The red glow of sunset

[Nathaniel Alpert]

This is the Colorado River, about 10 miles north of Moab. Hand held ISO 400, Canon 5D 70 mm, f8 @ 1/200 and IS. Some of you may assume that the color of buttes is over-the-top but I have to say, if anything, the reality was more vivid.

I hope some of you like this. Comments on the composition are welcome but moot, as this was the only shot possible from our vantage.

 

[Asher Kelman]

This is the Colorado River, about 10 miles north of Moab. Hand held ISO 400, Canon 5D 70 mm, f8 @ 1/200 and IS. Some of you may assume that the color of buttes is over-the-top but I have to say, if anything, the reality was more vivid.

Nathaniel,

With the title, "The Red glow of Sunset", this image calls for color and not B&W. however there's more detail to be brought out in them hills! so I did look at at a B&W derivative and cropping a tad from the foreground and this is what I get.

First color combining 40% of the B&W version with the orginal

Nathaniel Alpert Photo 2008 "Red Sunset" Edited by A.K.
​

Now this is the B&W version I happen to have used, but this does not pretend to do full justice to the potential of the file.

Nathaniel Alpert Photo 2008 "Red Sunset" Edited to B&W by A.K.​

Frankly, I like this picture in color and B&W. That means that the composition, even if you were limited in your positioning, is fundamentally satisfying, well at least to this observer. Let me restate my feelings; this is outstanding! Of course I'd like to have rendered the stone house on the upper left ridge line better, but that is just a minor touch!

Thanks so much for taking us on your travels once more!

Asher

 

[Nathaniel Alpert]

Request for more pp details

Hi Asher,

Thanks very much for your comments and the demonstration of color + BW. I don't understand at all what you did with a derived BW image. I would appreciate a discussion of the theory of this approach and a little tutorial on how you did it.

And BTW I don't see any BW in your post.

-Nat

 

[Asher Kelman]

Nathaniel,

Could you try clearing your browser cache and reloading the page? I also had a delay in seeing that B&W picture, but then it loaded.

Does anyone else see the B&W image?

Asher

 

[Nathaniel Alpert]

Asher,

I see it now. Thanks

 

[Steve Robinson]

Nathaniel,

I like this part of the country very much as well and I think you have a great capture here. This part of the country is magical at sunrise and sunset.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Nathaniel,

Do you find anything interesting in the renderings I attempted with your wonderful view?

Asher

 

[Nathaniel Alpert]

Nathaniel,

Do you find anything interesting in the renderings I attempted with your wonderful view?

Asher

Asher,

I think you missed my previous question about the use of the BW image to modulate the color. I am not aware of this technique, though, now having seen the result I am imaging how the BW could be used as a mask. Please tell me a bit about how you did the combination?


-Nat

 

[Alain Briot]

I did this quickly. Hope you like it.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Re-build of last posts from backup!

Nathaniel,

Do you find anything interesting in the renderings I attempted with your wonderful view?

Asher

Asher,

I think you missed my previous question about the use of the BW image to modulate the color. I am not aware of this technique, though, now having seen the result I am imaging how the BW could be used as a mask. Please tell me a bit about how you did the combination?


-Nat

Hi Nat,

I'll see if I can find the PSD file and post it. I sometimes like to deal with the tonality and detail of an image in B&W only. After all, that's where much of the form of a scene resides. Then I blend it back to the color image.


I find the color sat is the most trying thing for me to observe and this is extreme in the greens. So how does it compare to real life as you remember it?

Asher


Doug Kerr adds:


Hi, Nathaniel,

This is the Colorado River, about 10 miles north of Moab. Hand held ISO 400, Canon 5D 70 mm, f8 @ 1/200 and IS. Some of you may assume that the color of buttes is over-the-top but I have to say, if anything, the reality was more vivid.

This is stunning!

To me as a viewer, I find the luminance contrast between the buttes and the foreground to be visually disturbing (although I'm sure that in the real scene the luminance contrast was probability greater than presented in this image). It makes me want to flip down my sunglasses!

I'm not sure what a fix might be for that - I would hate to think in terms of contrast dilution.

Doug Kerr


Nathaniel Alpert replies to Alain and Doug:

Alain,

I do like it. Can you outline your procedure for us?

-Nat

Hi Doug,

I take your point. And you are correct, the luminance contrast was actually more than I rendered in my post. Oddly, when we were watching the sun work its magic we were just mesmerised; it was not disturbing at all, quite the contrary-- eye candy. Every once in a while I would rush close to the railing and fire off another volley, couldn't help myself.

-Nat