Storm Coming + rp

Preston, this needs to be twice as large to really appreciate it. As is, the detail is tough to make out and the clouds seem a bit edgy. I think if one could just see the bones of this image, it would be a powerful picture.

Great sky, Preston.  I might be inclined to life the shadows and mid tones a bit, maybe even lose the top 1/4 of the sky.  I think Phil is right about the size...standing in front of a 60" wide print would do it.
ML

The textures in the trees are very pretty, I can see how they may work better in B&W. There is one cloud, middle left, that is a bit on the bright side, not blown as it has detail, just very bright. That is the one detail that I think detracts a bit from the B&W, and might work better in color. Of course, one issue with panoramics like this one is that most monitors really can't do justice to them.

This is the view from my deck looking almost due west across the Stanislaus River canyon on the border of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties in Northern CA.

Wow, what a view, Preston. You are very fortunate to have such an exceptional vista. Great sky to go with the landscape, and the conversion looks good to me. As others have commented, would be great to see this even larger to appreciate. 

That is one nice view at your front door! B&W was a good choice - seems to always work with such skies. The brighter cloud stands out, almost 3D like, which is an interesting effect, but I think it also commands a bit too much attention. Maybe you could tone it down just a tad at the brightest part.

Nicely done. I didn't really appreciate the shot until I checked out the large detail image. The 720ppi pano just isn't really sufficient. I think I would dodge the shadows a little in the trees.

Photos like these call for the option of an extra-large version.... I find the clouds very intriguing, they have a bit of a special look which I can't really describe, and I like that a lot. I also like how this is the view from your deck, that is not a bad thing at all.

Preston,

'bout time you posted again! ;-)  I certainly agree with everyone, this is a must-see-bigger kind of image.  The sky/clouds are awesome, I really like the range of tones and contrasts.  This is all about the sky, but the land and ridges provide nice detail and anchor.

Not sure if anything changed, but it seems the shadow areas are a little deeper than the image I saw offline.  Maybe it's the effects of posting and have the sw resize?  Personal preference of course, but I might like to see the front ridge very slightly brighter, or reduced contrast.  And we're not talking much, we're in the "tweak" category.

Great image and scene for the pano format.  Well done sir - What a view!

Lon

Thanks for your comments and suggestions everyone!

I did some tweaking to tone down the bright clouds a bit and to open up the foreground using TK's Luminosity Masks. I also cropped this a bit from the top. What do you think?

Please view the large version (1600 px) on my web site. Thanks!

--P

 

The re-post does look to be an improvement but hard to tell at 500px. Those dark areas benefit from some opening up for sure. Quite the view from your deck, I'd have a hard time not photographing it daily
Here's to hoping that the Storms Keep Coming!

I like this one, especially the repost. I can see where you would have issues with masking on this.Exactly what I was talking about.

 

Preston,
This is one heck of a view. Very nice pano with some great clouds. Prefer the repost with adjustments to shadows/highlights.

The repost looks great PB!  Thanks for posting the extra large version too.  The contrast and exposure in the ridge looks excellent now.  Not sure why you cropped the sky (I might have missed some feedback,) but I think either the crop or original works fine.

This version shows off a fine collection of shapes and textures in both the land and sky.  The pano crop fits perfectly.  A classic "zone system exposure" with all tones from total black to completely white.  The subtly opened foreground in the repost is a good improvement.