty of the place. These Sequoia trees are HUGE to say the least and I felt incredibly dwarfed standing next to them. While the skies were clear on this evening, The sun began to set behind these giants, and I tried to frame the sun against the edge of the tree to get the sunstar in.

Appreciate your thoughts on this.

P.S : I used a Sony a7r ii with a Canon lens and I have to tell ya, it worked like a charm!

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on January 17, 2016 at 11:52 PM

This is a very impressive image, Sairaim. Love the glow and a wonderfully dramatic sun star. I think if it were mine I would work on subduing the impact of the brighter beam left of the tree. Not a huge deal, but I think it draws the eye a bit more than it should. Really nice work.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Dave Dillemuth on January 18, 2016 at 12:19 AM

Sairam,
Awesome image. Beautifully composed. Processing looks great. Only suggestion would be to reduce the temp. slightly in the shadows as they look at little too warm to my eye. Great work!

Registered on December 10, 2015, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on January 18, 2016 at 7:40 AM

A well composed and executed image, Sairam. I like how you framed the main tree, and the comp nicely emphasizes its main feature - i.e., its height. The sunstar is a nice added feature. My initial impression was that it is a bit too warm/orange.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on January 18, 2016 at 10:43 AM

The golden glow and the loooonnnnnggggg look up the trunk of the main tree are wonderful, Sairam. The sunstar is a fine addition also. To my eyes, the rays in the sunstar look too bright.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on January 18, 2016 at 12:50 PM

Very sweet comp! Makes those trees look as big as they really are. It's on the border of looking too HDR-ish for me, but that is certainly a personal taste.

Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on January 18, 2016 at 2:09 PM

Sairam,

This is a fantastic composition and portrayal of this magnificent trees. I love the back lighting throughout. This is beautifully crafted.

I would agree with the others on the warmth. While warm is good, it's just a little to yellow for me, which can also be noticed in the sky. I think you could tweak this a bit and it could be better than it already is!

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 18, 2016 at 4:58 PM

Incredible lighting and that sunburst is spot on. Well conceived and executed

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on January 18, 2016 at 5:33 PM

Amazing dynamic range in this! It is quite warm, but I like it a lot.

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on January 18, 2016 at 6:19 PM

Great composition to emphasize the size of the trees. Nice sun burst. Others have already commented on the processing.

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

Comment posted by David Schoen on January 18, 2016 at 8:37 PM

A nice warm image to view on a cold day.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Sairam Sundaresan on January 18, 2016 at 11:43 PM

Thanks all!

Here's a repost of the image with some changes :

1) Less "Warmth/Yellows & Oranges"

2) Burned the Sunstar to reduce brightness.

Thoughts?

Registered on March 14, 2013, 100 Posts, 643 Comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on January 19, 2016 at 12:27 PM

A very nice take on these giants. Warmth, sunstar and perspective work great for me. I enjoy the repost more, but mainly because of the larger size and the sharpening on the central trunk.

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on January 19, 2016 at 5:28 PM

Sairam,

The repost looks great! Still warm, but much more realistic. Well done.

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Ryan Shain on January 19, 2016 at 8:15 PM

Hello Sairam,

This image is uplifting and inspirational. I have always wanted to go see the Sequoias, and you have captured their spirit wonderfully in this image. The light is so warm and full of life, and the emphasis on the hug vertical natre of these tress is perfect for me.

Wonderfully spiritual work!!!! devil

edit: Repost is really sweet

Registered on February 20, 2007, 226 Posts, 4571 Comments