Friday sunrise - opinions appreciated

Hey guys and gals,

I was sitting in my truck near Hermit Pass, lamenting all the clouds on the eastern horizon, when an unexpected red orb appeared in my peripheral vision. The complete disc of the sun was sandwiched between the mountain ridge and the cloud deck. After a quick "Oh sh*t!," I got the camera set up and fired off a few shots, although I missed catching the complete disc of the sun and had to settle for this. Even though the sun was partially obscurred by a milky haze, which made it appear as a perfect red ball, I've found that the digital sensor on my 5D just doesn't know what to do with it. I'm routinely disappointed with how it renders situations like this. After failing to get anything even remotely viewable in DPP, I tried the latest ACR in CS3, which did a better job than DPP ever could on this type of shot. But does it still look too "frazzly" (highly scientific term that only experienced photographers can use) to be acceptable?

This is about a 65-70% crop from the original image. I've applied no sharpening.

hmmm...frazzly huh. I kind of like the shot--don't look too frazzled to me. Id like to see just a little more contrast in the bg so i can distinguish the rows of distant peaks.

I know what you're talking about with regards to shots like this one, but honestly it looks fine to me. I do see light halo around the FG ridge. The "Oh sh*t!" moments are some of my favorites in the field.

I can't tell if it was an "Oh sh*t!" or a "Oh f*ck" moment, either way I like it because its not your everyday landscape shot. I would not do any more alterations to this, I think you did a good job.

I like it, Todd. It's not your typical "holy crap that's stunning" photo, but it's certainly good enough to keep.

I'm liking it a lot - very different, in a good way. I think I'd rather have the frazzly version than a perfect red orb - adds a little tension.

Have you ever tried Capture One? I've been impressed with it's capability, especially for images shot directly into the sun. The Nikon software usually leaves with something resembling a paint-ball splat.

I'm liking it, too. Here, the "frazzly" kinda helps convey the changing conditions.

What a unique and beautiful sunrise shot!! The sun's distortion is perfect considering there's a lot of atmosphere between the distant horizon and Hermit Pass. Like Rick said, not having a perfect orb definitely evokes a feeling of tension. Don't fix it if it's not broken!

I like the sun where it is between the mountains and clouds, it does seem to add tension. I also like the overall blue color cast. Although I agree with Stan a little more contrast on the distant ridges would improve the image, it seems really hazy in the middle of the frame.

Thanks y'all. Rick, I actually downloaded a trial version of C1 on Jerry Greer's recommendation, but without someone looking over my shoulder to start me out, I couldn't really figure out how to use it. Just some personal ineptitude on my part. But I've heard it's good for exactly this kind of image. Makes sense, since Jerry shoots a lot of shots like this, looking into the sun with stacked ridges, in the Smokies.

I really like the color and the simplicity of this shot. I actually like the sun the way it is.

Todd, would you accept "perfectly imperfect"?
All the things you feel are wrong with the shot actually make it rather attractive to me.

I like it very much, especially the fact that it's blue.

I think thats a really cool and unique shot.

I personally enjoy the sun, mainly because you captured one of the many sunrise phenomena, that being the sun's distortion, usually spotted right after the green flash. Usually in Colorado in the mountains, we don't have the option of seeing the horizon line right as the sun comes over it to witness that sort of thing, so it was pretty cool that you were able to get that from up in the peaks, without miles of urban sprawl in the image. Being originally from the east, the blue and the haze are reminding me of the Smokies. I do agree with Stan that if anything could be done to bring out a little bit more of the ridge tops between you and the distant ridge, it would definitely help out with the depth. On my monitor, if I stare long enough, I can faintly make out it looks like maybe 3 ridgelines in the 4-5 o'clock direction from the sun. I would enjoy it if those were brought out a little bit more. Definitely much better than I would have done in an "Oh sh#t" moment...probably better than I would have done in a non "Oh sh#t" moment.

I agree with most here. The sun, as captured, is what makes the image interesting to me. Great graphic image.

I like the graphic quality and the sun looks interesting. Cool shot!

Looks really good to me. Another vote for C1P. Now that 4.0 is coming out....

I like it too Todd. A simple shot but you caught the subtle ridges just enough for some added detail. This looks like an easy capture that probably was not. Nice job!

Pam